"Moscow - Cassiopeia" Bashny.Net

Manuscripts do not burn, but legends never die. Thirty-odd years ago on the screens of the then Soviet Union came a trilogy directed by Richard Viktorov "Moscow - Cassiopeia", "Teens in the Universe" and "Through thorns to the stars." Films kept in suspense teenagers all over the Soviet Union. It was like a mass insanity. Never, since the time of Gagarin's flight, space did not seem so close, and contact with aliens so real. The last film of the trilogy tells the story of how teenagers went to the Soviet Union to travel in a spaceship "Pushkin" to distant worlds. The painting became a star for years to come.

8 photos and letters via visualhistory





Niya from the planet Dessa

Recall that the action of the film takes place in the XXIII century. The patrol spaceship "Pushkin" finds in the depths of the universe spaceship of unknown design earthlings. On board he found accidentally surviving girl named Niya, which is an android with superhuman abilities. Later it becomes known that she was from the planet Dessa, which threatens an environmental catastrophe. Earthlings with Niyey trying to save the planet, in this he is opposed to a dwarf-Turanchoks industrialist who made his capital in trade masks ...



Your colleague enormity Prul

Starting work on the first film of the trilogy, Richard Viktorov watched a lot of domestic and foreign science fiction films and was shocked that we never found, and the shadow of humor. Hero fiction film traveled, fought, studied, but never laughed. In contrast to the traditions of the time in all the science fiction films of Richard Viktorov was present humor, but if space Novels "Moscow - Cassiopeia", "Teens in the Universe" humor censorship was more or less easy, in the "Terna" officials perceived the humor is very difficult. It proved particularly difficult to defend the character of Professor Prulya with Planet Ocean. During the construction of developed socialism reasonable requirement octopus call themselves only as "Your grandeur of" looked defiant. Too strong was the analogy with Brezhnev in the manner of behavior, and even in appearance. In order not to tease the geese, the director was replaced by an appeal "Your grandeur of" a more gentle "colleague Prul».

Attractive android

Working on the way Alien Richard Viktorov wanted to create a being contradictory. On the role of Niyi he has not invited the actress and fashion model Lena Metelkina (which was very innovative at that time). In the first test shot Lena made bald. Samples caused a storm. Officials who oversaw the film, in one voice demanded that grow hair on his head Niyi, arguing his claim that the positive character can not be bald. Especially for them was coined by a tiny white wig that fits over all clones.

The problem mini shag was not the only way to create Niyi. The film was not included, and the episode in which Lena Metelkina had to appear before the audience naked.

The director wanted to show that a female android - an artificial man. Artificial man without a navel. It was invented by a scene in which Niya goes into the water, and the viewer sees that the android has no navel. Officials of the State Committee for Cinematography, seeing this scene, the director said: "Are you crazy? How did the women do not have a navel? It's not feminine at all. " It became clear that "it is necessary to cut the navel."

On the verge of

All fiction movies of Richard Viktorov is unusually believable. Practically every detail calculated with the leading scientists of the time involved in research and development of space technology space. For example, reflected in films have found many top-secret projects of Soviet scientists, be it a technical device for docking two spacecraft of different civilizations and alien clothes, arrived on an official visit to Earth. Surprisingly, many things invented for the film, now look modern and not hurt the eyes.

UFO director

Scientific consultants who worked on the paintings of Richard Viktorov, immediately warned him that the familiar cigar-shaped space ships doomed. Based on the secret workings of Soviet scientists, Richard Viktorov Russian explorers planted XXIII century space ship in the form of a flying saucer. It was unusual and bold: to Viktorov in flying saucers flew in film only aliens. By the way, the institute, who advised then Viktorov, really soon built a working model of a flying saucer.

Yet the socialist regime killed weight savings of incredible finds, developed Viktorov. So, from the "Thorn ..." disappeared flyer (apparatus for near-Earth movement, later Niyyu and professor Lebedev with the space station to the Earth). Gone with the film quarantine Niyi stay on the space station. Robot Barmaley of tech piece of iron turned into inflatable Pups due props inability to execute the order in exact accordance with the drawings.



