The film "Big": reviews of critics, reviews, crew and interesting facts

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

The film "Big", reviews of which are in this article, is a famous film directed by Valery Todorovsky, released in 2017. The film tells the story of a young provincial girl who realizes her dream - to get on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater. She manages to do this thanks to a wise and experienced mentor. This is a domestic film about beauty, dreams and, of course, ballet.

Shooting a picture

The film "Big" received positive reviews from both viewers and critics. Director Valery Todorovsky is already well known to the Russian audience. However, his last work was published only in 2008. It was a painting "Dandies" - about the Soviet youth.

Interesting fact: the creators paid great attention to the casting of actors. Moreover, it was held not only in Russia, but also abroad.

The shooting of the film "Big" left a deep impression on many people. They arewere held in Moscow, on the historical stage of the Bolshoi Theater, as well as in the provincial town of Kirovsk, located in the Murmansk region, and in Minsk.

For the filming of the film, dances were staged by a specially hired choreographer - Oleg Glushkov. By the way, he collaborated with Todorovsky on the set of "The Thaw" and "Hipster".

In total, more than 70 professional ballet dancers were involved in the shooting. About 500 suits were specially sewn. For example, one of the roles was played by the French choreographer Nicolas Le Rich.

Box Office

Despite the fact that the film "Big" received good reviews from critics, the picture failed at the box office.

With an official budget of 370 million rubles, domestic cinemas managed to collect only 234 million. Experts explained this, mainly, by the time the tape was released on the screens. It hit theaters in the summer, when there is relative calm in all cinemas, and there is an outflow of residents from cities who go to summer cottages and vacations.

Camera crew

Director Valery Todorovsky made more than one high-profile domestic film. His debut work was the 1990 melodrama Hearse. In 1998, he directed the drama "Country of the Deaf", which was included in the top 100 domestic films according to many critics.

In 2008, he acted as director of the dramatic musical "Stilyagi", and then worked onseries about the Soviet Union "Thaw".

"Big" is his ninth feature film.

The synopsis for the film was written by Todorovsky himself together with theater playwright and director Ilya Tilkin. Anastasia Palchikova designed it into the script for the film.

The director of photography was Ukrainian Sergey Mikhalchuk, who had already worked with Todorovsky on the set of the drama "My Stepbrother Frankenstein".

An important role in creating the atmosphere of the film was played by costume designer Alexander Osipov. He twice won the Nika award for Vasily Pichul's comedy "Idiot's Dreams" and Todorovsky's "Hipsters".

Movie plot

Reviews of the movie "Big" Todorovsky usually note a deep and thoughtful script.

In the narrative, several time layers are constantly interspersed. These are the first years of study of the main character at the ballet academy, preparation for an important graduation performance, on which her future career directly depends. Another temporary layer is work at the Bolshoi Theatre.

In the plot of the film "Big", reviews of which are given in this article, the action begins in the early 2000s. Ballet dancer Pototsky arrives in the small provincial town of Shakhtinsk. In his youth, Pototsky showed great promise, but then he drank himself and was unable to build a successful career on the stage of the theater.

In Shakhtinsk, he pays attention to the girl Yulia, who is an excellent dancer. She is considered difficulta teenager, moreover, she has more than one drive to the police.

He invites Yulia to go with him to Moscow. In the capital, he shows her to the former famous teacher and Soviet ballerina Beletskaya. She currently teaches at the ballet academy.

It turns out that the girl has an independent character, while being very direct in communication and manners. With difficulty, she is accepted into the academy.

Study at the ballet academy

Speaking about the film "Big", reviews often mention scenes dedicated to her studies at the ballet academy. There she shows herself in full glory. Gets a girlfriend Karina, who literally dreams of ballet.

The girls become roommates and real friends. But at the same time, they involuntarily begin to compete with each other. After all, both are considered the best on the course.

