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Soul (film)
Encyclopedia
Dusha is a 1981 Soviet musical
drama film
written by Alexander Borodyansky
and directed by Alexander Stefanovich
, starring Sofia Rotaru
and Mikhail Boyarsky
. The movie features songs songs performed by Sofia Rotaru, Mikhail Boyarsky and the Russian rock
band Mashina Vremeni
(Time Machine). The movie has substantial philosophical
dialogue
about the self-criticism
of an artist and the existential
approach to the golden mean
between artistic creation and respect for human dignity.
The movie featured a musical video, with Rotaru and Boyarsky jumping on a trampoline in gold stretch fabric
. Stefanovich claimed it was watched by more than 57 million cinema-goers in the Soviet Union, while the KinoExpert.ru site claims 33.3 million.
During production of the film, Rotaru's son was threatened to be taken hostage and was hidden in a villa in the Crimea
. The scenario and the role of Viktoria Slobodina were specially written for Rotaru. The main plot in the movie deals with the singer's health problems (inflammation of the vocal cords), and Rotaru had similar health issues.
The story is set by the sea at Rotaru's house in Yalta
and in Germany (where Rotaru at that time recorded many of her albums), as well as at international song festivals, where Rotaru participated as well. Initially, producer and director Stefanovich cast his wife Alla Pugacheva
to star in the film. After their relationship breakup
, he invited Rotaru.
, living in Moscow
. Her popularity reaches the heights whilst the band she is performing with remains in the shadows. At an important live concert the band turns off the sound, but Viktoria keeps singing the song, changing the lyrics to "I will sing till the end". As they leave the concert she stops the car and rips posters of herself off the walls of the concert hall and leaves the band for a solo career.
As her career grows, her producer arranges new concert performances for her. However, something starts going wrong with her voice. Her doctor forbids her to sing for at least three months or else she will lose her voice completely. She decides to take a break and informs her producer, as she has received an invitation to sing at an important state concert. As she had not been informed that the concert would be aired live on major Soviet television channels, she concedes to the request and performs in the Kremlin
. She receives a telephone call from an old school friend who invites her to the recording of a new song in duet in Saint Petersburg
. She learns that he is playing in a rock band. She visits their rock concerts incognito and considers adopting their musical style. Her producer learns that she is in fact singing, even though he persuaded all her clients to postpone requests for her to perform.
Viktoria finally decides to take a break and leaves for an anonymous vacation at a resort on the seashore. The name of the movie ("Soul") comes from a dialogue which takes place at this point in the movie between Viktoria and an older stranger at this isolated vacation resort, during a stroll on a pier. Viktoria confesses her fears of losing her voice and the stranger comforts her, saying that the songs of a singer live as long as the soul of the singer remains alive. Viktoria asks: "Soul? But where is this soul?". Her producer finally locates her with the news that an important international song competition is going to take place in Germany
, and she has been selected to represent her country.
Viktoria leaves the resort immediately with the producer. To go to the competition she needs a new band, and the producer finds her one on the outskirts of Moscow. The role of the band is played by Mashina Vremeni
(Time Machine). When Viktoria meets the band she recognizes the main player - her old school friend, although they give no sign of it in front of the producer. Rehearsals begin, and at his point in the film we see a music video featuring Rotaru, Boyarsky and Mashina Vremeni, all dressed in futuristic costumes made of tight shiny stretchy fabric, jumping on the trampoline.
Alexander Stefanovich
, "Mosfilm
" producer, (1976—1980):
Viktoria leaves with her new band for the international song festival Intermusik in Germany, and begins to fall in love with her old friend. She falls ill during a yacht trip on the North Sea
. A doctor present on board detects the reason, and advises her to stop singing immediately. Viktoria asks him to be silent and appears on the stage during the competition, where she wins. The last scene of the movie is ambiguous, as it seems she loses her voice completely after the competition, yet the final chord is the victory at the competition.
and Igor Kokhanovksy, composers such as Aleksandr Zatsepin
, and members of Mashina Vremeni: Andrei Makarevich and Alexander Kutikov. Scenes in Germany feature the works of Antonio Vivaldi
in the background.
