Ivan Aleksandrovich Pyryev (russian: Ива́н Алекса́ндрович Пы́рьев; – 7 February 1968) was a Soviet-Russian

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, ...

and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

remembered as the high priest of

Stalinist Stalinism is the means of governing and Marxist-Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union from 1927 to 1953 by Joseph Stalin. It included the creation of a one-party totalitarian police state, rapid industrialization, the theory ...

cinema. He was awarded six Stalin Prizes (1941, 1942, 1946, 1946, 1948, 1951), served as Director of the

Mosfilm Mosfilm (russian: Мосфильм, ''Mosfil’m'' ) is a film studio which is among the largest and oldest in the Russian Federation and in Europe. Founded in 1924 in the USSR as a production unit of that nation's film monopoly, its output inclu ...

studios (1954–57)Ирина Гращенкова
''Пырьев Иван Александрович,''
Кинобраз. Accessed 18 July 2008. and was, for a time, the most influential man in the Soviet motion picture industry.

Life and career

Pyryev was born in

Kamen-na-Obi Kamen-na-Obi (russian: Ка́мень-на-Оби́), known until 1933 as Kamen (), is a town in Altai Krai, Russia, located on the left bank of the Ob River northwest of Barnaul, the administrative center of the krai. As of the 2010 Census, i ...

, in the

Tomsk Governorate Tomsk Governorate (russian: Томская губерния) was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, Russian Republic, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic located in Siberia from 1804 to 1925 as part ...

of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...

(now Altai Krai,

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

). His early career included acting on stage directed by

Vsevolod Meyerhold Vsevolod Emilyevich Meyerhold (russian: Всеволод Эмильевич Мейерхольд, translit=Vsévolod Èmíl'evič Mejerchól'd; born german: Karl Kasimir Theodor Meyerhold; 2 February 1940) was a Russian and Soviet theatre ...

in ''The Forest'' («Лес») and by

Sergei Eisenstein Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein (russian: Сергей Михайлович Эйзенштейн, p=sʲɪrˈɡʲej mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪtɕ ɪjzʲɪnˈʂtʲejn, 2=Sergey Mikhaylovich Eyzenshteyn; 11 February 1948) was a Soviet film director, scre ...

in the Proletcult Theatre production ''The Mexican''. Pyryev also acted in Eisenstein's first short film ''

Glumov's Diary ''Glumov's Diary'' (russian: Дневник Глумова, Dnevnik Glumova) is a 1923 Soviet short silent film, which was the first film directed by Sergei Eisenstein. It was conceived as a part of the theatre production of Alexander Ostrovsk ...

.'' Pyryev's early career included production jobs behind the camera, such as work for director Yuri Tarich. He débuted as a director in the age of silent film, with ''Strange Woman'' (Посторонняя женщина, 1929). During the 1930s and 1940s Pyryev rivaled Grigori Aleksandrov as the country's most successful director of

musical comedies Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

, all of which starred his wife Marina Ladynina. Even during wartime, when the Soviet film industry had been evacuated to

Alma-Ata Almaty (; kk, Алматы; ), formerly known as Alma-Ata ( kk, Алма-Ата), is the largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of about 2 million. It was the capital of Kazakhstan from 1929 to 1936 as an autonomous republic as part of ...

, Pyryev made popular and light-hearted features. In ''Six O'Clock after the War is Over'' the Romantic characters (played by Ladynina and Yevgeny Samoilov), when separated by war, arrange a date at 6 PM on the Victory Day, and the victory celebrations are shown towards the end of the film (which was released in November 1944). Such films as '' They Met in Moscow'' (1941), '' Ballad of Siberia'' (1947) and '' Cossacks of the Kuban'' (1949) have often been broadcast on national television and proved effective in showcasing the idealized Soviet way of life. The former, shown in the US as ''They Met in Moscow'', was the last film made in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

before the German invasion. The protagonists, a Russian swineherd and a Chechen shepherd (played by Ladynina and

Vladimir Zeldin Vladimir Mikhailovich Zeldin (russian: Владимир Михайлович Зельдин; 10 February 1915 – 31 October 2016) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor. A centenarian, he was among the longest-serving stage performers an ...

) meet at the

All-Union Agricultural Exhibition Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy (russian: Выставка достижений народного хозяйства, ''Vystavka dostizheniy narodnogo khozyaystva'', abbreviated as VDNKh or VDNH, russian: ВДНХ, ) is a perman ...

and fall in love with each other. The movie is noted for a memorable score by

Isaak Dunaevsky Isaak Osipovich Dunayevsky (russian: Исаак Осипович Дунаевский ; also transliterated as Dunaevski or Dunaevskiy; 25 July 1955) was a Soviet film composer and conductor of the 1930s and 1940s, who composed music for operet ...

and

Tikhon Khrennikov Tikhon Nikolayevich Khrennikov (russian: Тихон Николаевич Хренников; – 14 August 2007) was a Russian and Soviet composer, pianist, and General Secretary of the Union of Soviet Composers (1948–1991), who was also kno ...

. ''Cossacks of the Kuban'', which launched the star of Klara Luchko, presents a highly glamorized picture of life in a southern

kolkhoz A kolkhoz ( rus, колхо́з, a=ru-kolkhoz.ogg, p=kɐlˈxos) was a form of collective farm in the Soviet Union. Kolkhozes existed along with state farms or sovkhoz., a contraction of советское хозяйство, soviet ownership o ...