Meanwhile, Beletskaya becomes so close to Yulia that she offers her to wash the floors at her house to give her the opportunity to earn at least some money. Having revealed her talent, the teacher gives her lovely diamond earrings. He only asks not to show them to anyone, but to put them on when she first appears on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater.

The only trouble is that Beletskaya is old and suffers from memory lapses. She soon forgets about this episode and claims the missing earrings. Yulia is accused of stealing and is almost kicked out of the academy.

Graduation performance

In reviews of the film "Big" (2017), many note the successful storyline dedicated to the graduation performance of "Sleeping Beauty". It is planned to be staged at the Bolshoi Theatre.

In the main role, the head of the academy sees Karina, who attracts her not only with her talent, but also with her stability, which cannot be said about Yulia. Beletskaya, having forgotten about old grievances, insists that the role should still be given to Yulia.

Karina's mother, in order to ensure the future of her daughter, offers Yulia a large sum so that she herself would refuse the image of Aurora in this performance. Julia is shocked by this proposal, she quarrels with Karina.

An upset girl on the train makes a new acquaintance with a young man named Kirill. She stays with him for a while.

The girl is late for the dress rehearsal, so the head of the academy kicks her out with a scandal. Beletskaya does not let up. In order for the role to go to her favorite, she seeks help from an influential admirer of her talent, who now works in the Kremlin. Only in this way Yulia is approved for the main role, which causes dissatisfaction with both the leaders of the academy and her classmates. Beletskaya is being asked to leave the academy because she resorts to such tricks.

Summer holidays are ahead. Yulia goes to her relatives in Shakhtinsk. She brings gifts to her younger brothers. Her mother also lives in Shakhtinsk, with whom they constantly quarrel. Yulia accuses her of taking her own food from the table of the family, where the maid works. In response, she accuses her that she left to conquer Moscow and realize her dream, leaving her alone with small children. After all, Yulia's father died a long time ago.

Rooftop Drama

This conversation provokes Yulia to refuse the main role in the graduation performance in order to take money from Karina's mother and leave this role to her daughter. She sends money to her relatives in Shakhtinsk.

Julia herself goes to the roof. According to the legend, which is actively discussed at the academy, Beletskaya herself came here in her youth. They say that then she jumped from here to the roof of a neighboring house. Julia triumphantly repeats this jump.

Unexpectedly for everyone, Karina plays the main role in the premiere performance. And the next morning, the head of the academy finds Beletskaya dead in the training room.

Work at the Bolshoi Theater

The film "Big" (2017) received very high ratings according to reviews. For example, on the site "Kinopoisk" rating is 6, 6 out of 10 possible.

The further development of the career of ballerinas aroused great interest. Karina becomes the prima of the Bolshoi Theater, Yulia is content with a place in the corps de ballet. A production of "Swan Lake" is being prepared. French director Antoine Duval is invited to work on it.

After the introductory press conference, Yulia meets Duval with a bottle of cognac and sets off with him to wander around Moscow in the evening. They talk all night long.

The very next day, Duval reprimands her, saying that the girl stayed too long in the corps de ballet, it's time for her to leave the stage. But at the same time, on the eve of the premiere, he recommends her to the backup cast for the role of Odette. Karina is annoyed by this decision, sheI am sure that her ex-girlfriend achieved this through bed. Karina is sure that she herself has always danced better, which is why she got the main roles. Yulia has to disappoint her and tell her about the bribe she received from her mother.

Swan Lake Premiere

In the film "Big" Todorovsky, according to critics, the director especially succeeded in the scenes of experiencing the characters and performing on the stage of the theater.

Before the premiere, Karina disappears. The viewer sees that she goes to the attic of the academy, like Yulia at the beginning of the film. Duval insists that it is the main character of the film who should play Odette. Yulia refuses, but everyone convinces her that after that her career should take off.

In memory of Beletskaya, she puts on earrings and enters the stage of the Bolshoi.