Bright characters and actors who embodied them. "Dandies" as an attempt to show the youth subculture

The Russian film "Dandies", released in 2008, has brought about something new that has been absent for a long time in the domestic cinematography. The youth subculture of the 50s was positively received by viewers, critics and many other representatives of the media. The creators themselves note that the tape is sustained in the style of musical comedy and tragicomedy.

History of the film

Director Valery Todorovsky became interested in the script by Yuri Korotkov, who so responsibly approached the study of the life of the youth of the last century. It was the story of an ordinary Soviet guy against the background of social and social ideology that formed the basis of the plot of the future picture. Of course, the creators could not but pay special attention to the issues of friendship and love.

The film has a rich musical line, in which the motifs of domestic rock, jazz and rock'n'roll predominate. In a word, the musical style is consistent with the era. In addition, most of the film is devoted to dance-choreographic numbers, brilliantly played on the screen. Many critics said that, above all, the film carries an entertaining function. However, its peculiarity is that it does not forget acute social problems. The success can be testified also by those who mainly recreated the features of the required culture - the actors. "Dandies" for them have become not just another project. They allowed to plunge into the atmosphere of the middle of the last century, showing a simple, but not forgotten life.

Historical features of the plot

You can designate a group of young people who are fond of jazz and rock'n'roll. Thanks to this, their ideology is filled with the idea of freedom and a free way of life. In clothes they prefer a bright style, which greatly distinguishes them from the mass of other fellow citizens. Postwar life is unacceptable. On the contrary, they are self-confident, full of determination and do not pay attention to gray everyday problems. But what kind of culture is not controlled by the state? So, in the country there are squads and patrols from Komsomol members, who are called to "fight" with this youth direction.

The peculiarity of the plot is that the main character, Komsomol member Mels participates in the raiding of the style, where he meets the charming Polina. The girl invites him to join the group, and, picking up the appropriate outfit, the young man goes to the side of the style. Under the curtain of the final scenes, the authors reveal an important secret: according to obvious data, there is no similar direction in America. And consequently, there are only style in Russia.

The film "Dandies": actors

Valery Todorovsky set a lot of tasks. Having found financial support, he proceeded to implement the key task. To more accurately reflect the actual reality of the time, he needed those who can realize on the screen the main characters - the actors. "Dandies" required colossal training, including physical and external data. It is desirable to have new faces unknown to the public. However, with this the director coped brilliantly too.

Team of applicants emerged immediately after the casting. The main female role of Polina (Benefits) was predicted by Catherine Vilkova, who already had experience in filming. But Todorovsky preferred to give her the image of the "doll" of Betsy. Invited some Polish actress seemed to him a stranger among the whole team, and the role of Polly was again vacant. Oksana Akinshina tried for a role, for which she was repainted in a blonde, and remained in the image. With the exception of two young actresses, the rest of the cast was already approved.

So, the main male role was given to Anton Shagin. For filming, he learned to play the saxophone, and Igor Voinarovsky, who played Boris (Bob), recovered by 20 kilograms. The role of Fedor (Fred) was Maxim Matveyev, and Katya was embodied by Eugene Hirivskaya. Among the other actors who received the role are Konstantin Balakirev, Elvira Voloshin, Sophia Lebedeva, Olga Smirnov, Sergei Garmash, Oleg Yankovsky and Leonid Yarmolnik, who also acted as executive producer.

Hearing about the shooting, secondary actors, "Dandies" for whom they became an anticipated success, they wanted to appear in at least a few episodes. So, the soloist of the group "Coral Reefs" Cyril Sukhomlinov appeared in the cameo-image, as well as the musicians of the collective "Pull-Push".

Musical accompaniment

The maximum re-creation of the era of the past, along with choreography and costumes, was a top priority. Responsibility for this on their shoulders was laid not only by the actors. "Dandies", conceived as a musical film, are accompanied by hits of real rock bands: "Cinema", "Bravo", "Chaif", "Time Machine". The arrangement and processing involved Konstantin Meladze and Yuri Shepeta.

Public criticism

The picture was nominated for the "Nika" award in eight nominations, but took the figurines in only four. In 2009, the presentation of the Golden Eagle was held, where the film also received awards.

The expected was the criticism of Americans, who were lucky enough to see the film at the box office. They got acquainted with the unknown youth culture that reigned in old Russia. Most of the assessments of foreign colleagues were positive.

Summarizing, we can safely talk about the success of the movie "Dandies". Actors and roles remained in the memory of the audience bright and memorable, as well as the demonstrated epoch of subculture, which the modern generation is unlikely to be able to see from the pages of history textbooks.