“Dog Heart”, “Afghan Break”, “Blonde Around the Corner”, “Once Lying”, “Gangster Petersburg”, “The Master and Margarita”, “Idiot” - film and television projects, thanks to which the audience remembered Vladimir Bortko. The talented director has enough opponents, but even they recognize his contribution to the development of domestic cinema. What can you tell about the master, his life and creative achievements?
Vladimir Bortko: family, childhood
The director was born in Moscow, it happened in May 1946. The family of Vladimir Bortko was directly related to the world of dramatic art. The boy’s mother was an actress, and his father was a theater director. Soon after the birth of a son, the family moved to Kiev, where the first years of the future star’s life passed.
Volodya was still a child when his parents divorced. The boy stayed with his mother.
Adolescence
By the time of graduation, Vladimir Bortko had not yet decided on the choice of profession. He graduated from the Geological Exploration College, and then joined the army. While the son was serving, his mother married a second time. She connected her fate with the playwright and writer Alexander Korneychuk.
Having given a long time to his native country, Vladimir returned home. His relationship with his stepfather did not work out, they constantly quarreled. Bortko worked for some time at the Military Project as an electrical technician, and then decided to graduate. The young man's choice fell on the Kiev Institute of Theater Arts. He managed to do the first attempt, Rodion Efimenko took him to his workshop. The young man received a university diploma in 1974.
First successes
After graduating from the Kiev Institute of Theater Arts, the young man began to collaborate with the Dovzhenko Film Studio. In 1975, Vladimir Bortko presented his first painting to the audience court. His filmography began with the drama "Channel", which tells about the everyday life of young builders. The film was warmly received by critics and awarded prizes of a number of national film festivals.
Already in 1978, a new Bortko film was released. The drama Commission of Inquiry begins with an accident that occurs at a nuclear power plant. A special commission arrives at the scene in order to find the perpetrators. The main roles in this tape were played by Irina Miroshnichenko and Oleg Efremov.
In 1980, Vladimir decided to move to Leningrad. Then his fruitful cooperation with Lenfilm began.
“Blonde around the corner”
In 1984, Vladimir Bortko presented the comedy melodrama “Blonde Around the Corner” to the audience court. The film about the love of the former astrophysicist to the saleswoman made a lasting impression on the audience. The main roles were brilliantly performed by Tatyana Dogileva and Andrei Mironov.
The protagonist of the picture is a former scientist who spent half his life searching for extraterrestrial civilizations. Over the years of work, he did not acquire material wealth, not particularly, and strives for this. Fate decides that the former astrophysicist is forced to get a loader in a local supermarket. His attention is attracted by the charming saleswoman of the gastronomic department. The hero falls in love with this businesslike and assertive young lady, not realizing how different their views on life are.
"Dog's heart"
“Heart of a Dog” is a picture that in 1988 Vladimir Vladimirovich Bortko presented to the audience court. The plot of this black and white film is borrowed from the work of the same name by Mikhail Bulgakov.
The action takes place in the twenties. The film tells about a bold experiment, which is decided by the talented surgeon Preobrazhensky. The hero transplanted the dog to the human pituitary gland and seminal glands. The organ donor is an alcoholic and rowdy Chugunkin, who found his death in a fight. The role of the experimental rabbit is assigned to the homeless dog Sharik. The operation is successful, but the events unfold so that the surgeon begins to regret what he did.
The role of Sharikov tried to get many famous actors, for example, Nikolai Karachentsov claimed it. However, Bortko preferred Vladimir Tolokonnikov, which he did not have to regret. The image of Professor Preobrazhensky was brilliantly performed by Evgeny Evstigneev. The film won the hearts of thousands of viewers.
"Afghan break"
“Afghan Break” is another famous film directed by director Vladimir Bortko. The military drama tells about the events that take place on the eve of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. The son of a senior military officer arrives at the paratrooper unit at the very end of the war. Everyone understands that the guy was sent here so that he “took part” in the hostilities and deserved rewards. However, it soon becomes clear that danger still threatens every soldier.
