Baba Yaga in the frost. Baba Yaga "Morozko" saved

Georgy Frantsevich Millyar – famous actor theater and cinema, People's Artist RSFSR. He was born at the beginning of the last century, on November 7, 1903, in Moscow. His father Franz de Milieu was an engineer: he arrived from France to Russia in order to advise Russian workers in the field of bridge construction. Here Franz de Milieu met the daughter of an Irkutsk gold miner, Elizaveta Zhuravleva, to whom he proposed.

The family was quite wealthy, and the born George did not need anything. Unfortunately, the newlyweds' happiness was short-lived - in 1906, George's father died. After the death of her husband, Elizabeth and her son continued to live in abundance. They had a luxurious apartment in Moscow, two dachas (in the Moscow region and Gelendzhik). Governesses were hired to teach the child languages, music, and literature.

At that time, Aunt Georgia was a famous theater actress, thanks to whom the boy was so early age got acquainted with the theater. The future actor was instilled with a love of art from childhood - he had the opportunity to hear performances by Nezhdanova and Sobinov. It is not surprising that Georgy himself tried to try on the role of a performer, arranging home performances for his relatives.

In 1914, carefree childhood ended with the beginning of a new period for the country. Pre-revolutionary unrest forced the mother to take her son from troubled Moscow to Gelendzhik, where his grandfather lived. After the Bolsheviks came to power, the family was left without a livelihood - the revolutionaries took away both their apartment in Moscow and their dacha near Moscow. Elizabeth and her son were now entitled to only one room in the communal apartment, which their huge metropolitan apartment had turned into. During the same period family surname prudently corrected from de Milieu to Millyar. Subsequently, Georgy Frantsevich tried not to mention his origin and did not even report on his excellent command of German and French languages.

After graduating from school in Gelendzhik, Georgy Millyar got a job in local theater a simple prop man. The young man performed all his duties conscientiously, but the dream of becoming a real artist did not leave him. Finest hour Millyar came when, in 1920, the performer of the role of Cinderella was unable to attend the performance due to illness. It was a diligent prop maker who replaced her, and he did it superbly.

In 1924, the experienced, self-taught artist moved to Moscow, where he entered the current Theater named after, which at that time was called the School of Juniors at the Moscow Theater of the Revolution. In 1927, Georgy Frantsevich, who completed his studies, was accepted into the troupe of the Moscow Theater of the Revolution. He worked as part of the team until 1938.

Millyar's theatrical career developed in the best possible way, but in 1941 he left the troupe - the actor decided to try his hand at cinema.

Movies

Georgy Millyar's work in cinema began with small episodic roles. But the actor received his first major role in the fairy tale film by Alexander Rowe “By pike command"(1938). He played King Pea. This film became the debut for Rowe, but the talking pike, the self-propelled stove, and the geese walking backwards were so popular with the audience that the director immediately received an order for the next fairy tale.

Georgy Millyar in the film "Po" pike command"

Next was the film “Vasilisa the Beautiful”, where Georgy Millyar perfectly embodied the image of Baba Yaga. Give away female role the man was the most the right decision, because, as the artist himself said, not a single woman would allow herself to be shown so scary on the screen. Millyar worked on the image of Baba Yaga independently - he observed women old age, adopting their facial expressions, gait, and gestures. Except scary old woman Millyar played two more roles in the film, but was listed in the credits only once.

In 1941, Soyuzdetfilm decided to film a fairy tale with a patriotic overtone, “The End of Koshchei the Immortal.” In the image of Koshchei, the creators of the film saw exclusively Georgy Frantsevich, who for a long time did not agree to filming, doubting his abilities. Once, at a discussion of film episodes, the actor appeared with a completely shaved head and no eyebrows. This is what Millyar always did on set to make the work of the make-up artists easier. It became clear that the artist was ready to act. The fairy tale premiered to a full house on Victory Day.

