Visiting... Boris Godunov
In the 1970s, Kyrgyz television cinema actively experimented with various genres — documentary, popular science, and feature films (there was a clear inclination towards creating feature films for children).
The film about people of artistic creativity, a documentary story about a specific person, was made at "Kyrgyztelefilm" not for the first time, but the film "Sings Bulat Minzhilkiyev" deserves a separate discussion as an example of the search by young television documentarians, their discoveries, and their mistakes (script by V. Savchuk, directed by M. Dughanov, cameraman U. Djeentaev, artist D. Dzhumabekov). It marked the establishment of a documentary television film about a person of artistic creativity. While in the cinema of those years there was relative clarity on this issue (Maya Merkel's report film "Eternal Motion" about the People's Artist of the USSR Igor Moiseyev and his ensemble — essentially a concert film, although Moiseyev's personality was portrayed in an extraordinarily vivid and convincing manner within the genre), in television cinema, debates were ongoing around the documentary portrait. There was talk of the formation and identification of the very essence of the "genre" — "the 70s were marked by a true explosion of portrait cinema..." The very fact of addressing Bulat Minzhilkiyev's creativity — an unusual and talented artist — was noteworthy.
Minzhilkiyev performed 10 pieces in the film: the parts of Boris ("Boris Godunov" by M. Mussorgsky), Mephistopheles ("Faust" by C. Gounod), Philip ("Don Carlos" by G. Verdi), romances "Misty Morning...", "Burn, burn, my star...", and several songs. The singer's repertoire at that time was represented quite fully.
It seems I would not be mistaken in saying that many television viewers, to whose homes the singer "came" as a guest that spring evening, felt a great sense of gratitude: Minzhilkiyev's voice — masculine and mournful, daring and tender — remains in memory for a long time. But today we are interested in something else. We not only listened to music that evening but also watched it. How was this music presented to us — the viewers? What means were used to create its television equivalent — the foundation of a musical film?
The authors faced a challenging task. In addition to searching for a television interpretation of the music, they aimed to create a portrait of the singer himself, a creative portrait of Bulat Minzhilkiyev. Hence, there was an episode about studying in Italy, at the Milan theater "La Scala," and a brief story from the singer himself about his attitude towards opera, and the traditional — "about creative plans" at the end. These small messages about himself served not only the functional role of "linking" individual concert numbers. They became strokes, sketches for the portrait of Minzhilkiyev.
Despite the film-concert's well-structured plot (this is how I would define its genre, although it was referred to differently in the programs): a precise prologue, a report from the rehearsal of Mephistopheles' aria, an episode about Italy, etc. — the strokes remained strokes, sketches remained sketches, details remained details. The portrait somehow did not come together...
One of the reasons for this was the "form" of communication with the audience chosen by the authors for Minzhilkiyev — stories about himself. The singer is left to himself here, speaking to the camera about what is on the surface, what can be learned without even talking to him. He talks about what "routine reporters" always ask famous actors: he was in Italy, loves opera, wants to sing this and that in the future. The unique, creative individuality of Bulat Minzhilkiyev unexpectedly eluded the authors, slipping right out of their hands...
Unexpected? Perhaps not.
It simply reminded us of the specificity of TV. A person on screen, telling about themselves immediately after we have seen their work, seen them in action, must now say only what will give the viewer new impressions — about their character, thoughts, feelings, revealing the state of their soul. The face of a person, the eyes... Their inner world is brought as close to us as possible. We are one-on-one with them... This is difficult to achieve on the cinema screen. And very difficult — on the television screen...
The specificity of the television film. It reminds us of itself when it is forgotten. Or not given due importance?
Is it considered contrived?
It seems not. When presenting the film, the announcer stated that it was made with consideration of the specifics of television cinema.
A lot was written and said about the specifics of television at that time. Its existence no longer caused confusion and bewilderment; it seems everyone had already agreed (or reconciled?) with the thought of it. And it was a pity when this "elusive" specificity — just reach out your hand — disappeared from the film. It could have become more interesting — more significant, more precise, more confident.
...“The scene with the chimes” from “Boris Godunov”... Minzhilkiyev — fully in his Boris. Tension, drama, complete inner rupture — an image of rare conviction, spiritual dedication. For the first time, I see Minzhilkiyev-Godunov on the television screen. Close-up... A face twisted in suffering, eyes... And suddenly... Suddenly catching myself thinking — but this is theater, a staging! At best, it was a performance in a tele-concert. A binocular from the amphitheater — here is a close-up of Boris. The director's command from the control panel during the broadcast of the concert from the television studio pavilion — here is another close-up. But we are watching a film? A television one! This means that besides the traditional cinematic editing, there must necessarily be, live detail. A visual image of a significant, expressive detail that will undoubtedly emphasize what is happening, make it visible, create that very effect of presence that makes us participants in what is happening. Co-participation, empathy, and not just observation... A unique opportunity for a truly television spectacle. Even in this case, although it is not about being present in Munich's "Olympiahalle" at the World Figure Skating Championship, but in Russia of the 16th century, in the chambers of Boris Fyodorovich Godunov — the Russian tsar. But the effect of unexpected presence could have been all the more surprising! The tormented Boris, the royal chambers — and we, almost nearby... Fantasy? The specificity of television! And the director simply needed (just that) not to lose sight of... the elements of decoration that framed the episode — decorations of a theatrical performance, created in their time by the remarkable artist A. V. Arefyev.
The faces of saints, silent condemnation, frozen in their eyes throughout the episode, serve here only as a background, decoration, mood of the scene. But this is theatrical decoration, this is the convention of opera, another form of art.