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
written by Alexander Borodyansky
Alexander Borodyansky
Alexander Emmanuilovich Borodyansky is a Soviet and Russian screenwriter and film director.-Filmography:* Afonya * Dusha * We Are from Jazz * Deja Vu * The Assassin of the Tsar * The Star...
and directed by Alexander Stefanovich
Alexander Stefanovich
Alexander Borisovich Stefanovich is an Soviet and Russian film director, producer and screenwriter.-Filmography:*Vid na zhitelstvo *Dorogoy malchik *Foam *Dusha *Start All Over Again *Bardy...
, starring Sofia Rotaru
Sofia Rotaru
Sofia Mykhailivna Yevdokymenko-Rotaru known as Sofia Rotaru is a Soviet and Ukrainian pop singer of Romanian/Moldavian heritage....
and Mikhail Boyarsky
Mikhail Boyarsky
Mikhail Sergeevich Boyarsky is a Soviet/Russian actor and singer, currently living in the city of Saint Petersburg. He is best known and loved for the role of d'Artagnan in the film d'Artagnan and Three Musketeers and its sequels . He was also a popular singer of the 1980s and completed several...
. The movie features songs songs performed by Sofia Rotaru, Mikhail Boyarsky and the Russian rock
Russian rock
Russian rock refers to rock music made in Russia or in the Russian language. Rock and roll became known in the Soviet Union in the 1960s and quickly broke free from its western roots. According to many music critics, its "golden age" years were the 1980s , when the Soviet underground rock bands...
band Mashina Vremeni
Mashina Vremeni
Mashina Vremeni is a Russian rock band founded in 1969. Mashina Vremeni was a pioneer in Soviet rock music, and remains one of the oldest still active rock bands in Russia...
(Time Machine). The movie has substantial philosophical
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
dialogue
Dialogue
Dialogue is a literary and theatrical form consisting of a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people....
about the self-criticism
Self-criticism
Self-criticism refers to the pointing out of things critical/important to one's own beliefs, thoughts, actions, behaviour or results; it can form part of private, personal reflection or a group discussion.-Philosophy:...
of an artist and the existential
Existentialism
Existentialism is a term applied to a school of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual...
approach to the golden mean
Golden mean (philosophy)
In philosophy, especially that of Aristotle, the golden mean is the desirable middle between two extremes, one of excess and the other of deficiency. For example courage, a virtue, if taken to excess would manifest as recklessness and if deficient as cowardice....
between artistic creation and respect for human dignity.
The movie featured a musical video, with Rotaru and Boyarsky jumping on a trampoline in gold stretch fabric
Stretch fabric
Stretch fabric is a term that refers to synthetic fabrics which stretch. Stretch fabrics are split into two categories: 2-way stretch and 4-way stretch....
. Stefanovich claimed it was watched by more than 57 million cinema-goers in the Soviet Union, while the KinoExpert.ru site claims 33.3 million.
During production of the film, Rotaru's son was threatened to be taken hostage and was hidden in a villa in the Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
. The scenario and the role of Viktoria Slobodina were specially written for Rotaru. The main plot in the movie deals with the singer's health problems (inflammation of the vocal cords), and Rotaru had similar health issues.
The story is set by the sea at Rotaru's house in Yalta
Yalta
Yalta is a city in Crimea, southern Ukraine, on the north coast of the Black Sea.The city is located on the site of an ancient Greek colony, said to have been founded by Greek sailors who were looking for a safe shore on which to land. It is situated on a deep bay facing south towards the Black...
and in Germany (where Rotaru at that time recorded many of her albums), as well as at international song festivals, where Rotaru participated as well. Initially, producer and director Stefanovich cast his wife Alla Pugacheva
Alla Pugacheva
Alla Borisovna Pugacheva or Pugachova , born 15 April 1949), is а Soviet and Russian musical performer. Her career started in 1965 and continues to this day...
to star in the film. After their relationship breakup
Relationship breakup
A relationship breakup, often referred to simply as a breakup, is the termination of a usually intimate relationship by any means other than death. The act is commonly termed "dumping [someone]" in slang when it is initiated by one partner...
, he invited Rotaru.