Georgy Millyar in the film "Vasilisa the Beautiful"

Subsequently, Georgy Millyar became the most “fabulous” actor in the world. He brilliantly played many negative characters, embodying the images of witches, werewolves, monsters and other representatives of the “forces of darkness.” The artist played Baba Yaga about ten times in total, and the image changed from one role to another. He designed the costumes himself and liked them to be scarier.

Millyar for many years collaborated with director Alexander Rowe. In 16 films by the creator, he performed three dozen roles. His the brightest images– The Devil from “Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka”, Baba Yaga in “Morozko”, the underwater king Miracle-Yudo in “Barbarian Beauty, Long Braid”, the court villain Kwak from “Marya the Mistress”, the werewolf Kastryuk in “Finist-Yasny” falcon" - are still remembered by the viewer.

Georgy Millyar also worked with other directors, for whom he managed to portray no less colorful characters. I remember the roles of the Wise One in the fairy tale "Aladdin's Magic Lamp" directed by Boris Rytsarev, Mr. Brownie in modern fairy tale Boris Buneev's "Duck Village", the sage Selim in "Caliph Stork" by Viktor Khramov, evil sorcerer Smog in Gennady Kharlan’s film “Andrey and the Evil Sorcerer.”

In addition to fairy tales, Georgy Frantsevich starred in other films. He took part in films such as " Caucasian captive", "The Ballad of Bering and His Friends", "Step from the Roof", "Silver Revue".

Georgy Millyar in the film "Prisoner of the Caucasus"

Appearing even in the episode, most talented actor knew how to attract attention.

The filmography of Georgy Millyar includes more than a hundred works. He last starred in the film “Ka-ka-doo” in 1992.

Personal life

There were many rumors about the personal relationships of Georgy Millyar. Rumor has it that at the age of 30 he could have married a young actress who announced the imminent addition to the family. To this news, Georgy Frantsevich allegedly replied that he could not have children, and sent the woman to the true father of the unborn child.

It is reliably known that Millyar lived as a bachelor until he was 65 years old. One day, a new resident named Maria Vasilievna appeared in one of the rooms of the apartment. The actor had something in common with his new acquaintance: the woman also came from the “dispossessed” - after the revolution, her parents were arrested.

By the time she met Georgy Millyar, Maria Vasilievna already had adult children from her first two marriages. Taking a closer look at the neighbor, the 65-year-old actor asked for her hand in marriage. Maria Vasilyevna was 60 at that time. The surprised woman told the artist that she did not need men, to which Georgy Frantsevich jokingly replied: “I’m not a man. I am Baba Yaga."

The wedding was celebrated on the first day of filming the next fairy-tale film “Varvara the Beauty, Long Braid.” The film crew surprised the newlyweds by setting tables on the banks of the Moscow River.

Georgy Millyar loved and respected his wife very much, and the artist’s mother also fell in love with his daughter-in-law. Maria Vasilievna’s adult children also accepted their mother’s husband. There has always been peace and order in the Millyarov family.

They lived in the same communal apartment that once belonged entirely to his family, together with their mother, who died in 1971. In life Georgy Millyar was a simple person, loved to drink, although he was never seen drunk. He made friends mainly with make-up artists, lighting designers and costume designers.

Death

Despite popular love and popularity, the Soviet press was never interested in Georgy Millyar, and the authorities did not particularly favor him. This infinitely talented and modest man received the title of Honored Artist only at the age of 85. IN recent years In his life, he often attended all kinds of children's events - meetings with children in schools and pioneer camps. Millyar never refused concerts, although sometimes the organizers might not pay the actor a fee, slyly citing the fact that there was no money.

On the eve of the anniversary, Georgy Frantsevich was asked to perform for children in concert hall"Russia". Having learned that there would be 850 children in the hall, the artist bought children's drawing books and hand-drew the same number of pictures with Baba Yaga flying in a mortar. Each drawing was signed “With love G.F. Millyar." As the actor admitted, he just wanted to “leave a gift for every child.”