Top secret ammunition

Yet for the technical level, which was not only Russian, but also world cinema at the time, the film was a truly advanced. Even the experts do not have guessed how to shoot weightlessness. It turns out, it has been used for this top-secret suits for scuba divers, who do not let out the exhaust air ...

However, the most impressive was the time of the study destroyed an alien ship with the laboratory cloning. The episode was shot in the scenery, set at the bottom of the pool. Such a course is quite possible to achieve a realistic picture of weightlessness. No one is now no longer remembers the danger posed to their lives, all those who participated in the filming.

Especially for this episode in the laboratory have been ordered NIKFI lighting for under water. It was assumed that waterproofing at the height of the lamps is, however, to the dismay of the group, the device starts to explode almost immediately after exposure to water. Episodes in horror movies where the heroes roasted in the bathroom by the water zakidyvaniya electrical wires, seem child's play compared to that experienced actors and operators, is immersed in water filled with dozens of high power lamps, which exploded at intervals of 30 seconds.



Made in the USSR

Ecological disaster on the planet Dessa filmed in the Soviet Union. At first glance, remove the landscape of a distant planet Dessa dying from ecological disaster, it was not easy. However, as it turned out, the Soviet Union at that time had plenty of places to hit the imagination of his deathbed scenery. So especially to spend money on organizing the filming did not have: an ecological catastrophe filmed on the border of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, near the city of Asmara. The scenery is almost built. Instead, they used the abandoned factory. Completely rebuilt from scratch only the entrance to the Institute of Glan. Caves Dessa filming in the catacombs of Chinatown. Later Igor Mozheyko (Kir Bulychev) and Richard Viktorov wanted to put in the closing credits of the film the phrase: "All views dying planet Dessa filmed in the Soviet Union." Needless to say specifically that the titer of the first cut in the State Committee for Cinematography.



Social rental

As already mentioned, in the eighties the Soviet film industry press regularly squeezed out of domestic films whole layers of images, adjusting the picture to the standards of socialist cinema. The plot is somehow caused outrage "at the top": in the love story of Alien and earthling saw there the idea of ​​condemning the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Denominations were so huge, that the director barely managed to maintain the integrity of the picture. Episodes censorship were almost the brightest in the film. Destroy their director could not, he had left them "wait for better times" in the closet of his Moscow apartment. Filming was completed in 1979 ... Director Richard Viktorov and writer Kir Bulychev soon received the State Award, and the film more than a decade did not go to the cinema screens of the Soviet Union. Rent a movie allowed to collect so much money that they would cover almost all of the social costs of the USSR during the year!

"Woman humanoid»

In the US box office movie premiere took place almost simultaneously with Russia (Filmeksport worked perfectly). In America, the picture is published under the title "Woman of the humanoid" and gathered a lot of spectators. So reviews "Thorns ..." even now occasionally appear in a special press. However, they are becoming more and more surprising. Here's an example: "The story about Ukrainian (?) Astronaut who found space in a female humanoid. He begins his earthly life female humanoid with what tears the photos Gorbachev (?) (Perhaps it should be viewed as an anti-communist idea). " Here's a review of ...

Recall, the film was shot 30 years ago, when Gorbachev knew only mom and dad so beloved wife. And even if we assume the existence of "the thorns ..." episode with the communist photographs, it becomes absolutely unclear what to do portraits of Gorbachev in the XXIII century.

"Lucas said»

So 30 years ago, a fantastic film series directed by Viktorov made tremendous boom in our country, and abroad. Some say, that movies Viktorova became "our answer to their" Star Wars. " They lie. Lucas released his masterpiece in 1976, and started to leave the trilogy released in 1973-74. And as the shot as well? Today looks like a living, did not impress old movie. And guys, the actors play a hundred times better than any garripotterov. This fantastic masterpiece - sorry, now it is a little show, and many students have not even seen the film. But it's worth it to them to get sick.



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