Strong and strong-willed character, phenomenal obsession and self-forgetfulness, inner impossibility to compromise with conscience are true masculine qualities. But it was they who made the famous film director Larisa Shepitko, and also her films.
Amazingly beautiful girl, tall, slim, like a "Russian birch". When she walked along the corridors of the Institute of Cinematography with her swift gait, everyone parted aside, such a force blew from her. Having an unbending core inside her, she was fragile in health, which, however, did not stop her from creating masterpieces in cinema.
Youth
Larisa’s life began in the small town of Artyomovsk, in the Donetsk region. Date of birth - January 6, 1938. Subsequently, she and her mother moved to Kiev, where the girl became interested in cinema. Not a movie, which would be characteristic of a child, but the process of its creation. Accidentally falling into the film studio in the last grade of the school, she often later, secretly from her mother, ran there. I learned from someone where they teach directors and after graduating from school she announced that she would go to Moscow to act. Mom did not believe that the idea would bear any fruit, but she did not begin to argue. The girl was 16 years old.
At VGIK, she didn’t even want to accept documents, but when she saw the beauty and become a young university entrant, she was advised to go on acting. The answer struck: "This is a slave profession!" - said the girl, flashing huge eyes. Accepted.
She was incredibly lucky, that year the famous Alexander Petrovich Dovzhenko gained a course. Under his leadership Shepitko comprehended the basics of the profession, he studied with him an uncompromising attitude to creativity, life "on a ringing string", harmony and beauty.
When he was gone a year and a half later, she even wanted to drop out of school, so great was the dissonance with the new head of the course.
As a student, the beautiful student managed to star in several films and television plays, mostly in episodic roles.
Own way
As a thesis, the graduate chose the film adaptation of Chingiz Aitmatov’s novel “Camel Eye, ” which she went to shoot in Kyrgyzstan, to the newly created film studio.
Severe filming conditions, excessive, sometimes for men, nature in the bare steppe under the scorching sun, lack of creative help, serious illness did not break the novice director. The work was delivered on time. She proved her right to a "male" profession.
In the filmography of the frantic director, there are only 8 films, the ninth she could only begin, but each of them is a revelation. Strict and decisive, sometimes even tough, she treated her actors with maternal love. I worked a lot with them, taught, not without reason after the release of her films, the artists became famous and went, as they say, like hot cakes.
In five of her works she herself was a co-author of the scriptwriters, trying to convey her understanding of the plot to the audience.
The high rank of Honored Artist of the RSFSR Larisa Efimovna Shepitko was awarded in the 74th year.
Shepitko was a maximalist in everything. It is not surprising that there was a constant misunderstanding with the authorities, some paintings even got on the shelf. So almost happened with the main work of her creative life - the film work "Ascent".
Climbing
The film is a film adaptation of the novel by the Belarusian writer - war veteran Vasil Bykov, was published in 1976. For four years, the director sought permission to shoot the picture, because she realized that it was HER: an understanding of reality and attitudes to it, a choice between life and conscience, attitude to spiritual ascent and betrayal.
Not surprisingly, the painting "Ascent" has collected about a dozen awards, including foreign ones. Film director Larisa Shepitko became famous throughout the world.
She was invited to work in Hollywood, she was familiar with many world celebrities, the famous Francis Coppola consulted with her on some points of his Apocalypse, but Shepitko refused.
Ahead was the beginning of work on the "Matera" and the end of it.