It was unclear whether Georgy Millyar was removed from the list of invitees, or whether the concert did not take place at all, but on the appointed day no one came for him. The painted Grandmothers were distributed among neighbors; several pieces are still kept in the Cinema Museum.

Georgy Millyar died on June 4, 1993, shortly before his 90th birthday. He was buried at the Troekurovsky cemetery. Among the artist’s belongings transferred to the Cinema Museum, a small yellowed piece of paper was found with poems that he wrote shortly before his own death:

“And it would probably be great,
At the end, at the end of the road,
Finally, play Suvorov
And then you can leave calmly.”

Filmography

"At the command of the pike"
"Vasilisa the Beautiful"
"The End of Koshchei the Immortal"
"Morozko"
"Aladdin's Magic Lamp"
"Andrey and the Evil Sorcerer"
"Prisoner of the Caucasus"
"Step from the Roof"
"Cockatoo"
"Caliph Stork"

The famous picture was saved from destruction by its main “villain” - actor Georgy Millyar, who played Baba Yaga.

The fairy tale film “Morozko” released in 1965 Alexandra Row It was immediately appreciated not only by children, but also by adults who are responsible for cinematic awards. The picture received main prize"Lion of the Saint" Brand» on XVII International Venice Film Festival in the program of children's and youth films; in 1966, at the All-Union Film Festival, Morozko was recognized as the best children's film; The U.S. Film Advisory Board awarded him the Award of Excellence for Best Family Screenplay, and Steven Spielberg, admiring the special effects of the film, called our film the forerunner of many film masterpieces of the American dream factory.

But during the creation process, the actors and the entire film crew had to endure many difficult and even dangerous moments, and the film itself could have died without ever reaching the audience.

Nadezhda Rumyantseva could become Nastenka

Artist for the role Morozko found immediately: director Alexander Rowe had no doubt that it should be an actor Alexander Khvylya, tall, colorful, with a thick, impressive voice. After the fairy tale was released, Khvylya became the most important Santa Claus Soviet Union: he “worked” for many years at the Kremlin Christmas trees, children recognized him and were very happy about the appearance of their favorite character.

The search for a girl who was supposed to play timid, sweet and unrequited Nastenka, did not last long: Rowe saw a 15-year-old ballerina and figure skater Natalia Sedykh, performing “The Dying Swan”, and immediately decided that this was exactly the kind of actress he needed. But in order to defend her candidacy, she had to fight: the artistic council at all costs wanted to see her already famous in the film “Girls” in this role. Nadezhda Rumyantseva. The film bosses didn’t like young Natasha Sedykh - no experience, quiet timid voice, what an actress she is! Yes, and too young.

But Rowe, who always very carefully selected actors, showed persistence, because he firmly decided: in his fairy tale there would be just such a Nastenka! And he won. True, he asked the make-up artists to “age” the girl a little so that she looked more mature.

For a long time they didn’t want to let Natasha go to filming from the choreographic school: everything is strict there, the students are kept under strict control, but here they had to give Natasha “freedom” for several months.

How “Nastenka” was almost left without eyelashes

The snow in the fairy tale was real, no joke: on Kola Peninsula winter is always cold and snowy. And Nastenka and Ivanushka they had to film in the middle of the snowdrifts in light clothes - a sundress and a thin shirt. The film crew had to warm up the frozen actors after each episode.

However, for Natalya Sedykh the main test was not even the cold, but the need to apply makeup to her eyelashes: the frost that the viewer sees in Nastenka’s eyes is makeup applied using ordinary glue. For Natalya, the most painful procedure was removing this glue; she almost lost her eyelashes altogether.

And young Natasha fell in love with her partner Eduard Izotov, who played Ivanushka. The love was unrequited, and the girl suffered greatly.