Plot
Viktoria Svobodina is a young but already well known popular singer in the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, living in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. Her popularity reaches the heights whilst the band she is performing with remains in the shadows. At an important live concert the band turns off the sound, but Viktoria keeps singing the song, changing the lyrics to "I will sing till the end". As they leave the concert she stops the car and rips posters of herself off the walls of the concert hall and leaves the band for a solo career.
As her career grows, her producer arranges new concert performances for her. However, something starts going wrong with her voice. Her doctor forbids her to sing for at least three months or else she will lose her voice completely. She decides to take a break and informs her producer, as she has received an invitation to sing at an important state concert. As she had not been informed that the concert would be aired live on major Soviet television channels, she concedes to the request and performs in the Kremlin
Kremlin
A kremlin , same root as in kremen is a major fortified central complex found in historic Russian cities. This word is often used to refer to the best-known one, the Moscow Kremlin, or metonymically to the government that is based there...
. She receives a telephone call from an old school friend who invites her to the recording of a new song in duet in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
. She learns that he is playing in a rock band. She visits their rock concerts incognito and considers adopting their musical style. Her producer learns that she is in fact singing, even though he persuaded all her clients to postpone requests for her to perform.
Viktoria finally decides to take a break and leaves for an anonymous vacation at a resort on the seashore. The name of the movie ("Soul") comes from a dialogue which takes place at this point in the movie between Viktoria and an older stranger at this isolated vacation resort, during a stroll on a pier. Viktoria confesses her fears of losing her voice and the stranger comforts her, saying that the songs of a singer live as long as the soul of the singer remains alive. Viktoria asks: "Soul? But where is this soul?". Her producer finally locates her with the news that an important international song competition is going to take place in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and she has been selected to represent her country.
Viktoria leaves the resort immediately with the producer. To go to the competition she needs a new band, and the producer finds her one on the outskirts of Moscow. The role of the band is played by Mashina Vremeni
Mashina Vremeni
Mashina Vremeni is a Russian rock band founded in 1969. Mashina Vremeni was a pioneer in Soviet rock music, and remains one of the oldest still active rock bands in Russia...
(Time Machine). When Viktoria meets the band she recognizes the main player - her old school friend, although they give no sign of it in front of the producer. Rehearsals begin, and at his point in the film we see a music video featuring Rotaru, Boyarsky and Mashina Vremeni, all dressed in futuristic costumes made of tight shiny stretchy fabric, jumping on the trampoline.
Alexander Stefanovich
Alexander Stefanovich
Alexander Borisovich Stefanovich is an Soviet and Russian film director, producer and screenwriter.-Filmography:*Vid na zhitelstvo *Dorogoy malchik *Foam *Dusha *Start All Over Again *Bardy...
, "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...
" producer, (1976—1980):
Viktoria leaves with her new band for the international song festival Intermusik in Germany, and begins to fall in love with her old friend. She falls ill during a yacht trip on the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
. A doctor present on board detects the reason, and advises her to stop singing immediately. Viktoria asks him to be silent and appears on the stage during the competition, where she wins. The last scene of the movie is ambiguous, as it seems she loses her voice completely after the competition, yet the final chord is the victory at the competition.
Cast
- Sofia RotaruSofia RotaruSofia Mykhailivna Yevdokymenko-Rotaru known as Sofia Rotaru is a Soviet and Ukrainian pop singer of Romanian/Moldavian heritage....
as the famous singer Viktoria Svobodina. The root of Svobodina is svoboda –"freedom". - Rolan BykovRolan BykovRolan Antonovich Bykov was a Soviet and Russian actor, film director, script writer, poet, song writer. He was awarded People's Artist of the RSFSR in 1973 and the USSR State Prize in 1986.Rolan Bykov was born to a Jewish family in Kiev....
as Svetlana's manager Albert Leonidovich. - Mikhail BoyarskyMikhail BoyarskyMikhail Sergeevich Boyarsky is a Soviet/Russian actor and singer, currently living in the city of Saint Petersburg. He is best known and loved for the role of d'Artagnan in the film d'Artagnan and Three Musketeers and its sequels . He was also a popular singer of the 1980s and completed several...
as Vadim Starych, soloist of the band Mashina Vremeni. - Vyacheslav SpesivtsevVyacheslav SpesivtsevVyacheslav Spesivtsev is a Russian and Soviet actor and director, born on 6 February 1943 in Moscow. He graduated from the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography. From 1966 director of the Taganka Theatre Studio in Moscow. Currently heading one of the independent theatres in Moscow.-External links:*...
