Pyotr Todorovsky: biography and filmography of the director

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

August 26, 1925 in Ukraine, Kirovograd region (formerly the Zinoviev district of the Ukrainian SSR), Peter Todorovsky, a talented director, composer, actor, screenwriter and cameraman, was born.

Todorovsky is a representative of the military generation

Having survived the war years, like most of the younger generation, with an infantry school, war and front, Peter reached the Elbe, was wounded and sent to the rear. Numerous orders and awards speak eloquently about the military past. After the end of the war, there was military service, mobilization and short work at a glass container factory.

In 1949, Todorovsky entered the camera department of VGIK; During the five years of study, he made several of his films, which, unfortunately, have not reached the present day. Todorovsky began his film career as a cameraman at the Odessa Film Studio (until 1962), sohis debut is rightfully considered the picture "Moldavian tunes", filmed in 1955.

Capable of more

At some point, Pyotr Yefimovich realized that he was capable of doing more. He helped many directors of the same age to shoot their films (for example, “Two Fedors” and “Spring on Zarechnaya Street” by Marlen Khutsiev), in order to decide at one fine moment to start making their own films. In 1962, Todorovsky, who became a self-taught director, shot the film Never, which became immediately successful, working in it as a cameraman and co-director together with V. Dyachenko.

But the motion picture Loy alty, released three years later, eclipsed all his previous successes. It was a film in memory of Yura Nikitin - an orphan, a bright man, brought up in an orphanage, a front-line friend of Peter. Killed by a sniper bullet, he embodied the younger generation, mercilessly mowed down by the war. For this work, Todorovsky received a prize at the Cannes Film Festival and a number of other prestigious awards. Years later, the matured and wiser director, deeply understanding the tragedy of his people, called this work "baby talk"; in the later films of the military cycle, more drama, bitterness and cruelty were added. Todorovsky, being self-taught in his field, always studied with more experienced comrades and gained creative courage, experience and knowledge from them; these are Bulat Okudzhava, Marlen Khutsiev, Grigory Pozhenyan, Alexander Volodin.

Further, the viewer saw such films of Peter Todorovsky, the list of which is far from complete:

• Urbanromance",
• "Last Victim",
• "Magician",
• "Own land",
• "On the day of the holiday."

Todorovsky co-wrote the script in several of them.

Favorite films shot by Todorovsky

From 1967 to 1989, Pyotr Todorovsky, whose filmography is multi-genre and multifaceted, made nine films: special, with mild humor, a little tinged with sadness, with restrained courageous drama and modest poetry. Todorovsky showed an extraordinary ability to work in different genres, creating a humane, vital, kind cinema - one that the viewer loves and understands so much. These are the lyrical comedy "The Beloved Woman of the Mechanic Gavrilov", the melodrama "The Last Victim", the sad parable "The Magician", the adventurous melodrama "Intergirl", which retained the purity and mercy of the artistic look.

The cast in Todorovsky's films

Such wonderful actors as Lyubov Polishchuk, Elena Yakovleva, Natalya Andreichenko, Nikolay Burlyaev played in Todorovsky's films. The director himself also tried to act; in the movie "It was the month of May" he played one of the key roles.

In 1967, for a significant contribution to the development of cinema, Pyotr Todorovsky received the title of "Honored Artist of the Ukrainian SSR", in 1989 he became the "People's Artist of the RSFSR".

At the end of the century, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, he staged such noteworthy films as "Anchor, more anchor", "In the constellation of the Bull", "What a wonderful game", "Ryorita".

For his films Petr Todorovskyreceived high state awards. In December 2005, he was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland II degree, which became the last award in the director's life.

Pyotr Todorovsky: personal life

The director has been married twice. His first wife is Nadezhda Cherednichenko, from whose marriage a daughter was born. The second wife of the World, who was an engineer-lieutenant of the navy by profession, gave birth to a son, Valery, who devoted his life, like his father, to cinema. In the process of living together, she began to write scripts for popular science films dedicated to the marine theme. Based on her work, 13 films were staged. Later, Mira Todorovskaya created Mirabel, her own independent studio, where some of Pyotr Yefimovich's films were shot.

The Todorovsky House has always been hospitable; almost all directors and actors who came to the Odessa film studio went through it, including Andrei Tarkovsky and Vladimir Vysotsky.

The last years of his life Todorovsky realizes himself more as a screenwriter; He practically does not make films, only occasionally prompts novice directors. In May 2013, Petr Efimovich suffered a heart attack, from which he failed to recover. An outstanding director was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery.