Alexander Moiseevich Volodin: a short biography, photos and interesting facts

Alexander Moiseevich Volodin is a popular Russian screenwriter and playwright. His pen belongs to many well-known plays, which are staged on the stages of Russian theaters to this day. He also wrote scripts for several feature films. The most famous of them is the melodrama of Nikita Mikhalkov's "Five Evenings," Georgy Danelia's tragicomedy "Autumn Marathon", and another sad tale of the same director - "Tears were dripping".

Biography of the playwright

Alexander Moiseevich Volodin was born in Minsk. This happened in 1919. His name at birth was Lifshitz. But for obvious reasons, he subsequently took a creative pseudonym. With the Jewish name in the Soviet Union, it was difficult to achieve something.

At the age of five, Alexander Moiseevich Volodin moved from the capital of the Byelorussian SSR to Moscow. There he stopped at his uncle, who worked as a doctor.

Enthusiasm for the future famous playwright appeared in childhood. A big role in this was played by his elder brother, who was engaged in the creative workshop of People's Artist of the USSR Alexei Dikiy, famous for his roles in the Moscow Art Theater and the Vakhtangov Theater.

However, when it came time to choose a profession, Alexander Moiseevich Volodin entered the Moscow Aviation Institute. However, a year later I realized that this was not his and threw the university. After receiving a diploma of teaching courses, Volodin went to teach Russian and literature in a regular school in the village of Veshki in the Moscow region.

Volodin in the war

The fatal decision in his life was taken in 1939 by Alexander Moiseevich Volodin. A short biography of the playwright contains information about his studies at GITIS at the Faculty of Theater Studies. However, they did not give a chance to study for a long time. Two months after his admission, he received a summons to the army.

And very soon it was not at all until the theater - the Great Patriotic War began. Alexander Moiseevich Volodin, whose photo you will find in this article, took an active part in the battles. At the front he was a sapper and a signalman. Took part in the battles on the Byelorussian Front. He was wounded twice, after which he was treated in hospitals. He was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree and the medal "For Courage".

Theater education

After the war he did not return to GITIS, but entered the VGIK. He began to study at the scenario faculty. He graduated in 1949. He was engaged in the creative workshop of the Honored Artist of the RSFSR Eugene Iosifovich Gabrilovich, famous for the drama of Leonid Lukov's Two Fights, the production drama of Yulia Raizman's Kommunist, the psychological drama of Mikhail Schweitzer "Sunday" for which he wrote scripts.

Not all at once developed successfully in the playwright's career. When he graduated from VGIK, the country struggled with cosmopolitanism, therefore, as a Jew by birth, Volodin was left without work.

He moved to Leningrad, where the situation was not so tense. In 1949 he joined the party, works at the film studio "Lennauchfilm". First, an editor, and then a full-time script writer.

In 1956, he moved to Lenfilm, becoming a member of the artistic council. Writes scripts.

The first works

The first collection of stories by Volodin was published in 1954. But the first play was written in the 56th. She became the "Factory Girl", which was immediately staged at the Stavropol Drama Theater and the Central Theater of the Soviet Army. It was a performance in which it was clearly demonstrated how the collective was breaking a man trying to resist him.

The second play brought popularity to Alexander Moiseevich Volodin. The work "Five Evenings" immediately went to the Bolshoi Drama Theater. It was directed by Georgi Tovstonogov. This immediately became one of the main events of cultural life.

Volodin's plays provoked contradictory feelings among spectators and critics. Some were ready for them to go to another city, others - accused of pessimism, decadent moods, interest in the fate of small people who could not arrange their lives.

The third work of Volodin is considered the least successful. The play "Away and Home", staged just once, then left for ever the theatrical stage. But the following works again returned his name to the front pages. "My older sister" and "Appointment" were staged in the Bolshoi Drama Theater. In the latter, it was told about a decent man, who at the decisive moment shows weakness and refuses a high post. But when he finds out who should take this place, he reconsiders his decision. The main role in the performance was performed by Oleg Efremov.

Screenplays

In the early 60's, Alexander Moiseevich Volodin began writing for the cinema. The writer, who only worked with dramatic material for this, discovered new possibilities for himself. The first was the short film "Last summer".

And in 1965 the first full-length film was released on the screen of Volodin's script. This is Alexander Mitta's film "Ring, open the door." The story of fifth-grader Tanya, who is in love with the pioneer leader. To please him, she begins to look for interesting people who were the first pioneers. Hoping that this will help his lover to realize a major school project dedicated to the Day of Pioneers.

In 1967, Volodin took the first film as a director in his own script. Melodrama "Incident, which no one noticed" - the story of a saleswoman of a vegetable store, which dreams of great love. For this, she wants to become beautiful. Like in a fairy tale, one day it happens. However, the beauty, about which she so dreamed, disappoints the heroine.

Film successes

Volodin achieved certain success in the cinema. With great success in 1978, was screened his famous play "Five Evenings" by Nikita Mikhalkov. The history of the meeting between a man and a woman after years of separation caused by the war, received positive assessments from both viewers and critics. The main roles were performed by Lyudmila Gurchenko and Stanislav Lyubshin.

In the 70's Volodin returned to work in the theater. She writes plays "Do not part with your loved ones" and "Dulcinea of Tobos", which later were also screened.

In this case, the playwright does not leave work on the set. In 1974, according to his script, Sergei Gerasimov shoots the melodrama "Daughters-mothers". About the graduate of the orphanage, who wants to find her mother. And in 1979 George Danelia shoots the most famous film based on Volodin's work - the tragicomedy "Autumn Marathon". Oleg Basilashvili, Natalia Gundareva and Marina Neelova play a sad philosophical story about a man who tries to lead a double life, to two families, but as a result understands that he is driving himself into a corner.

In addition to the dramatic and philosophical episodes in the film, there are many humorous scenes. Especially good are they performed by Yevgeny Leonov, who played the neighbor of the main character Vasily Kharitonov.

The works of Volodin were never limited to plays and scripts. He also wrote poetry and prose. Basically, memoirs.

Evaluation of creativity

Critics take Volodin to the generation of playwrights, the "sixties". Their main distinguishing feature is the opposition in their plays of the tendencies that existed in Stalin's theater, when the hero always defended the collective interests. In the works of the "sixties" the main characters constantly come into conflict with the collective. His heroes are people who swim against the current, who rebel against all the generally accepted. This is the main feature of his work.

Personal life

Even before the war, Alexander Moiseyevich Volodin started a family. At that time they lived poorly. With his wife Frida Lifshitz and a young son in the late 40's had to huddle in a communal apartment of 7 square meters, which was also located in the basement.

As a result, they had two sons when they grew up, then they moved to America and began to actively call their parents. Alexander Moiseevich Volodin came to the children, but he did not like it in the USA. He returned to his homeland.

Volodin died in St. Petersburg in 2001. He was 82 years old.