as Sergey, boyfriend of Viktoria Svobodina in her first band. - Ivars KalniņšIvars KalninšIvars Kalniņš is a Latvian film and television actor. He graduated in 1974 from the Theatre Department of the Latvian Conservatory Ya. Vitol. He had already started acting however in 1972 at the Artistic Academic Theatre of J. Rainis. Kalniņš has performed in both Latvian language and Russian...
as the translator and friend of Viktoria while in Germany. - Leonid ObolenskyLeonid ObolenskyLeonid Leonidovich Obolensky is a Russian and Soviet actor, born on 21 January 1902 in Arzamas. Born into a family of a bank employee, he studied at the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography.-External links:...
as an old man who meets Viktoria at the secluded sea resort and gives her insight into artistic creation. - Mashina Vremeni features its real life members: Valerii Efremov, Alexander KutikovAlexander KutikovAlexander Kutikov is a Soviet/Russian musician, producer, and businessman, of Jewish background. He was an avid fan of groups such as the Beatles during his secondary school years. He later became the bass-guitarist and one of the singers of the Soviet rock band Mashina Vremeni, from 1971-1976...
, Andrei MakarevichAndrei MakarevichAndrey Vadimovich Makarevich is a Soviet and Russian rock musician, founder of the Russia's oldest still active rock band Mashina Vremeni .-Biography:Makarevich was born in Moscow to the parents of Belarusian and Jewish origin...
, Piotr Podgorodetsky, and Ovanes Melik-Pashaev.
Production
Sofia Rotaru sings in the movie,but another actress did the voice for the dialogue because of Rotaru's Moldavian accent. In contrast to the role she played in the movie, Sofia Rotaru did not have to leave her singing career; her voice eventually recovered.- Writers: Alexander BorodyanskyAlexander BorodyanskyAlexander Emmanuilovich Borodyansky is a Soviet and Russian screenwriter and film director.-Filmography:* Afonya * Dusha * We Are from Jazz * Deja Vu * The Assassin of the Tsar * The Star...
, Alexander StefanovichAlexander StefanovichAlexander Borisovich Stefanovich is an Soviet and Russian film director, producer and screenwriter.-Filmography:*Vid na zhitelstvo *Dorogoy malchik *Foam *Dusha *Start All Over Again *Bardy... - Director: Alexander Stefanovich
- Producer: Alexander Stefanovich
- Cameraman-producer: Vladimir Klimov
- Painter-producer: Alina Speshneva
- Music: Aleksandr ZatsepinAleksandr ZatsepinAleksander Sergeyevich Zatsepin - a Soviet and Russian composer, famous for his soundtracks to many popular movies, notably comedies by Leonid Gaidai...
- Sound operator: V. Babushkin, V. Ladyguina
- Producers: V. Kovaleva, M. Maksimchyuk
- Cameramen: V. Kromas, A. Naydyonov
- Costumes: V. Ptitsin
- Cutter: E. Tobak
- Make-up: M. Agafonova
- Trick photography: Cameraman: A. Dvigubsky, Painter: P. Khurumov
- Editor: E. Ermolin
- Music editor: A. Belyaev
- Film director: Gueorgy Pastushkov
Soundtrack
Songs were composed by Soviet lyricists such as Robert RozhdestvenskyRobert Rozhdestvensky
Robert Ivanovich Rozhdestvensky was a Soviet poet who in the broke with the Social Realism in 1950s–1960s and, along with such poets as Andrey Voznesensky, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, and Bella Akhmadulina, pioneered a newer, fresher, and freer poetry in the Soviet Union.-Life:Robert Rozhdestvensky...
and Igor Kokhanovksy, composers such as Aleksandr Zatsepin
Aleksandr Zatsepin
Aleksander Sergeyevich Zatsepin - a Soviet and Russian composer, famous for his soundtracks to many popular movies, notably comedies by Leonid Gaidai...
