One of the best adaptations.
One of the most famous and exciting stories from the Soviet epic about the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, the movie “the hound of the Baskervilles” — in January turned 36 years old. About the making of this legendary picture directed by Igor Maslennikov this story.
The role of dogs auditioned calf
The main highlight of the film “the hound of the Baskervilles” has become the mysterious dog that brings terror to the heroes of the film and the audience. To remove the tailed artist was the most challenging.
Recruiting for this role could not be wrong — only the appearance of a monster in the frame would explain the fear and terror of the inhabitants of Baskerville hall, — said Victor okovity, the artist combined surveys. The four — legged contenders have looked several. Trial and error was looking for type — nobody knew how it should look like the dog in the end. Tried dogs of different breeds even offered a PEKINGESE scratched with a cat eye, the other eye was looking very crazy. We shot with him a few takes, but the result was not satisfied. Invented to take the role of the dog of the Baskervilles CALF, but quickly refused this idea. Then there was a variant with DOG. It was covered with reflective tape that glues to road signs. Stuck a skeleton on the animal and began to shoot on black velvet. Looked captured pieces and laughed — turned out just to “run skeleton”.
After watching the movie directed by Maslennikov said one solution is to make the dog mask.
— At first we thought to paint the entire dog with phosphorus, as it is written from Conan Doyle. Told the handlers, and they grabbed his head, say, it will ruin the dog’s sense of smell, none of the host will not be allowed to paint his animal chemistry, — says the Director. — She’s immediately all of this phosphorus will lick…
And since the idea of reflective tape was mine, I was instructed to do muzzle the dog, says the artist okovity. — Black velvet I put a light Scotch. With this on the head and ran the dog in the frame. Instead of phosphorus, we have prepared a special foamed mixture of washing powder and a reflective coating, erased from the tape. This mixture I put on the mask for the dog.
With shootings we’ve suffered considerably. A dog wearing a reflective mask, it was necessary both to withdraw and to send her light. Rear cameras put a special spotlight. Ready for recording. But we have not considered one: the dog will never run into the bright light. Animals generally do not run on the fire — it’s the law of nature. The shoot was canceled again. This frame we were shooting six times!
From the friendly dog made a terrible hound of the Baskervilles…
I could not imagine that the animals are so difficult to work on the set. A seemingly simple episode — the bullet hits the dog. But the dog need as an artist to “win back” a bullet fired from a revolver Lestrade. We wanted to show the aggressive dog’s reaction, and she by nature was very peaceful. Maslennikov said: say, let’s make tin wire bullet in the dog fire that she started. Assistant Director Natasha Aspen, intelligent woman, and shamed the Director, they say, you Petersburger, how can you cause the dog pain?!
Maslennikov, to prove that the bullets are only going to excite the animal and had offered to shoot him in the leg. Pyrotechnics shot Maslennikova… just above the hip… you know… We hear the cry of the Director! Igor Fedorovich grabbed her soft place, yelling loudly! In General, the response was she is, and everyone realized that to shoot a dog can’t!!! Did such a move: put the dog under the plywood and sharply pulled her to dog stumbled. But it was SLI — sensing a trick, she ran over to the plywood over it, then… jumped! Had to shoot more than seven takes ismaliya dog, tired to jump, began to stumble.
By the way, in the last scene the actor Nikita Mikhalkov was afraid to play near the dog, so the dog and Mikhalkov filmed separately then the shots were combined…
In the group remember that the dog on the set got the full, but she bravely endured everything and has become a favorite of the group. According to the actor Vasily Livanov, the dog was an amazing sweet tooth — the cake brought by the birthday straw she inhaled along with the box, not leaving a single crumb.
— Long conjured over the voice of the hound of the Baskervilles, — says the engineer of the picture Asya Zvereva. — It’s hard today to restore the “recipe”. Used the voice of a lion, bear, dog, everything is stretched. The work was so complex that it had to do in Moscow, in Leningrad, then was not a good instrument.
Mikhalkov has arrived not one
According to the Director, to the role of Nikita Mikhalkov — sir Henry at first tried the actor Nikolai Gubenko. Long time to persuade him, but he refused.
Mikhalkov at this time was finishing the film “Relatives”, starring Svetlana Kryuchkova, busy in the film “the hound of the Baskervilles”. She and her husband (the cameraman Yuri Veksler) and the idea was born to invite Mikhalkov in a role of sir Henry.
Mikhalkov, to everyone’s surprise, arrived at the Studio “Lenfilm” with his friend — writer, artist, actor and Director Alexander Adabashyan, and 12 days prior to the beginning of filming. All 12 days the friends walked around to Lenfilm, laughed, discussed something. Shooting began and the actors with irony looked at the Director. Come down to the fact that Mikhalkov began to command on the set.
In order to “neutralize” this “GOP-the company”, it was necessary to find Adabashyanu occupation. And then the Director came up with the idea: “Let’s play Barrymore!”This role was vacant. So Adabashyan was on the court subordinate to the Director person and he has had no time to discuss with Mikhalkov, whether the Director takes.
Spouses Barrymore was played by Aleksandr Adabashyan and Svetlana Kryuchkova.
