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Andrei Konchalovsky

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Andrei Konchalovsky
Андрей Кончаловский
Konchalovsky in 2023
Born
Andrei Sergeyevich Mikhalkov

(1937-08-20) 20 August 1937 (age 87)
Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Other namesAndrei Sergeyevich Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky
Alma materMoscow Conservatory
Occupations
  • Film director
  • screenwriter
  • producer
Years active1960–present
Spouses
  • Irina Kandat
    ​
    (m. 1955⁠–⁠1957)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1965⁠–⁠1969)​
  • Viviane Gaudet
    ​
    (m. 1969⁠–⁠1980)​
  • Irina Martynova
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1990⁠–⁠1997)​
  • ​
    (m. 1998)​
Children7
FatherSergey Mikhalkov
RelativesNikita Mikhalkov (brother)
Andrei Konchalovsky's voice
Konchalovsky on the Echo of Moscow program, 7 October 2013
Websitewww.konchalovsky.ru

Andrei Sergeyevich Konchalovsky OZO (Russian: Андрей Сергеевич Кончаловский; born 20 August 1937) is a Russian filmmaker. He has worked in Soviet, Hollywood, and contemporary Russian cinema.[1][2] He is a laureate of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", a National Order of the Legion of Honour, an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters, a Cavalier of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic and a People's Artist of the RSFSR. He is the son of writer Sergey Mikhalkov, and the brother of filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov.

Konchalovsky's work[3] has encompassed theatrical motion pictures, telefilms, documentaries, and stage productions. His film credits include Uncle Vanya (1970), Siberiade (1979), Maria's Lovers (1984), Runaway Train (1985), Tango & Cash (1989), House of Fools (2002), The Postman's White Nights (2014), Paradise (2016), and Dear Comrades! (2020). He also directed the 1997 miniseries adaptation of the ancient Greek narrative The Odyssey. Earlier in his career, he was a collaborator of Andrei Tarkovsky. His films have won numerous accolades, including the Cannes Grand Prix Spécial du Jury, a FIPRESCI Award, two Silver Lions, three Golden Eagle Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award.

Early life and ancestry

[edit]

Konchalovsky was born Andrei Sergeyevich Mikhalkov in Moscow, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, into an old aristocratic Mikhalkov family,[4][5][6] with centuries-old artistic and aristocratic heritage tracing their roots to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (in 2009 he testified that a great-grandfather resided in Lithuania).[7] His father was writer Sergey Mikhalkov, and his mother was poet Natalia Konchalovskaya. His brother is filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov. He is frequently referred to as Andron, but as he stated several times, Andron was just a diminutive used by his grandfather and never was his official name; he prefers the name Andrei.[8][9]

Career

[edit]

He studied for ten years at the Moscow Conservatory, preparing for a pianist's career. In 1960, however, he met Andrei Tarkovsky. Konchalovsky made four films with Tarkovsky: Ivan's Childhood, Andrei Rublev, The End of Ataman, and The Ferocious One.

Career

[edit]
Konchalovsky at a press conference in Vienna, 2016.

His first full-length feature, The First Teacher (1964), was favourably received in the Soviet Union and screened by numerous film festivals abroad. His second film, Asya Klyachina's Story (1967), was suppressed by Soviet authorities. When issued twenty years later, it was acclaimed as his masterpiece. Thereupon, Konchalovsky filmed adaptations of Ivan Turgenev's A Nest of Gentle Folk (1969) and Chekhov's Uncle Vanya (1970), with Innokenty Smoktunovsky in the title role.

In 1979 he was a member of the jury at the 11th Moscow International Film Festival.[10] His epic Siberiade upon its 1979 release was favourably received at Cannes, particularly for its scene featuring the binding and abuse of a Siberian Lynx, and made possible his move to the United States in 1980.

