Dedicated in memory of Kirov
Directed by the party in 1926 in Leningrad, Kirov led the struggle of the Leningrad Communists for the restoration, reconstruction and further development of industry, the implementation of socialist industrialization and collectivization of agriculture. The conviction in the correctness of the socialist construction course chosen by the party, and the belief in the enormous creative forces of the masses were an inexhaustible source of its optimism. He strove for a wide development of the initiative and activity of the masses, led an implacable struggle against bureaucracy, and with the greatest attention he treated the proposals of the working people.
S.M. Kirov was merciless to the enemies of the party and the people, stubbornly, persistently and consistently led the fight against those who opposed the party’s policy of building socialism, exposed the counter-revolutionary nature of the opportunists of all stripes and shades.
“Comrade Kirov was a sample of a Bolshevik who did not know the fear and difficulties in achieving the great goal set by the party. His directness, iron endurance, his amazing qualities of the inspired tribune of the revolution were combined in him with the warmth and gentleness in personal, comradely and friendly relations, with the radiant warmth and modesty that are inherent to the real Leninist "(Pravda newspaper, 02.12.1934 g .).
So Kirov appeared in front of the audience in the film “Great Citizen” in the image of Shakhov, the role of which was brilliantly performed by the artist N.I. Bogolyubov. In the late 30s they wrote about this film as they wrote about Chapayev in the mid-30s - in articles, memoirs, notes, books.
The “Great Citizen”, created in 1938–1939 by director F. Ermler, talks about the struggle of the Bolshevik Party for industrialization, for building socialism in our country, about the prominent leader of the Communist Party and the Soviet state, the fiery fighter for communism, the inspired rostrum of the revolution Sergei Mironovich Kirov.
At the beginning of 1986, when the campaign to discredit socialism, Stalin and his entourage was just beginning, and the CPSU was still recognized as the leading and guiding force of Soviet society, “Great Citizen” and Kirov were given their due. "Kirov, the authors of the book Kirov and Time, which was published in early 1986, noted that he left a bright trace in the history of the Communist Party and the Soviet state. "There are no people happier than those," he said, "who are called Bolsheviks." In these words - all Kirov, the faithful son of the party. People like S.M. Kirov and now remain our contemporaries. Their deeds, thoughts, experiences, Leninist style of party work are the invaluable wealth of the Communist Party, which highly carries the Leninist banner of the struggle for communism ”(p. 11).
In the Encyclopedic Dictionary on Cinema, published in early 1986, it was emphasized that the “Great Citizen” entered the history of cinema thanks to the skill and depth of disclosure of the central image. Performed by N.I. Bogolyubov Shakhov became one of the memorable heroes, embodying on the screen the type of political figure of Lenin's formation ... The innovation of the director, the magnificent acting ensemble put this work among the greatest achievements of cinematography "(p. 361). “The significance of artistic scope in solving the theme of the Communist Party, Ermler and the actor Bogolyubov, were achieved by working on the image of Shakhov in the historical and revolutionary film dedicated to the memory of S.M. Kirov "(p. 511). It was noted that “the film is of fundamental importance for the development of the art of socialist realism in the cinema” (p. 234).
The film “The Great Citizen” dealt a blow to destructive force on three main fictions of slanderers of the epoch of “perestroika”: Stalin invented the enemies of the people in order to unleash repression; under Stalin, people were turned into weak-willed, devoid of human dignity robots; Communists never expressed popular aspirations and interests. Perhaps no other film can compare in this respect with the "Great Citizen."
In the image of Shakhov, the viewer recognized the familiar, intimate and infinitely dear features of Kirov. The loyalty of the party and the people, the sacred hatred of the enemies and the moral purity of Ermler are interpreted in this image as organic features, as signs of a special breed of people, a special type of person called the Bolshevik.
This is how the idea of creating the "Great Citizen" appeared. “... So I learned about the tragic death of S.M. Kirov, with whom I had the good fortune to be personally acquainted, whom I loved and deeply respected as a man who perfectly combined all the features of a Bolshevik Leninist And so on this sad evening I gave myself the promise to create a film in memory of S.M. Kirov, to create an artistic image in which the features of a Bolshevik teacher would find their embodiment ... I considered as my party affair, my direct duty in art to create artistic images of people, high concepts, new moral principles of the new man of socialist society, new ethical assessment of human affairs and actions, honesty and purity of thoughts, disinterested dedication to the people, the organic need for daily participation in the struggle for the existence of the great ideas of the Commune the historical party ...
And I decided: in order to at least get closer to the solution of this high task of artistic embodiment of the image of a new person - I have to tell about the struggle of the party for a new society, show the very thing and reveal the meaning of the struggle of the party and its significance by means of art. Thus, the idea of the two-part film “Great Citizen” was born, on which we (Bleiman, Bolshintsev and I) worked hard and extremely hard from December 1934 to October 1939 ”(F. Ermler“ Documents, articles, memoirs ”, ed.“ Art , 1974, p. 99).
Shakhov's speech at a gathering of drummers: “Who are you, sitting here ?! In which charts, in which tariff grids can a wave of a mighty popular uplift be put, which every day, every hour, every second gives birth to a human form, unprecedented in history, related to work, to life, the relationship of a person to a person? Only the blind, only the enemy can not see that beyond the forests of our construction there are already visible beautiful features of a new, free man - the creator and converter.
And the fact that we can call such people to consult, how we should continue to live and how to work ... This, comrades, we must understand! This is our strength, and this strength cannot be defeated! You can bomb the city, blow up the plants and the top and bottom ... But it is impossible to break, conquer and destroy the people who not only understood, not only realized, but also realized the age-old dream of humanity ... We are still in the woods, in construction. We are still just drawing maps, drawings of the future ... ". And the hall was overwhelmed with such applause that Shakhov had to stop short:
This is Kirov (whose role is played by Shakhov) of thoughts and words.
The words of the old Bolshevik at the tomb of Shakhov (Kirov): “... He was the same as we, only a little higher; he had the same eyes as ours, only a little more vigilantly; he thought about what we think, only much deeper ... Some say: a great thinker, a great artist died, and he ... he was a citizen - just like us, only more - he was a great citizen. He had great faith, great love, and great hatred. And it was he who bequeathed to us the world-wide hatred of our enemies and great love for the people. ”
According to the materials of the four-volume book by Ivan Timofeevich Shekhovtsov, “The case of Stalin and his defender,” Vol. 3, “The Great Citizen” returns and wins. ”
youtube video 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3rshuvsaQ0
youtube video 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Llsqz5RKGEM