How Inna Churikova cried after watching the film

Perhaps the most bright character the popularly favorite fairy tale can be called Marfushenka- my own daughter angry old woman. young Inna Churikova led to film set director's assistant Alexander Rowe immediately put a bowl of nuts in front of her: gnaw! And the girl, who passionately dreamed of playing in the famous director’s fairy tale, set to work with such temperament that no one could help but laugh. Churikova was approved, and her performance of Marfushenka turned out to be inimitable.

Looking at herself from the auditorium, Inna Churikova, unable to bear it, burst into tears. She seemed rude and ugly, cried and repeated: “Who will marry me now, so terrible!”

The young actress did not even suspect what a celebrity she would become, but it was “Morozko” that paved the way for her on the big screen.

Filming in this fairy tale was generally not easy for Inna Mikhailovna: for example, sitting in the forest, under a spruce tree, Marfushenka had to gnaw apples, but they forgot to put them in a bag. The actress had to crunch deliciously raw onions, and to make it easier to chew, she washed down the onions with diluted milk. A test for true actors...

How Baba Yaga accomplished the feat

And, of course, one of the most bright stars the fairy tale “Morozko” has become colorful Baba Yaga- unique actor Georgy Millyar. For the sake of greater authenticity of his character, the actor was ready to make any sacrifice: he sat on makeup for six hours, and once the makeup artists burned his face with hydrogen peroxide. In 30-degree frost, I filmed in light rags.

No one even doubted his talent, but the actor had a well-known Russian “weakness.” Rowe swore and forbade the local saleswomen to give Millyar alcohol, but nothing helped: the saleswomen could not refuse their favorite artist, who every time came up with new tricks and was invariably tipsy.

But after one incident, Alexander Rowe immediately forgave Millyar for all violations of discipline. The film crew lived in a private house with a basement; all the footage was stored in this basement. One day a pipe burst in the house and water poured into the underground. The film could easily have perished if not for the resourceful “Baba Yaga”: a naked Millyar, who had a day off that day, ran barefoot through the snow in 20-degree frost, pulling precious films out of the basement. The wet, numb artist did not leave until he was sure that “Morozko” was saved.

During filming, Nastenka fell in love with Ivanushka, Morozko grumbled at everyone, Baba Yaga loved to drink, and Marfusha was upset that no one would marry her.

“Are you warm, girl?”

In the summer, “Morozko” was filmed near Zvenigorod, in the winter - near Murmansk, beyond the Arctic Circle. The film crew lived in a hotel in Olenegorsk, and went on location into the forest - where there were snow-white snowdrifts and the trees were covered with frost. In general, the filmmakers found themselves in the real kingdom of Morozko and fully experienced what bitter frost is like. Ivanushka ( Eduard Izotov) ran through the snowdrifts in a linen shirt, at Baba Yaga's -( Georgy Millyar) had a suit of nothing but rags, and Nastenka ( Natalia Sedykh) was freezing under a pine tree in a light sundress.

“Mommy, cover up her eyebrows!”

“I was only 15 years old, so my mother was with me on the set, who warmed me up with hot coffee from a thermos,” says Natalya Sedykh, who played the role of Nastenka. “But I took everyday difficulties and cold as a given. I found myself in a fairy tale, that’s what was important! And it happened completely by accident.

I was asked to perform at an ice festival with a beautiful number “The Dying Swan” (I did figure skating as a child), but I was already in school at Bolshoi Theater, and ballerinas were forbidden to skate, ride horses and bicycles... However, I decided to take a risk and did the right thing: the ballet dancers didn’t find out anything, and Alexander Rowe saw me on TV and invited me to audition. True, when I reached the finals with Nadezhda Rumyantseva, I realized: there is no chance. Who am I? Young ballerina, acting experience no, and even food like a mouse (as some representatives of the artistic council said). Alexander Rowe insisted on my candidacy, but told the makeup artists: “Do something with her, otherwise she looks just like a child.” They painted my eyes with blue shadows, made my lips bright scarlet, and created snow-white eyelashes for winter scenes. This was a real nightmare! The role of frost was played by... glue, which was usually used to glue the mustaches and beards of actors. I still remember with horror how I tore it off my eyelashes.”

