Marlen Khutsiev
Encyclopedia
Marlen Martynovich Khutsiev ' onMouseout='HidePop("47344")' href="/topics/Tbilisi">Tbilisi
) is a Georgian
-born Soviet and Russia
n filmmaker best known for his cult film
s from the 1960s, which include I Am Twenty
and July Rain. He was named a People's Artist of the USSR
in 1986.
), was a lifelong Communist who was purged by Stalin in 1937. His mother, Nina Mikhailovna Utenelishvili, was an actress. Khutsiev studied film
in the directing department at the VGIK
, graduating in 1952. He worked as a director at the Odessa film studio
from 1952 to 1958, and worked full-time as a director at Mosfilm
from 1965 onwards.
Khutsiev's first feature film, Spring on Zarechnaya Street (1956), incapsulated the mood of the Khrushchev Thaw
and went on to became one of the top box-office draws of the 1950s. Three years later, Khutsiev launched Vasily Shukshin
"as a new kind of popular hero" by starring him in Two Fyodors. His two masterpieces of the 1960s, however, were panned by the authorities, forcing Khutsiev into something of an artistic silence. Since 1978, Khutsiev has taught film directing master classes at the VGIK.
His 1991 film Infinitas
won the Alfred-Bauer Prize at the 42nd Berlin International Film Festival
.
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
) is a Georgian
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
-born Soviet and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n filmmaker best known for his cult film
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
s from the 1960s, which include I Am Twenty
I am Twenty
I Am Twenty is a 1966 film directed by Marlen Khutsiev. It is Khutsiev's most famous film and considered a landmark of 1960s Soviet cinema....
and July Rain. He was named a People's Artist of the USSR
People's Artist of the USSR
People's Artist of the USSR, also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to citizens of the Soviet Union.- Nomenclature and significance :...
in 1986.
Biography
Khutsiev's father, Martyn Levanovich Khutsishvili (the family's original Georgian surnameSurname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
), was a lifelong Communist who was purged by Stalin in 1937. His mother, Nina Mikhailovna Utenelishvili, was an actress. Khutsiev studied film
Film school
The term film school is used to describe any educational institution dedicated to teaching aspects of filmmaking, including such subjects as film production, film theory, digital media production, and screenwriting. Film history courses and hands-on technical training are usually incorporated into...
in the directing department at the VGIK
Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography
The Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography All-Russian State University of Cinematography named after S. A. Gerasimov), VGIK for short, is a film school in Moscow, Russia.-History:...
, graduating in 1952. He worked as a director at the Odessa film studio
Odessa Film Studio
Odessa Film Studio is a Ukrainian film studio in Odessa. It is partially owned by a government and supervised by the Department of State property fund of Ukraine together with the Ministry of Culture. Together with Dovzhenko Film Studios they are the only state-owned and major film producers in...
from 1952 to 1958, and worked full-time as a director at Mosfilm
Mosfilm
Mosfilm is a film studio, which is often described as the largest and oldest in Russia and in Europe. Its output includes most of the more widely-acclaimed Soviet films, ranging from works by Tarkovsky and Eisenstein , to Red Westerns, to the Akira Kurosawa co-production and the epic Война и Мир...
from 1965 onwards.
Khutsiev's first feature film, Spring on Zarechnaya Street (1956), incapsulated the mood of the Khrushchev Thaw
Khrushchev Thaw
The Khrushchev Thaw refers to the period from the mid 1950s to the early 1960s, when repression and censorship in the Soviet Union were partially reversed and millions of Soviet political prisoners were released from Gulag labor camps, due to Nikita Khrushchev's policies of de-Stalinization and...
and went on to became one of the top box-office draws of the 1950s. Three years later, Khutsiev launched Vasily Shukshin
Vasily Shukshin
Vasily Makarovich Shukshin was a notable Soviet/Russian actor, writer, screenwriter and movie director from the Altay region who specialized in rural themes. Upon his death, Shukshin was interred at Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.-Biography:...
"as a new kind of popular hero" by starring him in Two Fyodors. His two masterpieces of the 1960s, however, were panned by the authorities, forcing Khutsiev into something of an artistic silence. Since 1978, Khutsiev has taught film directing master classes at the VGIK.
His 1991 film Infinitas
Infinitas
Infinitas is a 1991 Russian drama film directed by Marlen Khutsiev. It was entered into the 42nd Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Alfred-Bauer Prize.-Cast:* Vladislav Pilnikov* Aleksei Zelenov* Marina Khazova...
won the Alfred-Bauer Prize at the 42nd Berlin International Film Festival
42nd Berlin International Film Festival
The 42nd annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 13 to 24, 1992.-Jury:* Annie Girardot * Charles Champlin* Sylvia Chang* Ildikó Enyedi* Irving N...
.
Honours and awards
- Order of Merit for the FatherlandOrder of Merit for the FatherlandThe Order of Merit for the Fatherland was instituted on 2 March 1994 by Presidential Decree. The statutes describe it as a decoration for merit, not an order of knights....
;- 2nd class (29 May 2006) - for outstanding contributions to the development of national cinema and many years of creative activity
- 3rd class (25 December 2000) - for outstanding contribution to the development of cinema art
- 4th class (9 April 1996) - for services to the state, many years of fruitful work in the arts and culture
- Order of Honour (5 October 2010) - for outstanding contribution to the development of the domestic art of film and many years of creative activity
- Order of the Badge of Honour (1975)
- Medal "In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin" (1970)
- People's Artist of the USSRPeople's Artist of the USSRPeople's Artist of the USSR, also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to citizens of the Soviet Union.- Nomenclature and significance :...
(1986) - People's Artist of the RSFSR (1977)
- State Prize of the Russian FederationState Prize of the Russian FederationState Prize of the Russian Federation is a state honorary prize established in 1992 as the substitute for the USSR State Prize. In 2004 the rules for selection of laureates and the status of the award was significantly changed making them closer to such awards as Nobel Prize or the Soviet Lenin...
(7 December 1993) - Special Prize of the Russian Federation President (12 June 1999) - for outstanding contribution to the development of Russian cinema
- "Golden Aries" award and winner of "The Man Film of the Year" (1995)
- Prize of the city of St. Petersburg "he is a living legend of the national cinema" - V Festival "Viva Cinema of Russia" (1997)
- Moscow Mayor's Award (1999) - a unique contribution to the development of culture in Moscow
- National Award in the field of documentary film and television "laurel branch" for 2002 in the category for contribution to Cinema Chronicle
- "Triumph" Award (2004)
- Nika AwardNika AwardThe Nika Award is a prestigious annual ceremony held by the Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences which was established in 1987 in Moscow, Russia by Yuli Gusman, and ostensibly modelled on the Academy Awards . Russian Academy Award takes its name from Nike, the goddess of victory...
in the "honour and dignity" (2006)