The audience liked the picture not only due to the fascinating plot. It is impossible not to note its truly stellar composition. The main roles were played by Alexei Serebryakov, Tatyana Dogileva, Victor Proskurin, Alexander Rosenbaum, Yuri Kuznetsov, Andrey Krasko, Nina Ruslanova. The newcomer senior lieutenant was convincingly played by Philip Jankowski.
TV series
Vladimir Vladimirovich became famous not only as the creator of high-quality films. Long-playing television projects also succeed him well. In 2000, the master presented to the audience court the series “Gangster Petersburg. Baron. " The story begins with the thief in law Yuri Mikheev robbing the apartment of a famous collector. The list of stolen items includes a very valuable picture of Aegina, written by Rembrandt. The bandits are working hard to get her back. Yuri Mikheev is trying to stop them, for which he gets in touch with the famous journalist Andrei Obnorsky.
A few months later, the gangster Petersburg 2: Lawyer series was released. The television project tells the story of childhood friends who, by the will of fate, turn into criminals. Both parts of the television project gathered a huge audience. The cast included many stars of domestic cinema, including Alexander Domogarov, Alexei Serebryakov, Dmitry Pevtsov and Olga Drozdova. It is impossible not to mention that the image of the king of bandits nicknamed "Antibiotic" brilliantly embodied Lev Durov.
In 2003, Vladimir Bortko presented to the audience a film adaptation of the work of Fyodor Dostoevsky's “Idiot”. The main roles in this series were played by Vladimir Mashkov, Evgeny Mironov, Inna Churikova, Oleg Basilashvili, Lidia Velezheva and Olga Budina.
"Peter the First. Testament ”- a mini-series that won the hearts of viewers who like to watch palace intrigues. This historical drama tells the story of the last years of the life of the famous Russian emperor, talks about his last love. In his declining years, Peter the Great fell in love with Princess Maria Cantemir, who was considered one of the most educated women of her era. She was to become the Empress, give birth to a child. However, the untimely death of the king and the intrigues of the nobility prevented this.
Filmography
What TV shows and films did Vladimir Bortko manage to film by the year 71? A list of the works of the famous director is given below:
- "Channel".
- "Commission of Inquiry."
- "My dad is an idealist."
- "Blonde around the corner."
- "Without family".
- "Exception without rules."
- "Once lied."
- "Dog's heart".
- "Afghan break."
- "Good luck, gentlemen."
- "The streets of broken lanterns."
- "The circus burned down, and the clowns fled."
- Gangster Petersburg: The Baron.
- Gangster Petersburg 2: Lawyer.
- "Moron".
- "The Master and Margarita".
- "Taras Bulba."
- "Peter the First. Will".
- "The soul of a spy."
- "About love".
- "The murder of cities."
"The Master and Margarita"
Special mention deserves the adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov’s novel “The Master and Margarita, ” which Bortko finished work in 2005. Events unfold in 1935 in the capital. It all starts with the appearance in Moscow of Woland and his retinue. The prince of darkness is trying to understand what new people are, whether they deserve destruction or forgiveness.
The series, like many other works of the director, was a great success with the audience. It should be noted and star cast. Oleg Basilashvili, Kirill Lavrov, Alexander Abdulov, Vladislav Galkin, Sergey Bezrukov, Anna Kovalchuk assumed the key roles.
Personal life
From the biography of Vladimir Bortko it follows that for many years he has been married to one woman. Natalia is directly related to the world of dramatic art, by profession she is a screenwriter.
Vladimir and Natalia have a son, who was named in honor of his father, following the family tradition. The father and grandfather of the famous director was also called. Vladimir did not follow in his parents' footsteps, his professional activity is not related to the world of cinema.
There is little information about Bortko’s personal life. This is due to the fact that the famous director flatly refuses to touch on this topic in conversations with members of the press.
