Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Official website of the State –
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If not for chance, generations upon generations might have missed out on the film "Carnival Night"—Ryazanov's witty, mid-1950s concert film that still looks fresh, original, and contemporary. Ivan Pyryev simply spotted a lost, vibrant, wasp-waisted girl in the hallway of Mosfilm. She had just been rejected in an audition, but the master convinced Eldar Ryazanov to give the young talent another look. Thus, a supernova was born—Lyudmila Gurchenko, an actress born 90 years ago but forever ageless.
Lyudmila Markovna was eager to live, to discover new facets of her dazzling talent, and to share these discoveries with audiences. It wasn't until "Old Walls" that everyone realized she was a remarkable tragic actress. Although she had already played Sonya in "Baltic Sky" and Maria in "Workers' Settlement," Gurchenko had almost resigned herself to the curse of being cast as the eternal Lenochka Krylova in "Carnival Night."
They say that Gurchenko, preparing for her audition for the role of the weaving factory director in "Old Walls" (incidentally, the set chosen was the same factory near Moscow where Grigory Alexandrov filmed "Bright Path" with Lyubov Orlova), arrived early. Without her signature bright makeup, heels, or décolletage, she wore a modest bun and a shapeless gray cardigan. She so perfectly immersed herself in the role of a sad, lonely middle-aged woman that director Viktor Tregubovich, seeing her in the enclosure, was outraged: who allowed a cleaning lady to remain on the set? And the dramatic roles entrusted to her after this film in the 1970s—in Mikhalkov's "Five Evenings," German's "Twenty Days Without War," and Konchalovsky's "Siberiade"—revealed the full power of this great master of the wall's talent.
Gurchenko was a master of any genre. In Voinov's "The Marriage of Balzaminov," she devised the "folding rule" movement for Ustinka; in Menshov's tragicomedy "Love and Doves," she passionately improvised for Raisa, the homewrecker; in Kramarova's "Benefit Performance," she directed the comic old woman's Charleston; and in Kvinikhidze's "Heavenly Swallows," Ginzburg's "Recipe for Her Youth," and Usova's "The Tobacco Captain," she demonstrated a lively operetta-like chic.
She always sensed the inner logic of her characters and refused to allow it to be violated. For example, on the set of "The Beloved Woman of Mechanic Gavrilov," she insisted that Gavrilov's final image match her vision—the fiery naval engineer ultimately emerged as a dazzling victor with a toothy smile. Although Todorovsky's original plan was for him to appear before his beloved in bandages, battered and pitiful.
Not only in film, but also in music, Lyudmila Gurchenko was not afraid to experiment and show off her talent: the sheer depth of her Shulzhenko-esque performance of Zemfira's tragic hit "Do You Want?" speaks for itself.
Gurchenko wrote her own books, sewed dresses for her roles, and composed music for her songs. There was no duplicity in her life: she consumed herself with maximalism and demanded the same from those around her, and when she took the stage, she often began her concerts with the phrase, "As you can see, I'm still alive!"
Lyudmila Markovna dreamed of musicals her entire life—even when the genre was not yet appreciated in the USSR, her movements and rhythm remained musical. But she also excelled in drama, demonstrating a rare range of talent.
Her life was marked by triumphs and downturns in the melancholy of being unclaimed. But Gurchenko was able to genuinely love her work, regardless of convenience or compromise, which earned her a reputation as a complex but exceptionally talented performer.
Happy anniversary, great actress. The void left by your passing is irreplaceable, but you will live forever in our loving hearts!
Subscribe to the "Our GUU" Telegram channel. Publication date: November 12, 2025.
Если бы не случай, поколения и поколения могли бы не увидеть киноленту «Карнавальная ночь» — остроумный рязановский фильм-концерт середины 1950-х,…” data-yashareImage=”https://guu.ru/wp-content/uploads/scale_2400-20.jpeg” data-yashareLink=”https://guu.ru/%d0%bb%d1%8e%d0%b4%d0%bc%d0%b8%d0%bb%d0%b0-%d0%b3%d1%83%d1%80%d1%87%d0%b5%d0%bd%d0%ba%d0%be-%d0%b2%d0%b5%d0%ba-%d0%b2%d0%b5%d1%87%d0%bd%d0%be%d0%b3%d0%be-%d0%b3%d0%be%d1%80%d0%b5%d0%bd%d0%b8%d1%8f/”>
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