His most popular Hollywood releases are Maria's Lovers (1984), Runaway Train (1985), based on a script by Japanese director Akira Kurosawa (who had written it as an adaptation of Dostoevsky's "House of the Dead"[11]), and Tango & Cash (1989), starring Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell. In 1985, Ned Tanen wanted to hire Konchalovsky to direct The Godfather Part III, but the other executives at Paramount Pictures concluded the film could not be made without Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo's involvement.[12] In the 1990s, Konchalovsky returned to Russia, although he occasionally produced historical films for U.S. television, such as his adaption of The Odyssey (1997) and the award-winning remake, The Lion in Winter (2003). In a 2023 SAG-AFTRA Foundation interview, Emily Blunt stated that she auditioned for a role in the latter film, and said of Konchalovsky that "he was vile... he was really horrible," and that he was "really cruel during the audition and loved taking me down a peg or two." Blunt claimed that he promoted a "very misogynistic sort of vibe, and I was a shell of my former self by the time I came out."[13]

Konchalovsky's full-length feature, House of Fools (2003), with a cameo role by Bryan Adams as himself, set in a Chechen psychiatric asylum during the war, won him a Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

In 2010, Konchalovsky released a longtime passion project of his, The Nutcracker in 3D, a musical adaptation of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet. A musical film, it mixed live action and 3D animation, and starred Elle Fanning, John Turturro, Nathan Lane, and Richard E. Grant. The film was scored with music from the ballet, with additional lyrics by Tim Rice. The film was universally panned by critics and audiences.

In the same year, Konchalovsky also featured in Hitler in Hollywood, a bio-doc about Micheline Presle which evolves into a thrilling investigation of the long hidden truth behind European cinema. This mockumentary thriller uncovers Hollywood's unsuspected plot against the European motion picture industry. The film won the FIPRESCI Prize at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and was nominated for a Crystal Globe award in July 2010.

In 2012, Konchalovsky wrote, directed and produced The Battle for Ukraine, which provided an in depth analysis of how Ukraine to this day struggles to escape from the close embrace of its former big brother, Russia. This extensive study lasted for almost three years and involved an array of Ukrainian, Russian and American historians, politicians and journalists, as well as the ex-President of Poland Aleksander Kwaśniewski, the ex-President of Slovakia Rudolf Schuster, the ex-President of Georgia Eduard Shevardnadze, the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan, the ex-Prime Minister of Russia Viktor Chernomyrdin, and the businessman Boris Berezovsky.

2013 saw Konchalovsky co-produce a story previously untold on film. Film-maker Margy Kinmonth invited Charles III, at the time the Prince of Wales, to make a journey through history to celebrate the artistic gene in his family and reveal an extraordinary treasure trove of work by royal hands past and present, many of whom were accomplished artists. Set against the spectacular landscapes of the Royal Estates and containing insights into works by members of the British royal family down the centuries and The Prince of Wales's own watercolours, Royal Paintbox explores a colourful palette of intimate family memory and observation.

His film The Postman's White Nights won the Silver Lion at the 71st Venice International Film Festival.[14][15] The script is centered around the true story of Aleksey Tryaptisyn, a real life Russian Post officer based in a remote Russian Far North village surrounding Lake Kenozero.

In 2016, Paradise directed by him won the Silver Lion at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival.[16][17] It was selected as the Russian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 89th Academy Awards.[18][19]

In 2020, Konchalovsky directed Dear Comrades!, a historical drama about the Novocherkassk massacre. The film won the Special Jury Prize at the 77th Venice International Film Festival. Anthony Lane, writing for The New Yorker, called the film Konchalovsky's "masterpiece."

Political views

[edit]

In 2012, Konchalovsky was one of 103 public figures to sign a petition in support of the band Pussy Riot during their 2012 trial.[20][21]

Konchalovsky endorsed Sergey Sobyanin of United Russia in the 2013 Moscow mayoral election.[22]

In the run-up to the Russian presidential election in 2024, Konchalovsky supported Vladimir Putin's candidacy, describing him as "an extraordinary leader, the most courageous and wise person".[23]

Personal life

[edit]

Konchalovsky has been married five times. His first wife was Irina Kandat. His second wife was Russian actress Natalya Arinbasarova, with whom he has one son: Russian film director Egor, born 15 January 1966. His third wife was Viviane Godet, with whom he has a daughter, Alexandra Mikhalkova, born 6 October 1971. His fourth wife was Irina Ivanova, with whom he has two daughters: Nathalia and Elena. His fifth wife is Russian actress Julia Vysotskaya; they have been married since 1998 and have two children: Maria (1999) and Petr (2003).