. Following

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...

's death, Pyryev turned his attention to adaptations. He produced two acclaimed adaptations of

Fyodor Dostoevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (, ; rus, Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский, Fyódor Mikháylovich Dostoyévskiy, p=ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ dəstɐˈjefskʲɪj, a=ru-Dostoevsky.ogg, links=yes; 11 November 18219 ...

's novels, ''

The Idiot ''The Idiot'' ( pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform rus, Идиот, Idiót) is a novel by the 19th-century Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was first published serially in the journal ''The Russian Messenger'' in 1868–69. The title is an ...

'' (1958, starring Yuri Yakovlev) and ''

The Brothers Karamazov ''The Brothers Karamazov'' (russian: Братья Карамазовы, ''Brat'ya Karamazovy'', ), also translated as ''The Karamazov Brothers'', is the last novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky spent nearly two years writing '' ...

'' (1969), which was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

and won him a Special Prize at the 6th Moscow International Film Festival. Pyryev died at the age of 66 in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

. Since ''The Brothers Karamazov'' was unfinished at the time, the film stars Kirill Lavrov and Mikhail Ulyanov are usually credited with having brought the project to a conclusion. His widow

Lionella Pyryeva Lionella Pyryeva (15 March 1938 in Odesa, Ukraine; birth name Skirda and present name Strizhenova) is a retired Soviet actress. She is known for her roles in The Brothers Karamazov (1969), in the role of Grushenka, Wind of Freedom (1961) and The L ...

, who took the part of Grushenka in ''The Brothers Karamazov'', went on to marry

Oleg Strizhenov Oleg Aleksandrovich Strizhenov (russian: Олег Александрович Стриженов; born 10 August 1929 in Blagoveshchensk) is a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor. People's Artist of the USSR (1988). Life and career Strizhenov ...

Praise

Grigori Roshal wrote that "Pyriev's comedies speak of man's right to happiness, the attainment of which, in his native country, is not hindered by any national or class distinctions."

Filmography

* 1929 - ''

The Foreign Woman ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

'' (Посторонняя женщина) * 1930 - '' The Civil Servant'' (Государственный чиновник) * 1933 - ''

The Conveyor of Death The Conveyor of Death (russian: Конвейер смерти) is a 1933 Soviet Union, Soviet film directed by Ivan Pyryev. Plot The film tells about three friends who, as a result of the economic crisis, lose their jobs. This destroys their dre ...

(Конвейер смерти) * 1936 - ''

Party Membership Card Party Membership Card (russian: Партийный билет) is a 1936 Soviet crime drama film directed by Ivan Pyryev. Plot The team of one Moscow plant is joined by Siberians Pavel Kurganov, who is distinguished by his intelligence and dili ...

'' (Партийный билет) * 1938 - '' The Country Bride'' (Богатая невеста) * 1939 - ''

Tractor Drivers Tractor Drivers (russian: Трактористы, Traktoristy) is a 1939 Soviet comedy drama film directed by Ivan Pyryev. Plot In the 1930s, the demobilized tank driver Klim Yarko returns to his ''kolkhoz'' on the Ukrainian steppe, where Maria ...

'' (Трактористы) * 1940 - '' The Beloved'' (Любимая девушка) * 1941 - '' They Met in Moscow'' (Свинарка и пастух) * 1942 - ''

The District Secretary The District Secretary, (russian: Секретарь райкома) is a 1942 Soviet drama film directed by Ivan Pyryev. Plot The film takes place in the first year of the Great Patriotic War. The plot is based on the fight between the comman ...

'' (Секретарь райкома) * 1944 - ''

Six P.M. ''Six P.M.'' is the 1946 American release title of the 1944 Soviet World War II film ''At 6 P.M. After the War'' (russian: В 6 часов вечера после войны, V shest chasov vechera posle voyny, (also ''At six o'clock in the evenin ...

'' (В 6 часов вечера после войны) * 1948 - '' Ballad of Siberia'' (Сказание о земле Сибирской) * 1949 - '' Cossacks of the Kuban'' (Кубанские казаки) * 1951 - '' We are for Peace!'' (Мы - за мир / Freundschaft siegt) * 1954 - '' Devotion'' (Испытание верности) * 1958 - ''

'' (Идиот) * 1959 - '' White Nights'' (Белые ночи) * 1961 - '' Our Common Friend'' (Наш общий друг) * 1965 - ''

The Light of a Distant Star ''The Light of a Distant Star'' (russian: Свет далёкой звезды) is a 1964 Soviet romance film directed by Ivan Pyryev. Plot The film is about lovers who are separated by war. Some time after the end of the war, the main characte ...

'' (Свет далекой звезды) * 1969 - ''

Notes

External links

*
www.pyrev.ru: Ivan Pyryev and His Women
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pyryev, Ivan 1901 births 1968 deaths People from Altai Krai People from Tomsk Governorate Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Third convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities Soviet film directors Soviet screenwriters Male screenwriters High Courses for Scriptwriters and Film Directors faculty People's Artists of the USSR Stalin Prize winners