The short, dynamic montage of these faces with the lost, tormented face of Boris, with his eyes full of despair (Godunov — a significant creative victory for Minzhilkiyev) would only enhance the sound of his rich voice, deepening the drama of what is happening. Not fulfilling a television function, the decoration became alien to the episode, nullifying the attempt to create an atmosphere of conviction and authenticity.
Unjustified directorial timidity (and in combination with Minzhilkiyev's confident mastery, it is even more noticeable), some creative stiffness (perhaps it is due to the debut? The first experience of directing for cameraman M. Dughanov?) leads to the fact that the television film sometimes becomes a radio film. Apparently, it was unnecessary to show us images of Italy during the entire song about Italy in the episode about Italy. It is not about Italy, but about Minzhilkiyev. The episode — a memory of the years spent at "La Scala" should probably have been done differently, without giving time allocated for Minzhilkiyev's portrait to a two-minute montage film about the museums of Rome.
If the romance in the prologue sounds completely and creates a contrast with the visual row, and looks unexpected, and is memorable, then in the episode about Italy, the image is simply illustrated by the Italian song. And who is interested in an illustration next to real, living art?
And yet, the film fulfilled its main task at that time: it expanded the theater of the talented Kyrgyz singer, introducing a vast television audience, thousands of kilometers away from the capital and opera, to the beautiful...
"Sings Bulat Minzhilkiyev," despite all its shortcomings, became a gratifying phenomenon: a documentary film about people of artistic creativity — an interesting and extremely promising genre!, seemingly specially found for the home screen — was searching for its style at "Kyrgyztelefilm."
Thirteen Debuts
...Eight years ago, while filming a feature novella based on the script by G. Oganesyan, student of the directing faculty of VGIK Karidin Akmataliyev met ninth-grader Marat Taliyev on the shooting set. This film — "I Need to Consult" became Akmataliyev's diploma work. After graduating from VGIK under the guidance of Professor A. B. Stolper, he directed two more feature films on the order of Central Television — "Sunny Island" based on the story by M. Gagharov and "Three Days in July" (script by L. Dyadyuchenko based on the story by A. Dzhalakypbekov).
All of Akmataliyev's feature films, including "Spring Rainbow" — are about youth. Their heroes are schoolchildren, students, young specialists, vocational school students, workers. Coincidence?
— No, — says the director. — This theme has interested me for a long time. One of my first documentary works, filmed during my student years, "Hut in Oru-Sai" — was also an attempt to reflect not only on the problem of skiing but also on the enthusiasm of young athletes.
— What constantly attracts attention to the youth theme?
— To be honest — some problems that the heroes of the films had to face are not so far removed from our own. Colleagues in the shooting groups — my peers, classmates. All this unites, helps in work, makes our heroes closer, more understandable. This period of life interests me primarily because it is the time of character formation of a person, a citizen. Here are not only the roots but also the first results of the complex process of personality formation.
It is difficult to work for a youth audience — the viewer is sensitive...
Apparently, Akmataliyev's student acting work in the film "Kyrgyzfilm" "Smile on Stone" (the role of a young sculptor summing up his first life results) and plans related to the script "Landslide" — about youth and for youth, are not accidental in his creative biography.
When starting to shoot the new film — "Spring Rainbow" (script by U. Tokombaev), the young director invited Marat Taliyev again for the lead role — now a student of the polytechnic institute.
The complex and unfortunately not so rare problem was laid by Ulan Tokombaev as the basis of the story "Spring Rainbow," and then — the film's script. It is resolved by M. Taliyev (son) and S. Jumadylov (father) psychologically correctly, although somewhat hastily and without detail. The circumstances, characters, events of the film are more outlined than drawn. They are contour-like, sometimes only indicated. Sketches of fates, dotted lines of relationships. Slightly blurred colors of the rainbow that appeared over the warm rain of the departing summer...
However, let us note the inventiveness of the young director, who invited well-known theater and film actors to this film. A. Dzhapgorozov, S. Kumushaliyev, A. Umuraliyev, O. Kutmanaliyev, J. Seydakhmatov, B. Seydakhmatov played their roles-sketches, roles-drawings simply and convincingly.
Most of the events take place in Frunze, in the familiar, everyday hustle and bustle of the capital's streets, a kaleidoscope of faces, conversations, streams of cars. In this crowd, the "populated" nature of the film seems to me a considerable merit. The producers — the director, cameraman, artist — tried to create conditions for the actors — even in the smallest episodes (consisting, for example, of two or three portrait shots, almost without text) — to work with maximum dedication. The theatrical actors, successfully working in cinema, were given a good opportunity (rare, unfortunately, in the feature television cinema of the republic) to create an individual character with minimal means in a limited time. And this is so necessary for a dramatic actor!
"Spring Rainbow" was a film of debuts. And not only of the young actors playing the main roles: the graduate of the Almaty Choreographic School G. Umarbekova (Maripa), first-year student of KGU M. Minzhilkiyev (Beksultan), a worker of the "Kyrgyzfilm" studio S. Kislyakov (Dergach), student of the polytechnic institute A. Dzhumabekov (Erkin).
Unexpected is the well-known ballerina, laureate of the State Prize of the USSR R. Chokoeva in a very tiny dramatic role.
The new television film — debuts in feature cinema of the production operator M. Aliev, production designer V. Belov, photographer V. Alexandrov, Frunze students: A. Momunbaev, E. Sultanbaev, A. Kerimgaziev, who performed a debut song to the verses of S. Tokombaeva (another debut — a cinematic poetic one).
— How many debuts are there in the film? — I ask Akmataliyev.
The director thinks. And boldly answers:
— Thirteen.
The Specificity of Documentary Television. Television and Cinematography of Kyrgyzstan in the 70s—early 80s. Part-2