In October 2013, Konchalovsky and daughter Maria were involved in a vehicular collision in the south of France. Konchalovsky lost control of a rented Mercedes and swerved into oncoming traffic, where he crashed into another car. Maria suffered a traumatic brain injury and was placed into an induced coma. By 2018, Maria's condition had improved, and she returned to Russia with her parents.

Honours

[edit]
Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister of Italy Giuseppe Conte at a screening of Sin, presented by Konchalovsky, 24 October 2018.

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Year Title Functioned as Country of Origin Notes
Director Writer Producer
1960 The Steamroller and the Violin No Yes No  Soviet Union Short film
1961 The Boy and the Dove Yes Yes No
1962 Ivan's Childhood No Yes No
1965 The First Teacher Yes Yes No Thesis film
1966 Andrei Rublev No Yes No
1967 Tashkent No Yes No
The Story of Asya Klyachina Yes No No
1969 A Nest of Gentry Yes Yes No
1970 End of the Ataman No Yes No
Uncle Vanya Yes Yes No
1972 We're Waiting for You, Lad No Yes No
The Seventh Bullet No Yes No
1974 The Fierce One No Yes No
A Lover's Romance Yes No No
1976 A Slave of Love No Yes No
1978 Blood and Sweat No Yes No
1979 Siberiade Yes Yes No
1982 Split Cherry Tree Yes No No  United States Short film
1984 Maria's Lovers Yes Yes No
1985 Runaway Train Yes No No
1986 Duet for One Yes Yes No  United Kingdom
1987 Shy People Yes Yes No  United States
1989 Tango & Cash Yes No No
Homer and Eddie Yes No No
1991 The Inner Circle Yes Yes No  United States |  Soviet Union |  Italy
1994 Assia and the Hen with the Golden Eggs Yes Yes Yes  Russia
2002 House of Fools Yes Yes Yes
2005 Culture is Destiny No Yes Yes Documentary
2007 Gloss Yes Yes Yes
Moscow Chill No Yes Yes
To Each His Own Cinema Yes No No  France Segment: "Dans le noir"
2010 The Nutcracker Yes Yes Yes  Hungary |  United Kingdom
2012 The Battle for Ukraine Yes Yes Yes  Russia Documentary
2013 Royal Paintbox No No Yes  United Kingdom
2014 The Postman's White Nights Yes Yes Yes  Russia
2016 Paradise Yes Yes Yes  Russia |  Germany
2019 Sin Yes Yes Yes  Russia |  Italy
2020 Dear Comrades! Yes Yes Yes  Russia
Homo Sperans Yes Yes Yes  Russia Documentary

Executive producer

Television

[edit]
Year Title Functioned as Country of Origin Notes
Director Writer
1977 Trans-Siberian Express No Yes  Soviet Union
1997 The Odyssey Yes No  United States
2003 The Lion in Winter Yes No Television film
2003–04 Geniuses Yes No  Russia Documentary series; 6 episodes
2004 The Burden of Power Yes No Documentary series; 2 episodes

Stage credits

[edit]

