In the late 1960s, when the trilogy filmed based on the novel by P. Blyakhin "Red Devils" was released, the actors who played the main roles in the film became the most popular teenagers in the USSR. The picture was literally "parsed into quotes, " watching and reviewing it in theaters went many times "all over." Millions of children across the country played the “elusive, ” mimicking the four brave avengers, driving around the yard with makeshift guns and singing:"
you only whisper to us, we will come to the rescue."
The years 1960-1970 were marked by the rise of Soviet cinema. Most films of that period were included in the golden fund of Russian cinema. And the work of director Edmont Keosayan is no exception. The premiere screening of the artistic adventure film Oriental Elusive Avengers in the capital's October cinema took place on April 29, 1967. After the overwhelming success of the film, two more historical and heroic films were shot at the Mosfilm studio: “The New Adventures of the Elusive Avengers” (1968) and “The Crown of the Russian Empire, or Again Elusive” (1970). Truly legendary was the first film of the trilogy. Having become the leader of the rental, in the first year alone he gathered an audience of about 55 million people. For the creation of "Elusive Avengers" E. Keosayan was awarded the title of Laureate of the Lenin Komsomol Prize. The four heroes of the Civil War, brave fighters for justice, gained all-Union fame. And as is often the case in movies, identified with their characters, young actors have become idols of adolescents of those years.
The elusive four of the avengers are Danka Schus (Viktor Kosykh), Ksanka Schus (Valentina Kurdyukova), the former gymnasium student Valera Meshcheryakov (Mikhail Metelkin), Yasha-gypsy (Vasily Vasiliev).
Romance of 16 year olds
Director Edmond Keosayan, planning a film about the adventures of four brave friends, wanted to shoot it as an interesting heroic story-tale for his 6-year-old son David. When choosing actors, difficulties arose - VGIK students who were planning to shoot looked older than anticipated by the script. There was only one way out - to look for talented and gifted children among 14-16 year old teenagers and work with amateur artists. Surprisingly, a certain role in the fact that these guys had the right to make their debut was played by their parents.
With a candidate for the role of Danka Schusya decided immediately. Viktor Kosykh was already a fairly well-known young actor - at Mosfilm, where his stepfather Ivan Kosykh worked, he starred in five films, including “Ringing, open the door”, “Father of a soldier”, “There are trains running past the windows”. The guy approached in all respects - type, acting experience, the ability to do many movie tricks, etc. My father helped to work on the image, and also participated in the filming with Victor (he plays the role of one of Burnash's bandits).
Victor advised to take Misha Metelkin for the role of the second young avenger, with whom they studied together and acted in films in 1965. But Keosayan was looking for a taller and stronger guy and did not take Mikhail, although according to external data, he fully corresponded to the role of an intelligent gymnasium student Valery Mikhailovich Meshcheryakov. His father came to the rescue of a teenager distressed by such a director’s decision. Army Major General, who served in the cavalry S.M. Budyonny, Mikhail Vasilyevich engaged in physical training of his son. Everything was used, including a trophy checker and a cavalry saddle. Three months of enhanced nutrition and training yielded the result - Michael, who had grown stronger and matured, who was able to grow a little more during that time, was approved for the role of Valera Gymnasium.
In search of a desperate and courageous girl of a “patsansky” way of character and appearance (exactly like Ksanka was supposed to be in the script), the assistant directors went around more than one sports school and circus studio. Valya Kurdyukova was not only perfectly prepared physically, but also turned out to be surprisingly similar to her brother in the film Danko. The girl was seriously engaged in gymnastics, participated in all-around competitions. There was no doubt that she would be able to ride a horse and stop the plane (as suggested by the scenario). Sociable and cheerful, Valya once, on one of her inventions, leprosy, heard from her mother: "you only have to act in films." So it turned out that Mom’s wish was fulfilled.
Vasya Vasiliev learned that they are looking for a gypsy guy for filming from his distant relative, actor Yuri Tsurilo, who worked at the Mosfilm studio. Going from his village in the Vladimir region to Moscow, Vasily received a decree from his father and mother - be so that we would not be ashamed of you. There was little hope that he would be cast on the role, and Vasily took two brothers with him. But the natural musicality, plasticity and incendiary nature of the black-eyed handsome man subdued everyone. And you don’t need to learn to stay in the saddle of a gypsy. And Vasily Vasilyev became a Gypsy Yashka.
So the team of four friends in the film was defined - peers, united by a teenage craving for adventure and the spirit of revolutionary romance.
As far as the guys came to the movies in different ways, the fate and personal life of each of the “brave four” was so different.
Creative path determined by VGIK
The completion of work on the elusive trilogy occurred during the growing up of young actors and coincided with the time of their final choice of their profession.
Vitya Kosykh decided to continue the artistic path and "step" from an adult movie into an adult. After studying at the Moscow Border College, he enters VGIK at the acting faculty. In the movie, the actor starred a lot, but plays roles for the most part in the episodes. The most striking actor’s cinematic biography of Kosykh was Danka.
His filmography, as a professional actor, has about 50 films. Among the most famous are works in the films Junga of the Northern Fleet, Oasis on Fire, Border Dog Scarlet, Cold Summer of the Fifty-third. In 2001, in the second “age” marriage, Viktor Ivanovich had a daughter, Katya. “She gave me a second, third, and tenth breath, ” the actor said, overcoming a protracted post-perestroika creative crisis. In recent years, due to health reasons, Kosykh worked a little and mainly in theatrical roles, performing at the Theater of Theater and the Temp Theater.
Even during the filming of The Elusive, Mikhail Metelkin entered VGIK, but not acting, but at the faculty of production. I had to combine my studies with work in films (films "When September Comes", "On the Way to Lenin"). Being drafted into the army in 1973, the young man serves as the military photojournalist of the Moscow Military District, and then becomes the editor of the APN on television. Despite the proposals from the directors, Metelkin does not want to continue his acting career, but his creative activity in the cinema attracts him.
