How "Strawberry" Was Filmed in Kyrgyz Cinema

How Naked Girls Were Filmed in Kyrgyz Cinema

Nudity in Soviet cinema was a fairly common phenomenon. Many directors used tricks with beautiful naked girls flashing in episodes to add a touch of spice to their masterpieces.

However, when it came to Kyrgyz cinema, things were much stricter. Directors thought long and hard before using nudity in their films.

Photographer Alexander Fedorov shared who was the first to film "nudity" in Kyrgyz cinema and why, after the restructuring, young directors began to shoot very explicit scenes.

"In Soviet times, we were surrounded by an 'iron curtain,' but we still received world premieres for viewing and familiarization. Closed screenings were held only for members of the Union of Cinematographers. Out of four or five films, there was always one with 'strawberries.' Such a film would attract the entire city's elite by any means necessary, and sometimes additional screenings were arranged for the chosen few," recalls Fedorov.

"The First Teacher," 1965

He noted that one of the first directors to allow himself to show a naked body in Kyrgyz cinema was Andron Konchalovsky, but the interpretation of life in a Kyrgyz village in the film "The First Teacher" sparked debates.

Long negotiations took place between the director and the State Cinema and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the USSR regarding the "nudity." Only thanks to the authority of Chinghiz Aitmatov and the protection of Sergey Mikhalkov did the film make it to the big screen.

The film by director Andrei Konchalovsky "The First Teacher." Scene of Altynai being cleansed of dirt and sin under pouring rain.

In fact, the actress Natalia Arinbasarova is not shown in the episode; it was her stunt double, as Arinbasarova categorically refused to undress in front of the camera.

At that time, considering our mentality and Soviet morals, Konchalovsky did the practically impossible.

"From an artistic point of view, this scene turned out to be remarkable, as it gave the film a sense of unrelenting despair and tragedy. Later, other directors modestly tried to show either a semi-naked breast, beautiful legs, or introduce a scene with a swimsuit," says the photographer.

"The White Ship," 1976

The film "The White Ship" is associated with many unusual stories. One of them is the filming of a completely naked girl. According to the director's idea, she was supposed to run across a glade among the burning houses of her tribe, escaping from enemy soldiers who wanted to rape her.

In Soviet times, it was difficult to find a girl willing to completely undress, but Shamsiev succeeded. He found her among the local population in the village of Ananyevo. He offered 25 rubles for this episode, which was a very good amount of money at that time. By the way, that was how much a people's artist earned for one shooting day. The director also promised her many things. In the end, the girl agreed.

To avoid attracting special attention, the filming took place during the lunch break of the film crew. A minimal crew was left on set, and the area where the naked girl was to run was heavily smoked. As a result, this shot was produced.

"Mirages of Love," 1986

This shot from the film "Mirages of Love" became a kind of cherry on the cake. In the final scene, when the main character returns home, he sees a beautiful girl dancing in a fur swimsuit on the shore of Issyk-Kul.

To hide the naked body in the film "Mirages of Love," Tolomush Okeeve devised a fur swimsuit for the dancer.

"Ascent to Fujiyama," 1988

During the filming of the movie "Ascent to Fujiyama," the assistant director was tasked with selecting a Kyrgyz girl with a large beautiful breast. For which specific episode, no one knew.

At that time, 10-15 girls came to the casting who were supposed to expose their breasts. The director's assistants and the photographer had to view them all from different angles and select the best. In the end, two girls were chosen who seemed the most suitable.

Then the director Bolo Shamsiev himself examined their breasts and chose the most suitable one.

The entire film crew was intrigued by what kind of scene the director had in mind that required a beautiful breast.

How surprised we were when the big-breasted beauty was smeared with dirt, dressed in rags, and made to pull a plow.

The breast was barely visible under the torn fabric of her dress. By the way, Chinghiz Aitmatov was present during the filming of this episode.

"The Universe of Manas," 1995

Director Melis Abukeiev loved to show young naked girls in his films. During the filming of "The Universe of Manas" in 1995, he came up with the idea of showing seven naked girls bathing in Issyk-Kul. For this, assistants held a casting in Bishkek and brought seven beauties from the capital.

In Bishkek, the selection was made, the girls were chosen, but as soon as they gathered for filming, the weather turned bad — it rained for several days. All deadlines had passed, and the director decided to shoot in any conditions, noted the photographer. Horses were brought from the horse farm, the girls were undressed, and filming began.

It is said that the most beautiful shots are obtained during weather changes, and in our case, this statement was justified, and we managed to shoot a true Issyk-Kul fairy tale. As soon as the beauties entered the lake, the wind blew, the clouds began to disperse, and golden rays of sunshine appeared — nature created a stunning landscape that any director could only dream of.

By the way, filming took place on the beach of Cholpon-Ata, where a hippodrome has now been built.