Plays

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  • Eugene Onegin. A play performed at La Scala, Italy, in 1985.
  • The Queen of Spades. A play performed at La Scala, Italy, in 1990.
  • Miss Julie. A play performed at the Malaya Bronnaya Theatre, Moscow, in 2005.
  • King Lear. A play performed at Na Woli, Warsaw, in 2006.
  • The Seagull. A play performed at the Odeon Theatre, Paris, in 1987, and at the Mossovet Theatre, Moscow, in 2004. Toured Italy in 2007.
  • Uncle Vanya. A play performed at the Mossovet Theatre, Moscow, since 2009. Toured Italy in 2009, the Baltics in 2009 and Israel in 2010.
  • Three Sisters. A play performed at the Mossovet Theatre, Moscow, since 2012.
  • La Bisbetica Domata. A play performed at the San Ferdinando Theater, Naples, 2013.
  • Edip di Colone. A play performed at Teatro Olimpico, Vicenza, 2014.
  • The Cherry Orchard. A play performed at the Mossovet Theatre, Moscow, since 2016.
  • Edip di Colone. A play performed at the Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theater, Saint-Petersburg, since 2017.

Operas

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  • War and Peace. An opera staged at the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, in 2000, and at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, in 2002 and 2009.
  • Un ballo in maschera. An opera staged at the Teatro Regio, Italy, in 2001, and at the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, in 2001.
  • Boris Godunov. An opera staged at the Teatro Regio, Turin, Italy, in 2010.
  • Our Ancient Capital. A musical event held to commemorate Moscow's 850th anniversary on Red Square in 1997.
  • Celebrating 300 Years of St. Petersburg A show held in St. Petersburg, in 2003.

Awards and nominations

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BAFTA Awards

[edit]
Year Category Work Result
2021 Best Film Not in the English Language Dear Comrades! Nominated

César Awards

[edit]
Year Category Work Result
1985 Best Foreign Film Maria's Lovers Nominated

Emmy Awards

[edit]
Year Category Work Result
1997 Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special The Odyssey Won
2004 The Lion in Winter Nominated

Golden Eagle Awards

[edit]
Year Category Work Result
2003 Best Motion Picture House of Fools Nominated
Best Director Nominated
2015 Best Motion Picture The Postman's White Nights Nominated
Best Director Nominated
Best Screenplay Won
2017 Best Motion Picture Paradise Won
Best Director Won
Best Screenplay Nominated
2021 Best Motion Picture Dear Comrades! Nominated
Best Director Won
Best Screenplay Nominated

Nika Awards

[edit]
Year Category Work Result
1989 Best Director The Story of Asya Klyachina Won
2015 Best Film The Postman's White Nights Nominated
Best Director Nominated
2017 Best Film Paradise Won
Best Director Won
Best Screenplay Nominated
2020 Best Film Sin Nominated

Film festivals

[edit]
Year Award Work Result
Bergen International Film Festival
2002 Jury Award (Honourable Mention) House of Fools Won
Berlin International Film Festival
1988 FIPRESCI Prize (Honourable Mention) The Story of Asya Klyachina Won
1992 Golden Bear The Inner Circle Nominated
Camerimage Festival
2005 Special Award (for "Director with Special Visual Sensitivity") — Won
Cannes Film Festival
1979 Palme d'Or Siberiade Nominated
Grand Prix Won
1986 Palme d'Or Runaway Train Nominated
1987 Shy People Nominated
1994 Assia and the Hen with the Golden Eggs Nominated
Capri Hollywood International Film Festival
2003 Legend Award — Won
Chicago International Film Festival
1971 Best Feature Uncle Vanya Nominated
1979 Gold Hugo Siberiade Nominated
2016 Paradise Nominated
2020 Dear Comrades! Nominated
Silver Hugo Won
Cleveland International Film Festival
2017 George Gund III Memorial Central and Eastern European Film Competition Paradise Nominated
Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival
2014 CPH:DOX Award The Postman's White Nights Nominated
Deauville American Film Festival
1989 Critics Award Homer and Eddie Nominated
Flaiano Festival
2003 Career Award for Cinema — Nominated
Gijón International Film Festival
2016 Grand Prix Asturias Paradise Nominated
GoEast
2015 ŠKODA Film Award The Postman's White Nights Nominated
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
1974 Crystal Globe A Lover's Romance Won
San Sebastián International Film Festival
1971 Silver Seashell Uncle Vanya Won
1989 Golden Seashell Homer and Eddie Won
Lisbon & Estoril Film Festival
2020 Best Film Dear Comrades! Nominated
Mar del Plata International Film Festival
2016 Best Film Paradise Nominated
Best Screenplay Won
Monte-Carlo Television Festival
2004 Golden Nymph The Lion in Winter Won
Moscow International Film Festival
1997 Honorary Prize (for "contribution to the cinema") — Won
2020 Silver St. George Homo Sperans Nominated
Moscow Jewish Film Festival
2017 Honorary Award ("for outstanding contribution to the development of Jewish cinema in Russia") — Won
Munich Film Festival
2017 Lifetime Achievement Award Paradise Won
Tromsø International Film Festival
1995 Import Award Assia and the Hen with the Golden Eggs Won
2016 Aurora Award The Postman's White Nights Nominated
Venice Film Festival
1966 Golden Lion The First Teacher Nominated
1984 Maria's Lovers Nominated
2002 House of Fools Nominated
Grand Jury Prize Won
UNICEF Award Nominated
2014 Golden Lion The Postman's White Nights Nominated
Silver Lion Won
Green Drop Award Won
2016 Golden Lion Paradise Nominated
Silver Lion Won
2020 Golden Lion Dear Comrades! Nominated
Grand Jury Prize Won