Natalya Sedykh.

The on-screen Nastenka does not hide the fact that she fell in love with her Ivanushka during the filming and with great excitement waited for the ending of the film, in which she had to kiss her partner - this was the first kiss in the life of the young beauty.

“Natasha did not show off her feelings, but the entire film crew saw how she was suffering and tormented,” recalls the film’s assistant director Lyudmila Pshenichnaya. - They told Izotov: “Look how the girl loves you!” But by that time he was married to an actress Inge Budkevich and, despite the fact that he was very handsome and loved the attention of women, he did not go around.”

Still from the film

“Not the princess... the princess!”

Unlike Nastenka Marfush ( Inna Churikova) the make-up artists disfigured her: they made her colorless eyelashes, greasy hair, painted large hemp... “I remember when Inna saw herself in the mirror, she almost burst into tears: “Am I really that scary? Now I’ll never get married!” - says the assistant director. - Inna was a student then theater school, and this was one of her first film roles. However, Inna was attracted not by her beauty, but by her amazing humor, talent, and charm. On the set, the whole crew fell in love with the funny Marfusha.”

Inna Churikova.

“Remember the scene in which Marfushka sits under a tree and eats while waiting for Morozko? - recalls Natalya Sedykh. - Inna was supposed to gnaw the apples, but they were forgotten, and the road from the forest to the hotel would have taken 2 hours. That's why poor Marfusha ate take after take onions and washed it down with diluted milk... What lengths you won’t go to for the sake of a fairy tale! By the way, Alexander Arturovich was a real storyteller - kind, childishly naive and at the same time strict. He had everything in order. I remember being yelled at for the first time and last time when they were filming the scene in the pond... Inna had been sitting in the water for a long time, the sun was going down, and I just couldn’t decide to jump into the dirty and cold pond with leeches - I ran up three times... But as soon as Row shouted at me, I immediately jumped into water."

Inna Churikova.

"Oh! Radiculitis has tormented me!”

“The main character of the fairy tale, Morozko, was played by Alexander Khvylya. I remember he was always grumbling at everyone. True, he grumbles and grumbles and starts singing songs. His bass was very strong,” recalls the assistant director. “And Khvylya seemed like a real Santa Claus to me,” says Natalya-Nastenka. - He was such a kind, powerful man. And he treated me like his granddaughter.”

Another important character any fairy tale Rowe - Baba Yaga performed Georgy Millyar. In “Morozko” he portrayed the grandmother for the eighth time, and also played the role of one of the robbers and voiced the rooster in the film. “If in “Vasilisa the Beautiful” my grandmother is a kind of summer resident with a bandage on her head, then in “Morozko” she has already aged: she has become decrepit, weakened, and she has been tormented by radiculitis,” said Millyar. Georgy Frantsevich himself came up with his own image, invented antics, gait, and replicas of Baba Yaga.

According to Millyar's acquaintances, he had two weaknesses, due to which Alexandru Rowe had to cover him up: men (as is known, in the USSR gay shone article) and alcohol. The actor didn’t go on binges and didn’t disrupt filming, but he was often a little tipsy...

“A car shop came to the village near Zvenigorod,” said AiF. Yuri Sorokin, director documentary film about G. Millyar.- Rowe forbade selling alcohol to the actor, so Georgy Frantsevich resorted to a trick. In full view of the film crew, he moved towards the car with a can - supposedly for milk. He returned and five minutes later he was already drunk. It turns out that he agreed in advance with the saleswoman, she put a bottle in a can and poured milk on top.”

“Rowe told Millyar: “Okay, I forgive you everything, because you are the best Baba Yaga in the world!” - remembers L. Wheat.

