The director of the movie "Brother." Alexey Balabanov

The film "Brother", released on the screens in 1997, became a cult. Quotations from this picture, as well as from its continuation, turned into winged phrases. Danila Bagrov became a real "hero of our time." What is the uniqueness of the talent that the director of the movie "Brother" had? Why did his picture win all-Russian love and do not lose popularity even today, almost twenty years after the premiere?

Alexey Balabanov: brief biographical information

The director of the film "Brother" graduated from the Faculty of Foreign Languages. After graduation from the Pedagogical Institute he served on a regular basis. He became a participant in the Afghan war, which subsequently inspired him to create the picture "Gruz-200".

The director of the film "Brother" began his creative career in Sverdlovsk. Since 1990 he lived in St. Petersburg, where he made two short films before creating the picture that brought him the all-Russian fame. After the release of the film "Brother" on the screens became known and the performer of the main role - Sergei Bodrov.

Criticism

The creation of a dialogue about Danil Bagrov became for Alexei Balabanov a kind of creative breakthrough. According to critics, the main character in these films is a real hero of post-Soviet cinema. The director of the film "Brother" created completely new images. His heroes are people who are on the sidelines of social life. They are outsiders in search of harmony. According to Andrei Konchalovsky, the director of the film "Brother" was the most talented Russian cinematographer of the early 2000s. One of the critics noted that the main theme of Balabanov's work is the search for morality, which brings him to Dostoevsky.

The film "Brother"

Director Balabanov created a picture in which the hero needed the Russian society. Why is this movie so popular? The success of "Brother-2" can be explained by the calculation of the creators. As for the film that appeared on the screens in 1997, the audience though appreciated his philosophical content, still fell in love with the picture primarily thanks to the protagonist. Danil is not superman. He is close to every Russian. But unlike the majority of the population of a huge country, it is able to stand up for both itself and for others.

The director of the movie "Brother" and "Brother-2" demonstrated a diverse talent for a short period of time. The first picture, created as if by accident, touched the Russian viewer alive. Suffice it to recall the realities of the post-Soviet period, in order to understand the power of this picture. The old values are lost. New are not yet purchased. And suddenly a hero appears on the screen, which is absolutely lost in the social sense. He has no idea what his future life will be like. But he has principles that he will not compromise at all costs.

Sergey Bodrov

The director of the movie "Brother", in addition, was able to successfully pick up the actors. If only for the role of Danila, he chose a performer with a typical brutal appearance, from his film would be another militant. The picture would be drowned in a sea of cheap gangster film stories. But Bodrov's charm gave the film a special, unique shade. This actor managed to create on the screen an image in which surprisingly combined decisiveness, naivety, romanticism and love for philosophical reflections.

Features of the picture

The success of the film was also promoted by musicians who played themselves. Namely - Vyacheslav Butusov and Sergey Chigrakov. Given the participation of such legendary personalities, even an average film with a faded plot would have gained initial popularity. In addition, we should emphasize one more feature of Balabanov's style. He was one of the first domestic filmmakers to use in filming, in order to achieve maximum naturalness, not only professional actors. This reception is now actively used by some modern Russian filmmakers.

So, the movie "Brother" was very popular. The director, whose filmography numbered more than ten paintings by that time, none of which outnumbered the story of the adventures of a former participant in the Chechen war, decided to create a sequel.

The sequel "Brother 2", according to some critics, is clearly commercial in nature. However, the popularity of it is not inferior to the film, which brought Alexei Balabanov fame.

"Brother 2"

In 2000, the national favorite appeared in a new film. The director of the film "Brother-2" created a kind of ideological confession. The words from Butusov's song "Goodbye, America" became a key picture in the plot. The mass passion for everything Western at the beginning of the zero began to finally subside. Balabanov decided to put an end to the fashion for everything American, for which he was subsequently accused more than once of nationalism. In order to show the Russian audience an unattractive background to Western life, Balabanov sent his hero on a long journey.

In America, Daniel witnessed wars between the "black" and "white", the moral debauchery of the powers that be. In the film, an ordinary guy becomes a true national hero. He succeeds: to rebuff the enemies, to twist the affair with the singer. In addition, he acts as the modern Robin Hood, helping a Russian girl nicknamed "Marilyn." And most importantly, all his actions are not aimed at achieving personal interests. On a distant and dangerous trip, he goes for the sake of his friend's brother.

Music for the movie "Brother-2"

In the creation of "Brother-2" Balabanov again attached great importance to the selection of soundtracks. He listened to a myriad of collections of Russian music before he found what he needed. Initially, the director planned to include in the episode in which the hero shoots the night club's visitors, Shevchuk's song "Do not shoot." However, the leader of the group "DDT" refused to participate in the film. Instead of "Do not Shoot", the song "Nobody writes to the Colonel" was heard. As a musical accompaniment also served as the compositions of "Split", "Semantic hallucinations", "Crematoria", Chicherina, Zemfira.

Other films by Alexey Balabanov:

1. Blindfits.
2. "It does not hurt me."
3. "Fireman".
4. "Morphine".
5. "I also want to".