References

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  1. ^ Peter Rollberg (2009). Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Cinema. US: Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 453–456. ISBN 978-0-8108-6072-8.
  2. ^ Andrei Konchalovsky. New York Times
  3. ^ Konchalovsky, Andreï (24 October 2020). "Andreï Konchalovsky : "Les visages au cinéma, c'est comme la couleur en peinture"". France Culture. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  4. ^ Михалковы. Энциклопедический словарь Брокгауза и Ефрона – via Wikisource.
  5. ^ МИХАЛКОВЫ, дворяне. «Яркипедия». By Е.А. ЕРМОЛИН. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  6. ^ "Усадьба Михалковых "Петровское"". Archived from the original on 24 February 2008. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  7. ^ "A.Končialovskio viešnagė protėvių žemėje". 15min.lt. 17 December 2009. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. ...his family roots lie in this land. 'From the side of 17th century landowners Konchialovskis. My great-grandfather still lived in Lithuania'...
  8. ^ Дело не в свободе, а в таланте
  9. ^ "Андрей Кончаловский: Правила жизни Андрея Кончаловского". www.konchalovsky.ru.
  10. ^ "11th Moscow International Film Festival (1979)". MIFF. Archived from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  11. ^ ""Dear Comrades!" Is Andrei Konchalovsky's Masterpiece". The New Yorker. 21 December 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  12. ^ "The Godfather Part III". AFI Catalog. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  13. ^ Emily Blunt Career Retrospective | SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations, 22 December 2023, retrieved 15 January 2024
  14. ^ "International competition of feature films". Venice. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  15. ^ "Venice Film Festival Lineup Announced". Deadline. 24 July 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  16. ^ "International competition of feature films". Venice. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  17. ^ "Venice Film Festival: Lido To Launch Pics From Ford, Gibson, Malick & More As Awards Season Starts To Buzz – Full List". Deadline. 28 July 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  18. ^ "Russia nominates 'Paradise' by Konchalovsky for best-foreign language Oscar". News.Az. 19 September 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  19. ^ Kozlov, Vladimir (20 September 2016). "Oscars: Russia Selects 'Paradise' for Foreign-Language Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  20. ^ "Хаматова, Миронов, Бондарчук поддержали Pussy Riot". snob.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  21. ^ "Творческая элита России вступилась за Pussy Riot". www.mk.ru (in Russian). 26 June 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  22. ^ "Интервью с Кончаловским на "Эхо Москвы"" [Interview with Konchalovsky on “Echo of Moscow”]. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  23. ^ "Vladimir Putin: Many Russians see no alternative candidate as election looms". BBC News. 31 January 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  24. ^ "20th Moscow International Film Festival (1997)". MIFF. Archived from the original on 22 March 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
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