By the way, it was thanks to Millyar that “Morozko” was seen and loved by thousands of children all over the world. During winter filming in Olenegorsk, pipes burst and flooded the hotel basement where the footage was stored. The group worked in the forest, and Baba Yaga was not involved in the filming. When the filmmakers arrived, they saw the following picture: in his underpants, knee-deep in water, Millyar was taking boxes of film out into the cold... The picture was saved.

What was the fate of the heroes?

Ivanushka: In 1983, Eduard Izotov was arrested on the street. Gorky (now Tverskaya) for currency fraud. Some filmmakers say that he has been making money in dollars for a long time, others believe that it was a one-time thing: the actor did not have enough money to build a dacha. After 3 years in prison, Ivanushka returned with poor health. A couple of years later I had my first stroke, then a second, a third... There were five in total. The actor spent the end of his life in a psychoneurological boarding house. In 2003 he passed away.

Nastenka: Natalya Sedykh starred in A. Rowe's fairy tale “Fire, Water and... Copper Pipes,” where she played Alyonushka. Then there were several more paintings. She worked at the Bolshoi Theater for 20 years, and when she retired from ballet, she played for 10 years at the Nikitsky Gate Theater.

Marfusha: In vain Inna Churikova was upset that she would not find a groom. The actress got married
for the director Gleb Panfilov and starred in many of his films. Plays at Lenkom.

Morozko: Thanks to filming in Morozko, Alexander Khvylya became the main Santa Claus at all Kremlin Christmas trees. The actor lived only 12 years after filming the film.

Baba Yaga: Georgy Millyar starred in all of A. Rowe's films, and when the director died in 1973, the fairy tale ended for the actor. Millyar played cameo roles in cinema, voicing cartoons. Died in the summer of 19 93, just short of his 90th birthday.

Elena Kostomarova

“I work in the field of fairy tales,” actor Georgy Millyar proudly admitted. Growing up watching films with his participation is pleasant and useful, because Millyar’s characters - devils, mermans, Baba Yaga, Kashchei the Immortal and many others - may represent evil spirits on the screen, but they also teach what is reasonable, good and eternal.

King Pea, "At the command of the pike"

The black and white film about the lazy Emelya was released in 1938 - it was the debut work of director Alexander Rowe and the first noticeable role of Georgy Millyar, who until then was known only to theatergoers.

The Tsar Father, played by Millyar, is a funny tyrant, tired of the endless hysterics of his daughter Nesmeyana. According to established tradition, King Pea makes decisions by connecting his fingers with eyes closed- Will it work out or won't it work out? And when the “unwashed, unkempt” Emelya takes away the princess on his stove, the actor doesn’t even need words to express all the despair of King Gorokh - Millyar’s famous facial expressions are at work here.

Alexander Rowe was the first to put to good use the actor’s extraordinary comedic talent and ability to transform into any, even the most fantastic, characters. The collaboration between the actor and the director, which began with the film “At the Order of the Pike,” lasted almost thirty years - Rowe found roles for his favorite actor in all his films.

Baba Yaga, "Vasilisa the Beautiful", "Morozko", "Fire, Water and... Copper Pipes", "Golden Horns"

Baba Yaga is the most famous image, created by Georgy Millyar in the movie, but this role did not go to the actor right away. Many auditioned for the role of the villain in the fairy tale "Vasilisa the Beautiful" famous actresses, including Faina Ranevskaya, but Rowe still could not achieve the desired result. When Georgy Millyar proposed his candidacy, the director decided to take a risk - and he was right. Millyar's Baba Yaga turned out to be exemplary - scary enough to frighten small spectators, but very mischievous and funny.

“Once before filming,” recalls Millyar, “the artist Sokolovsky came up to me. “I saw such an old woman in Yalta,” he said. “She was grazing goats on the Tea Hill. She looks amazingly like Baba Yaga. She will help you... Soon I saw her: old -an old Greek woman, hunched over, with a hooked nose, an unkind look, and a short stick in her hands. Later on the set, we completed the portrait of my ominous “heroine”, dressing her in terrible rags, tying a black scarf on her head, and giving her an animal gait.”