In the end melancholic Adabashyan the film became a kind of shock absorber, a counterweight temperamental Mikhalkov. A couple of ‘ em organically fit into the whole story. Alexander Adabashyan, who played Barrymore, with a sense of spreading the oatmeal in the film, admitted that life itself every morning eating this wonderful cereal and a role in the film finds the star. Famous phrase: “Oatmeal, sir!”it became his calling card.
— No one has talked about it: what happened to audition for this movie I came up with… huge black eye. Fistfight! Who — I will not say. But I was a classic… of Course, the group marveled, looked at me with a value, but took. During the shooting I already do not fight, and was completely immersed in the work. In the story we needed to create a contrast between old England and new wild America. Sir Henry (Nikita Mikhalkov) arrives from America and finds himself in a completely different habitat. To show this, he invented the outfit — a wolf fur coat on the table meat, and wine, and as opposed to the traditional English oatmeal. It was quite funny…
Porridge, which is specifically for the film boiled assistant props were so delicious that at the end of the filming the pavilion bring another saucepan to the crew. In the breaks between the filming of the pot of porridge was placed a guard to avoid being eaten ahead of time!
So that was fun to play, we actors, invented in the course of different tricks. For example, I played in a pair of aluminim and asked him to add in the relationship between our heroes pepper: between Barrymore and Watson have this inner conflict — the doctor suspects the Butler, and he in retaliation negotiative him oatmeal. This “confrontation” heroes was not in the script, it’s entirely our notion.
— Say, you and your partners drank heavily on the set?
— Don’t drink during the filming and after. In the frame were all sober. When I returned from filming the train roared so that the passengers that night clearly not slept.
— Nikita Mikhalkov, Adabashyan, Bob Livanov, sometimes, laid, taken out of herself than the Director, — said the artist combined shooting okovity. But overall the movie was fun in a very family atmosphere. That’s why the film turned out.
The Director reported that Mikhalkov shift allegedly “persuaded” a bottle of brandy and not eating anything. And during filming, he was simply irrepressible. Once drove the horse to such an extent that fainted: I lay with my eyes closed, not breathing… Someone decided that everyone, not the tenant. But Nikita was able to revive her.
Not feeling sorry for myself and playing the role of Dr. Watson Vitaliy Solomin, working literally awake. At the Maly drama theatre in Moscow, where he played at the time were preparing the play for the next party Congress. Rehearsals were held daily and at the railway turnout. “Dog” shooting, too, was every day. A week Solomin spent in the train, riding from Moscow to Leningrad and back. Not once in a week normally slept. Cheering himself, every morning stand in front of the mirror and said, “Wake up, great talent!!!»
Where they filmed
The County of Devon, where the unfolding events of the novel “the hound of the Baskervilles”, the film Maslennikova replaced Estonian landscapes. Swamp Quictime played the role of the famous peat bogs of Dartmoor. Baskerville hall was shot in Tallinn, and nature were two buildings. In that episode where Dr. Mortimer performed by Evgeny Steblov tells the legend of the Baskervilles, is castle Glen. It was here that the captive Hugo Baskerville was climbing down the ivy from the window of a castle tower. Baskerville hall the XIX century played the castle of count A. V. Orlov-Davydov. Now it is a Museum of Estonian history.
We were just driving by, somewhere on the hill some little house stood, — says Arkady tigay, the second Director. — Maslennikov suddenly roared: “stop, Stop! Here it is!”Drove up — not a real English home. Around the lawn. It was a perfect hit.
About the fees
Honored artists (Solomin, Livanov, Mikhalkov, Jankowski) received 50 rubles per shift (about 15 000 RUB translated into today’s money). For comparison: now the fee from top-end actors — about 600 000 RUB per day.
The rest of the artists got 30-40 rubles a day (about 9000 — 12 000 rubles in today’s money). Extras — 3 rubles per day (about 900 rubles).
Stories from filming
Actress Svetlana Kryuchkova, who plays Mrs. Barrymore, while filming was pregnant. As she claimed, after reading the script, was horrified:
— I read my role and realized that he would remain without a child. My heroine is constantly crying! And text her so terrible about a convict, about brother. I had to quickly change something. And I went a paradoxical way. I was saying this text, smile. Turned out the solution image. “So the killer Selden was your brother?”I said, “Yes, sir!”— and smile. And begin to tell the story, part of which was made up Adabashyan: “It was a real angel, he just fell into bad company…” — it was all written and improvised. And the story about a boy Henry who loves oatmeal…
Once Mikhalkov and Kryuchkov had straw.
— Vitaly Solomin was very jealous of what someone else shoot close-up and not his — said Kryuchkova. — Filming the scene in the tower when he takes the sign to my brother, and I rush to protect him. Sandal with candles were in the hands of the straw, and he gave me all the time has turned back to the operator. Mikhalkov walked over and in my ear says, “You’re in rehearsal do not argue with aluminim, obey, and be shot, so go thou, and take from his hand this scandal”. I did just that. Solomin was confused, asked: “So, the killer Selden was your brother?”I turned to Solomin, that is, back to the operator, and then suddenly turned to Mikhalkov, which the master replied, “Yes, sir” and told the story of a big plan.
Eugene Steblova one day in the evening we had a train to catch. All hurried and worked, shouting: “Hurry, Steblov late!”After shooting the scene of the fatal escape of a Cocker Spaniel, Snappy, the group turned the instrument, and plunged into the car and drove away. Only befuddled and bedraggled stems remained in place — he forgot!
