2023-06-22 12:15:40
The world of cinema might lose a cult picture.
The historical film comedy “The Hussar Ballad” might never have appeared on the screens if not for the cunning of Eldar Ryazanov. The director had to “fight” with the harsh Soviet censorship, and in the end he won an unconditional victory.
The premiere of the film was scheduled for the anniversary of the Battle of Borodino. The management was outraged that the director dared to make a “lightweight vaudeville” for such a significant historical date. But most of all, the officials did not like that Ryazanov approved Igor Ilyinsky, a comedian who had previously appeared in Carnival Night, for the role of Kutuzov. According to the management, the artist might trivialize the image of the great Russian commander.
Then Ryazanov went to a grandiose deception, because he did not want to see another artist in this role. He invited others to audition, but he did it as a distraction. The director filmed the episode with Ilyinsky in the winter in order to find a suitable nature. After the onset of spring, it was not possible to repeat the same scene with another actor. Ryazanov put the officials before the fact and showed them the finished material, so they only had to come to terms with Ilyinsky-Kutuzov. The commander turned out to be lively and charming, and not as monumental as he used to be portrayed.
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