This heroine remained with the actor forever - later Millyar played Baba Yaga in several more films. Even before the wedding, when his amazed 60-year-old bride - a neighbor in a communal apartment - exclaimed: “Well, Georgy Frantsevich, I don’t need men anymore!”, Millyar replied: “And I’m not a man, I’m Baba Yaga.”

Kashchei, "Kashchei the Immortal", "Fire, water and... copper pipes"

Premiere of the film in which the hero of Georgy Millyar plays the most main role, took place on May 9, 1945 - the picture of how a Russian hero defeats a villain has been waiting in the wings since 1941 and symbolized great victory of the Russian people over fascism.

“For me, the role of Kashchei is the most hard-won. It contains not only a trace of creative torment, but also the memory of those difficult years when we all lived with a burning hatred of the fascist conquerors and longed for the day of victory,” the actor admitted.

Nevertheless, Georgy Millyar refused the role of Kashchei for a long time, claiming that he was not talented enough, but director Alexander Rowe acted cunningly: gradually, episode by episode, he introduced the actor into the filming process, and he eventually “got involved.”

Filming took place in evacuation in Dushanbe, where the actor fell ill with malaria and at the start of work weighed 48 kilograms - skin and bones. Therefore, his Kashchei did not need any special makeup or additional tricks - the hero was already so scary that his own horse would not let him near him.

“While working on the role of Kashchei, we turned to the Teutonic epic, consciously parodying the Nibelungs,” recalled Millyar. “Asceticism, inexorability, the embitterment of the “knights” of the Middle Ages - everything was absorbed by this image.<…>Remember, Dürer’s four apocalyptic horsemen are an allegorical image of destructive forces? In the external drawing of the role, I also followed these darkest figures of the artist."

Kwak, "Marya the Mistress"

Roles of representatives evil spirits required serious preparation and patience - makeup sometimes took up to six hours. Millyar always respected the work of make-up artists, actively participated in the development of the image and, before new roles, shaved off his hair and even eyebrows to make it more convenient for specialists to “sculpt the face.” For example, on the set of the fairy tale “Marya the Mistress,” the actor’s face was smeared with brilliant green, and he had to dance in green flippers. Everything for the role - in this film Georgy Millyar played Kwak - the most harmful henchman and main sycophant of the evil Vodyanoy.

Actress Natalya Sedykh (Nastenka in Morozko) in one of her interviews talked about how much Georgy Millyar improvised in his work. The director only had to set a general goal for him, and the actor himself came up with the character, spending hours rehearsing his gait, facial expressions, and habits in front of the mirror.

Many highlights and quotes from films with his participation (for example, “kva-kva-qualification” by Kwak) are the result of this truly creative work actor.

Supreme Master of Ceremonies, Royal Carrier and Queen Dowager, "Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors"

Georgy Millyar often created several images for a film at once. In the movie, beloved by viewers, about the adventures of Olya and Yalo through the looking glass, Millyar has three roles - the Most Important Master of Ceremonies, the kind royal driver, to whom the girls tell about “the very best country in the world", and the Dowager Queen.

Children adored Georgy Millyar - he was constantly invited to meetings in schools, kindergartens and pioneer camps. Before his death in 1993, the actor only regretted that he did not have the opportunity to play a single serious role - he dreamed of Voltaire and Suvorov. However, who said that fairy-tale heroes worse than philosophers? “A fairy tale should reflect the philosophy of the era, and not pursue cheap topicality. Then it will not become outdated,” said Millyar.

“Mommy, cover up her eyebrows!”

