Shooting of "Old Hottabych"

I must say that the author of "Hottabych" will be no stranger to the art of cinema. In the 1960s, he wrote scripts for several cartoons, mostly satirical parody of the genre ("spies", "There was Kozyavin", "Origin of species" and others.). In this adaptation of his tale Lagin was extremely dissatisfied.





Natalia Lagin "Dad was totally against that of" Hottabych "filmed a movie. I did not want to film on their books. And I am persuaded that a staircase descends if come with movie studios. "I write for readers, not for the audience!". He believed, and rightly so, it seems to me that it is impossible to convey the author's thoughts through the silver screen. What eventually happened. ... He was told not to mess with "Lenfilm" was not able to work with children. Dad was involved in the selection, but there children were wooden and the alcoholic-director. The pope was asked not to put it in the credits ... Fortunately, Hottabych played a wonderful actor Nikolai Volkov. And Dad waved Volkov one will pull the film ».

As you know, the audience appreciated the film very differently. I do not know how Kazan was an alcoholic, but belong to the same director such wonderful films as "The Amphibian Man", "The Snow Queen", "New Adventures of Masha and Vitya." Of course, much of the film adaptation of "Hottabych" had to be cut. In it no brother Hottabych nor Mr. Moneybags or Pivoraki citizen or a trip to Italy and the Arctic, but it does not make the movie worse. If at the end of the book Hottabych becoming a radio technician, the film takes a more suitable position - a circus magician. Also, by Nikolai Volkov genie came out much nicer than in the original, where it is constantly threatened by others.



L. Lagin "Old Hottabych" "- please, two bottles of lemon water - said Volka. The waitress nodded and went to the bar, but Hottabych angrily called out to her: - Come on, come here a minute closer, unworthy handmaiden! I do not like the way you respond to the orders of my young friend and master. ... On your knees! Or I turn you to dust! .. ... All three immediately on your knees and pray to my young friend, that he had mercy on you! With these words, he suddenly began to grow in size until it reached the head of the ceiling. It was a terrible and wonderful sight. The cashier and a second waitress fainted in terror, but the first waitress, even in the pale, quietly said Hottabych - Shame on you, citizen! Behave as it is necessary in a public place ... And if you're honest hypnotist ... ».



Computer graphics in those days was not so much in the film combined shooting. Suspended in the pavilion magic carpet was subsequently imposed on the background scenery flying and clouds created with smoke. That smoke was caused by tears artist as Zhenya, when he dropped down the Indians donated bananas. But it was so to the point that the director had left the scene. Speaking of bananas. In those days, not all Soviet people have a correct understanding of these bananas. So the creators of moulage tropical fruits painted them ... unappetizing green. So they threw Eugene right ... One of the most "magical" scenes of the film, for me, has always been a football match between the teams of "chisel" and "puck." Hottabych, at first did not understand why "twenty-two nice young men running, falling and pushing each other only for a few moments drive nondescript leather ball", soon became an avid fan and enchants the opponent's goal.



L. Lagin "Old Hottabych" "- Yegorushka, you just do not try to please laugh at me - said in a low voice goalkeeper" chisel "one of the reserve players when the game briefly switched to the" Puck "- but I swear that the rod of my gate accompanies shaybovtsam ... - I measured the temperature? - I asked the substitute. - Chew - boom? ».

In the film enchanted gates were made sliding, rod - rubber, and under all this structure is the trolley on rails. As a result, the rod when it is necessary, bend and passed the ball, and the gate went on the field.
More difficult was to get exotic animals. If the elephants and camel caravan could take off in Odessa, where just the circus toured Kornilov, the camel on which Volka Hottabych and go through the capital, had to travel-buying already in the Stalingrad area.



Probably, many have looked the film more children wondered how the role of the artist Hottabych could so quickly and in such numbers to swallow popsicle. Of course, these were not the Eskimo, and disguised as ice cream, glazed curds. However, eat a dozen consecutive cheese - is also not an easy thing, so Nikolai Volkov for a long time could not look at this type of product without nausea.

Time passed. Died June 16, 1979, Lazarus Lagin. The Soviet Union collapsed. In the movie "Hottabych" 2006 is no longer ideological besserebrenikov and jinn - seasoned web cynical and brutal. But it is hoped that the Soviet Hottabych adventure did not end with the Soviet era. Book-it is still interesting.









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