Yuri Ozerov - creator of epic films about the Great Patriotic War

Soviet director Yuri Ozerov entered the history of world cinema as the creator of such epic paintings as "Liberation" and "Battle for Moscow". On the eve of the May anniversary of the great victory, let us recall these wonderful paintings and their creator.

Biography - participation in the Great Patriotic War, years of study

Yuri Ozerov was born in the family of the opera singer Nikolai Ozerov. The mother of the future director was descended from a noble family. My younger brother Nikolai became subsequently the most famous and beloved sports commentator.

The theater family could not but have a huge impact on the upbringing of the future director. Visiting the Ozerovs often there were such famous figures of art as Konstantin Stanislavsky, Sergey Lemeshev, Leonid Sobinov, Vladimir Kachalov.

From an early age showing a love of art, Yuri Ozerov studied in an art school, and then entered the GITIS. The institute stopped the war. The future filmmaker was drafted into the Red Army and went through the whole war. Starting the service as an ordinary communications officer, he graduated from the Military Academy one year before the end of the war and was promoted to major.

The severity of the soldiers' service and the horrors of the war did not change Ozerov's desire to continue his studies. He returned to GITIS, where at first he felt extremely uncomfortable - he was already an adult and had seen a lot of people, and next to him were now trained mostly young girls.

After a while, Ozerov entered the directing department of VGIK. On the same course with him studied such future renowned filmmakers as Sergei Paradzhanov and Marlen Khutsiev.

Early work

Yury Ozerov began his first paintings in the 1950s. They differed little from the traditional Soviet cinema: the idea of the victory of socialism, the happy present and no less radiant future of every Soviet citizen. Ozerov's early works include the tapes of "Kochubei" (about the hero of the Civil War), "Son" and "Fortune." They remained virtually unnoticed by the audience.

Ozerov was a rather conservative director, but there is a special picture among his early works - the adventure comedy The Great Road. This is a film about Jaroslav Hasek, but the director will not take off such an easy and witty picture.

Filmography of the famous director - the most significant works

The most famous film, directed by the director, is the epic "Liberation". Yuri Ozerov in the 1960s was among the members of the purchasing commission, which visited the United States. There he saw a picture dedicated to the opening of the Second Front. Ozerov, as a participant in the war, was amazed and angered by the fact that in the American film, not a word was said about the First Front.

Returning to his homeland, the director obtained the consent of the authorities to create a national monumental picture of the heroic deed of the Soviet people during the war years on the front and in the rear. Yuri Ozerov's film epic "Liberation" was created by the filmmakers of several countries. It consists of 5 parts, the plot of which covers the period from the Kursk arc and to the capture of Berlin.

The scale of the picture is amazing - it involves 51 historical figures, and most of the prototypes at the time of filming were alive, which made the casting of actors very difficult. It was necessary to find artists not only with the maximum portrait similarity, but also to obtain from the prototype of the character consent to use his image in the shootings.

The creators of the epic film were advised by hundreds of participants of those events and experts. Ozerov paid much attention to the details - the costumes of the heroes had to correspond exactly to the historical period. For example, the Soviet uniforms of those years were taken from warehouses where all these years were stored, and Stalin's uniform was sewn by his personal tailor.

The first film from the series was released in 1970. The show was timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the victory.

Filming of the epic took 5 years.

Nikolai Ozerov, despite the fact that the shooting of the film was on the government order of the government, tried to tell the truth about the events of the war years as truthfully as possible. He was incredibly lucky - in the picture they allowed to leave the episode with General Vlasov and Stalin's son Yakov.

In 1977, the director finished work on the next film epic - the film "Soldiers of Freedom".

The film "Battle for Moscow"

In 1985, a two-part film was released on the two most important events of the war - the defense of the Brest Fortress and the battle for the capital.

The film "The Battle for Moscow" is a fusion of art and documentary. There are no fictional characters in it - only real historical figures.

The film "Stalingrad", which appeared on screens in 1989, completed the cycle of Ozerov 's films about the Great Patriotic War .

"About sport, you are peace!"

Nikolai Ozerov has in his filmography another picture, received recognition of the audience - a film about the 1980 Olympics, held in Moscow. A bright, dynamic tape full of the most important events, which are shown by the eyes of the participants of the match, could not leave the spectator indifferent. And the famous frames of farewell to the symbol of the Olympics, Mishka, touch the heart today.

Recent works of the director

In 1993, Ozerov completed the installation of the series "The Tragedy of the Century", based on his previous works on the events of the Great Patriotic War. In the same year, the military drama "Angels of Death" appeared on the screens. The last work of the director was an artistic documentary about Georgy Zhukov.

Conclusion

Yuri Ozerov's films are an unforgettable page of our history. In his paintings, the famous director tried to show the truth, albeit impartial, about the war years and recall the exploits that were daily committed on the battlefields.