I was asked to perform at an ice festival with a beautiful number “The Dying Swan” (I was involved in figure skating as a child), but I was already studying at a school at the Bolshoi Theater, and ballerinas were forbidden to skate, horse and bicycle... However, I decided to take a risk and did the right thing : The ballet dancers didn’t find out anything, but Alexander Rowe saw me on TV and invited me to audition. True, when I reached the finals with Nadezhda Rumyantseva, I realized: there is no chance. Who am I? A young ballerina, no acting experience, and she eats like a mouse (as some representatives of the artistic council said). Alexander Rowe insisted on my candidacy, but told the makeup artists: “Do something with her, otherwise she looks just like a child.” They painted my eyes with blue shadows, made my lips bright scarlet, and created snow-white eyelashes for winter scenes. This was a real nightmare! The role of frost was played by... glue, which was usually used to glue the mustaches and beards of actors. I still remember with horror how I tore it off my eyelashes.”

Natalya Sedykh. Still from the film

Still from the film

“Not the princess... the princess!”

Unlike Nastenka Marfush ( Inna Churikova) the make-up artists disfigured her: they made her colorless eyelashes, greasy hair, painted large hemp... “I remember when Inna saw herself in the mirror, she almost burst into tears: “Am I really that scary? Now I’ll never get married!” - says the assistant director. - Inna was then a student at the theater school, and this was one of her first film roles. However, Inna was attracted not by her beauty, but by her amazing humor, talent, and charm. On the set, the whole crew fell in love with the funny Marfusha.”

“Remember the scene in which Marfushka sits under a tree and eats while waiting for Morozko? - recalls Natalya Sedykh. - Inna was supposed to gnaw the apples, but they were forgotten, and the road from the forest to the hotel would have taken 2 hours. Therefore, poor Marfusha ate onions take after take and washed it down with diluted milk... What lengths you won’t go to for the sake of a fairy tale! By the way, Alexander Arturovich was a real storyteller - kind, childishly naive and at the same time strict. He had everything in order. I remember he shouted at me for the first and last time when they were filming the scene in the pond... Inna had been sitting in the water for a long time, the sun was going down, and I just couldn’t decide to jump into the dirty and cold pond with leeches - I ran up three times... But, As soon as Roe shouted at me, she immediately jumped into the water.”

Inna Churikova. Still from the film

"Oh! Radiculitis has tormented me!”

Another important character in any of Row's fairy tales is Baba Yaga performed by Georgy Millyar. In “Morozko” he portrayed the grandmother for the eighth time, and also played the role of one of the robbers and voiced the rooster in the film. “If in “Vasilisa the Beautiful” my grandmother is a kind of summer resident with a bandage on her head, then in “Morozko” she has already aged: she has become decrepit, weakened, and she has been tormented by radiculitis,” said Millyar. Georgy Frantsevich himself came up with his own image, invented antics, gait, and replicas of Baba Yaga.

According to Millyar's acquaintances, he had two weaknesses, due to which Alexandru Rowe I had to cover it up: men (as you know, in the USSR there was an article for gays) and alcohol. The actor didn’t go on binges and didn’t disrupt filming, but he was often a little tipsy...

“A car shop came to the village near Zvenigorod,” said AiF. Yuri Sorokin, director of a documentary film about G. Millyar.- Rowe forbade selling alcohol to the actor, so Georgy Frantsevich resorted to a trick. In full view of the film crew, he moved towards the car with a can - supposedly for milk. He returned and five minutes later he was already drunk. It turns out that he agreed in advance with the saleswoman, she put a bottle in a can and poured milk on top.”

“Rowe told Millyar: “Okay, I forgive you everything, because you are the best Baba Yaga in the world!” - remembers L. Wheat.

What was the fate of the heroes?

Marfusha: In vain Inna Churikova was upset that she would not find a groom. The actress got married
for the director Gleb Panfilov and starred in many of his films. Plays at Lenkom.

Morozko: Thanks to filming in Morozko, Alexander Khvylya became the main Santa Claus at all Kremlin Christmas trees. The actor lived only 12 years after filming the film.

Baba Yaga: Georgy Millyar starred in all of A. Rowe's films, and when the director died in 1973, the fairy tale ended for the actor. Millyar played episodic roles in films and voiced cartoons. He died in the summer of 1993, just short of his 90th birthday.