Play, guslar: how to make a new version of Sadko
Filming of the fabulous blockbuster "Sadko" is coming to an end in Moscow. There is a stellar cast on the set: the role of guslar Sadko went to Anton Rogachev, who starred in "Eterna", his beloved Lubava is played by Anna Peresild. They were accompanied by Nikita Kologrivy and Elizaveta Ishchenko, in the images of the combat sailor Buslai and the warrior Randgrid. Also in the cast are Yuri Stoyanov, Roman Vasiliev, Kristina Babushkina, Alexey Dmitriev. The rental is scheduled for 2028, the distributor is NMG Film Distribution. Izvestia correspondents visited the filming of a new version of the legendary fairy tale and saw how a modern miracle is born.
Not a royal affair
A grandiose decoration, the royal chambers, was built in the pavilions on the Lift. Everything here is on a grand scale: high painted vaulted ceilings, carved stone columns, windows with gold stained glass, heavy oak doors. The throne room is illuminated by a huge chandelier with a hundred candles.
Boyars and maidens are sitting on benches waiting for applicants for the hand and heart of Novgorod Princess Lyubava (Anna Peresild). Among the suitors are Guslyar Sadko (Anton Rogachev) and the lord of a thousand islands, His Majesty the king of the overseas lands Dormidont (Roman Vasiliev). The girls obviously like the rich groom: he has a black curled moustache and a goatee, he is wearing a purple caftan belted with a gilded sash, and morocco boots. An enviable match for Lyubava — this was the kind of groom her aunt, the boyar Glafira, had betrothed to her.
Kristina Babushkina, who plays Glafira, calls her character cunning and self—serving: she has a plan - to marry Lubava to an overseas groom in order to become a full-fledged mistress in Novgorod. The young princess was already ready to submit to the will of her relative, but she met Sadko and fell in love at first sight. Well done, he returned to Novgorod after a long trip across the three seas — and, it seems, he did not gain anything. He came to the throne room in a canvas shirt, red trousers and worn boots. Against the background of the luxurious Dormidont, Sadko looks rustic — but it is precisely in this simplicity that his charm lies.
Since Lubava now has two suitors, she decides to test them: she tells them to go there, I don't know where, and bring something, I don't know what. Buslay, a brave and desperate navigator played by Nikita Kologrivy, embarks on a dangerous journey with Sadko. His hero is ready to challenge even the Sea King for the sake of a friend. Nikita appears to the audience in the image of a brutal guy: a full beard, a vest under a kosovorotka. Next to him is the charismatic blonde warrior Randgrid (Elizaveta Ishchenko). Buslay is the dream of all girls: he is not afraid of anything except the prospect of being ringed. Brides literally throw themselves on his neck, and he runs from them like from a fire.
Kristina Babushkina got into the fairy tale for the second time: before that, she starred in Alice in Wonderland, where she first worked with Anna Peresild. Now she plays the domineering aunt of the main character.
— I must state categorically: Anyuta is an incredible workaholic, — says Kristina Babushkina. — She is growing professionally and is fully committed to the role. We are constantly in a joint creative search.
The casting turned out to be successful, and it inspires not only the director and producers, but also the actors themselves: "Sadko" is a chance to get to know the idols in a new way. According to director Ivan Oganesov, the audience has never seen Nikita Kologrivy like this: he created a completely new hero with his own paradoxes and oddities.
Guslar is self‑taught
The creators carefully treated the original source, the legendary 1952 film by Alexander Ptushko starring Sergei Stolyarov and Alla Larionova. The film won the Silver Lion of St. Mark at the XIV Venice Film Festival. The followers were inspired by this masterpiece, but did not follow the path of literal repetition: unexpected plot moves and new characters were added to the new version.
— We have preserved all the key moments of the classic work, but at the same time built the plot on the powerful love line of our characters, which will be close and understandable to the modern young audience, — said producer Dmitry Litvinov. — And the family audience and children will receive fascinating attractions of the underwater kingdom and Sadko's adventures. A budget of 1 billion 200 million rubles allowed us to fully realize all our ideas and dreams — from decorations, costumes, makeup to a huge layer of computer graphics.
Some of the Sadko scenes are filmed in the largest virtual production studio in Eastern Europe, Pavilion 16 of Mosfilm. There you can make winter in summer and create an underwater kingdom with its incredible inhabitants. Natural locations for filming were found in Priozersk, St. Petersburg‑St. Petersburg and Moscow.
Filming in a fairy tale requires special preparation. Anton Rogachev took lessons on the harp to make everything look plausible in the frame. The tool for the hero was specially created by the masters. In addition, the artist learned how to control a rook on Ladoga — and coped with the task. Anton is from the Arkhangelsk region, and the Pomors are notable seafarers.
Seven songs for Sadko
The creative producer Daria Charusha became the ideological mastermind behind the transformation of the fairy tale into a blockbuster: it was from her submission that the project acquired a musical scale. She also wrote seven songs for the characters for the film (she has acting and directing education, as well as a diploma from the conservatory).
According to the film's producer Ekaterina Kononenko, Daria has turned out to have music in the neo—folk style - now this trend is especially popular, including among young people. Charusha herself admitted that she was inspired to create the songs by Rimsky's opera of the same name.‑Korsakov, although there will be no classical melodies in the film.
Creation of the Roman‑Korsakov became a mainstay for the production designer Dmitry Onishchenko.
"We studied different productions of the opera Sadko and saw in the design of one of them a rook with an eagle's head on its nose,— Dmitry Onishchenko shared with Izvestia. — And we made the same ship for Sadko.
He invited real icon painters to paint the walls in Lubava's chambers: the frescoes depict the lives of the Novgorod princes, and in the center is a portrait of the girl's parents. The throne in the hall is practically a copy of the throne of Ivan the Terrible, with details seen in the interiors of the princely chambers. The most difficult thing was to create stained glass windows that looked like lollipops: the "caramel" bas-reliefs were made of resin, sintering it with glass.
Director of photography Vladimir Bashta knows how to create a world of wonders: he also shot the film "At the Behest of the Pike" starring Nikita Kologrivy.
— The cameraman generally considers this actor to be a national treasure, — noted in the film crew. — And the whole team absolutely agrees with this.
In order to create a miracle on the screen, Bashta worked underwater, in the air, and in a modern pavilion using digital technologies.
— I believe in the idea that you can rely not on technology — it is more or less understandable, ‑ says Vladimir Bashta. — But to come up with something, to pull some kind of emotional thread ‑ this can be done even with an ordinary mirror or flashlight.
As Vladimir Bashta admits, the creators want to surprise themselves first of all. If it succeeds, the audience will also be interested.
The costumes for "Sadko" were created by the artist Nadezhda Vasilyeva, who has thousands of vivid images for such fabulous blockbusters as "Pinocchio", "The Flying Ship", "The Horse‑The Hunchback" and "At the behest of the pike." Everything is handmade, and each one has a lot of details: even the outfits of the actors of the mass scenes can be viewed with a magnifying glass. Everything is embroidered with beads, complemented with incredible fittings. The boyars wore fur hats, and the service men wore crocheted helmets. Even the maids look like they've stepped off the catwalk: elaborate dresses are decorated with Vologda lace and embroidered with braid. And Lubava's dress, a blue satin one with a train, is worthy of the highest praise.
Now the filming is nearing its finale. It remains to solve the technological problem: to shoot scenes of the underwater world with a huge amount of graphics — with six-meter walruses, octopuses, characters swimming and singing underwater. And we still have to create a troll and a Bird of Truth. The film will be released in 2028, and then viewers will be able to appreciate the full scale.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