, and members of Mashina Vremeni: Andrei Makarevich and Alexander Kutikov. Scenes in Germany feature the works of Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi , nicknamed because of his red hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Vivaldi is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe...
in the background.
| N° | Song | Performed by | Authors | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "My Song" (instrumental version) |
Sofia Rotaru Sofia Rotaru Sofia Mykhailivna Yevdokymenko-Rotaru known as Sofia Rotaru is a Soviet and Ukrainian pop singer of Romanian/Moldavian heritage.... |
Lyrics: Robert Rozhdestvensky Robert Rozhdestvensky Robert Ivanovich Rozhdestvensky was a Soviet poet who in the broke with the Social Realism in 1950s–1960s and, along with such poets as Andrey Voznesensky, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, and Bella Akhmadulina, pioneered a newer, fresher, and freer poetry in the Soviet Union.-Life:Robert Rozhdestvensky... Music: Aleksandr Zatsepin Aleksandr Zatsepin Aleksander Sergeyevich Zatsepin - a Soviet and Russian composer, famous for his soundtracks to many popular movies, notably comedies by Leonid Gaidai... |
First performed in Dusha; not released in an album |
| 2 | "I Live Hoping" |
Sofia Rotaru | Lyrics: Igor Kokhanovsky Music: Aleksandr Zatsepin |
First performed in Dusha (twice); not released in an album |
| 3 | "The Weather Is Not to Blame" |
Sofia Rotaru, Mikhail Boyarsky Mikhail Boyarsky Mikhail Sergeevich Boyarsky is a Soviet/Russian actor and singer, currently living in the city of Saint Petersburg. He is best known and loved for the role of d'Artagnan in the film d'Artagnan and Three Musketeers and its sequels . He was also a popular singer of the 1980s and completed several... |
Lyrics: Igor Kokhanovsky Music: Aleksandr Zatsepin |
First performed in Dusha; not released in an album |
| 4 | "(The) Right" |
Mashina Vremeni Mashina Vremeni Mashina Vremeni is a Russian rock band founded in 1969. Mashina Vremeni was a pioneer in Soviet rock music, and remains one of the oldest still active rock bands in Russia... |
Lyrics: Andrei Makarevich Andrei Makarevich Andrey Vadimovich Makarevich is a Soviet and Russian rock musician, founder of the Russia's oldest still active rock band Mashina Vremeni .-Biography:Makarevich was born in Moscow to the parents of Belarusian and Jewish origin... Music: Andrei Makarevich |
First performed in Dusha; not released in an album |
| 5 | "My Song" |
Sofia Rotaru | Lyrics: Robert Rozhdestvensky Music: Aleksandr Zatsepin |
first performed in Dusha (twice): an instrumental version during the opening titles and an a cappella A cappella A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato... version as Viktoria's first band turned off the sound during the song "Living With Hope"; not released in an album |
| 6 | "Running Around" |
Sofia Rotaru | Lyrics: Andrei Makarevich Music: Andrei Makarevich |
First performed in Dusha; not released in an album |
| 7 | "Who Did You Want to Surprise" |
Mikhail Boyarsky, Mashina Vremeni | Lyrics: Andrei Makarevich Music: Andrei Makarevich |
First performed in Dusha; not released in an album |
| 8 | "Barrier" |
Sofia Rotaru | Lyrics: Andrei Makarevich Music: Andrei Makarevich |
First performed in Dusha; not released in an album |
| 9 | "(The) Way" |
Sofia Rotaru | Lyrics: Andrei Makarevich Music: Andrei Makarevich |
First performed in Dusha; not released in an album |
| 10 | "Fire" |
Sofia Rotaru | Lyrics: Andrei Makarevich Music: Andrei Makarevich |
First performed in Dusha; also exists in studio recording |
| 11 | "For Those Who Are In the Sea" |
Sofia Rotaru | Lyrics: Andrei Makarevich Music: Alexander Kutikov |
First performed in Dusha with the refrain: "Ya pyu do dna" (I Drink to the Dregs); not released in an album; also exists in a duet concert version performed by Sofia Rotaru and Mashina Vremeni; played a second time during the closing titles |
| 12 | "Tribute to John Lennon John Lennon John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music... " |
Sofia Rotaru | Lyrics: Andrei Makarevich Music: Andrei Makarevich |
First performed in Dusha; not released in an album; closing song of the movie |