Archive for December, 2008

To kill by mistake in London the famous oligarch– that means complete and unforgivable fail for the secret service agents. The heroes of the film, agents Victor Velmishev and Vlad Koshkin were “written-off” to the unintelligible institution with the strange name “Antidope”. Now they have got a new boss – the severe colonel Zinaida Moroz. With such new colleagues as criminalist Nikholai Rakov one`s life could not be boring. Our heroes just started the “paper-pusher`s” life and unexpectedly it was turned into the chain of incredible events and ridiculous adventures. This is the right moment for Velik and Koshka to understand, that they had undervalued their new “working place”. They are going to meet unbelievable adventures and serious troubles in order to find the sophisticated drug baron Rezo, the hide-and-seek game with his crime partners and even rescue of the real love!

Trailer:

Directed by:

Vladimir Shchegolkov

Cast:

Aleksandr Bashirov
Dmitri Dyuzhev
Tatyana Dogileva
Vladimir Turchinsky

Production:

Russian World Studios, Russia, 2007

Duration:

90 min.

Feature:

Action / Comedy

On this day in 1919 V.I. Lenin signed a Decree about the nationalization of the cinematograph, therefore in USSR and later also in Russia this date received the status of the Russian filmmaker’s holiday.

The birthday of the world cinema is considered to be the December 28, 1895. Since that day started the regular “cinematograph” showing on the boulevard des Capucines in Paris. In Russia first filming was taken in 1896 by the French cameraman Kamill Serf during the coronation of Nicholas II in Moscow.

The first filmshows were organized by the French impresario Raul Gunzburg.

On May 4, 1896, the first public filmshow took place in the theatre “Aquarium” premises.

The history of Russian film production started on October 15, 1908, when the first domestic live-action film, “Stenka Razin” was shown. It occupied the two hundred and twenty four meters of film and lasted 7,5 minutes. In one more time opened in 1907 cinema atelier of Alexander Drankov the film was directed by the obscure stage director V. Romashkov and played by the theatre troupe. And in 4 years only, in 1912 appeared the first cartoon.

The screen art was nationalized by the Lenin`s decree dated August 27, 1919. According to the cinema historian Victor Listov in fact the real process of Russian cinematography transition under the state dominion was much more complicated. Starting from the 1916 winter according to the instruction of Nicholas II the main agencies like Ministry of Education, Censorial agency, Police department were preparing the act of cinematograph nationalization. But the consideration of the document by the State Duma didn`t take place, because of the February revolution. Thus the cinematograph nationalization wasn`t hastened by the revolution, on the contrary, it was delayed formally on 2 years and in fact – on decades.

It should be noted, that only the weak ruined companies insisted on nationalization in order to put their debts on the state. The viable companies quite the contrary tried to avoid the nationalization, moved the equipment and staff to Crimea. All in all the private cinematograph existed during the period of Civil war and NEP. It was eliminated only in the end of 1920-ies.

In the beginning of 1920-ies the new film production companies in Moscow and Petrograd appeared – “Mosfilm” and “Lenfilm”. According to the Soviet statistics during the flowering of the Soviet cinematograph each Russian visited cinema 20 times a year.

Not long ago the professional holiday wasn`t a joyous event for the Russian cinematographers, because the cinema survived the state of the deep crisis. Fortunately the difficult times are left behind. According to the words of the head of the cinematography agency of Roscultura Sergey Lazarchuk “today the box-office receipts of Russian films exceed the ones of Hollywood production, the quantity of cinemas increases also”.

On the press-conference dedicated to the Russian Cinema Day Sergey Lazarchuk said to the journalists, that “till the end of the current year the production of more than 100 live-action films is planned, 29 of them – début works”. Lazarchuk also mentioned about the exceptional growth of film studios – there 600 of them now in Russia, and only three years ago it was 100. But to his point of view the Russian cinematograph now lacks the sharp, problem films. He also added that in the coming year in the project of state budget 4 bln roubles is planned on the film financing and State Film Fund, VGIK and Petersburg University of cinema and television support.