Sergey Pavlovich Urusevsky (russian: Серге́й Павлович Урусевский) (23 December 1908,
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
,
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 ...
- 12 November 1974,
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 ...
,
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, ...
) was a
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
cinematographer
The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the c ...
and film director, renowned for his work with
Grigori Chukhrai
Grigory Naumovich Chukhray (russian: Григо́рий Нау́мович Чухра́й; uk, Григорiй Наумович Чухрай; 23 May 1921 – 28 October 2001) was a Ukrainian Soviet and Russian film director and screenwriter. ...
,
Mikhail Kalatozov
Mikhail Konstantinovich Kalatozov ( ka, მიხეილ კალატოზიშვილი, russian: Михаил Константинович Калатозов; 28 December 1903 – 26 March 1973), born Mikheil Kalatozishvili, was a So ...
and
Yuli Raizman. His subjective camera style in ''
I Am Cuba'' and ''
The Cranes Are Flying
''The Cranes Are Flying'' (russian: Летят журавли, translit. ''Letyat zhuravli'') is a 1957 Soviet film about the Second World War. It depicts the cruelty of war and the damage done to the Soviet psyche as a result of war, which ...
'' is regarded as one of the best of all time, winning him several awards throughout his career. Urusevsky's work draws influence from
Eduard Tisse
Eduard Kazimirovich Tisse (russian: Эдуа́рд Казими́рович Тиссэ́, lv, Eduards Tisē; 13 April 1897 – 18 November 1961) was a Soviet cinematographer.
Early life and career
He was born to an Estonian Swedish father and ...
, the cinematographer known for his work with
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 ...
on the film ''
Strike
Strike may refer to:
People
* Strike (surname)
Physical confrontation or removal
*Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm
*Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...
''.
Early life
Sergey Urusevsky (also styled Sergei Urusevskii) has always been interested in graphic design and photography. He graduated from the Leningrad Art Industrial High School in 1929. The school is now more aptly named the
Saint Petersburg Art and Industry Academy
The Saint Petersburg Stieglitz State Academy of Art and Design (Санкт-Петербургская художественно-промышленная академия имени А. Л. Штиглица; abbreviated as СПГХПА) is the ...
and soon after graduating, he attended the
Imperial Academy of Arts
The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, was an art academy in Saint Petersburg, founded in 1757 by the founder of the Imperial Moscow University Ivan Shuvalov under the name ''Academy of the T ...
and graduated in 1937. He was very candid in his admiration for
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th century, he is ...
and was even sent ceramic paintings from the esteemed artist. In 1946, Urusevsky became a member of the
Communist Party of the Soviet Union and continued to be pro-communism for the entirety of his life.
Career
During the 1930s, he began early work as a cinematographer and in 1937 he began work at the
Gorky Film Studio
Gorky Film Studio (russian: Киностудия имени Горького) is a film studio in Moscow, Russian Federation. By the end of the Soviet Union, Gorky Film Studio had produced more than 1,000 films. Many film classics were filmed ...
. The film studio is well known for have producing the first Soviet sound film
Road to Life and for producing the first Soviet color film ''Grunya Kurnakova.'' During the
Great Patriotic War
The Eastern Front of World War II was a Theater (warfare), theatre of conflict between the European Axis powers against the Soviet Union (USSR), Polish Armed Forces in the East, Poland and other Allies of World War II, Allies, which encom ...
, Urusevsky was a frontline cameraman and filmed much of the war on the Eastern Front. It was during the war when he realized that being a cameraman was his vocation.
Shortly after the war ended, Urusevsky became a cinematographer and worked closely with
Mark Donskoy
Mark Semyonovich Donskoy (russian: Марк Семёнович Донско́й; – 21 March 1981) was a Soviet film director, screenwriter, and studio administrative head.
Biography
Mark Donskoy was born in Odessa in a Jewish family. Durin ...
on ''
The Village Teacher,'' and ''
Alitet Leaves for the Hills
''Alitet Leaves for the Hills'' (russian: Алитет уходит в горы) is a 1949 Soviet drama film directed by Mark Donskoy.
Plot
The inhabitants of Chukotka were cruelly exploited before the revolution. Once Chukotka was visited by ...
.'' Both films were shot in the snowy
Siberian
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...
wilds. In 1950 he began work with
Mosfilm Studios
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 ...
, the oldest and largest film studio in Europe. It was during his time with Mosfilm that he collaborated with the likes of directors Yuli Raizman and Mikhail Kalatozov. In a span of 6 years he helped create 5 different films and his best work was soon to follow.
''The Cranes Are Flying''
In 1957, Urusevsky worked with Mikhail Kalatozov on ''The Cranes Are Flying.'' The film received international recognition and was awarded the
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...
, the highest prize at the 1958 Cannes Film Festival. The film was praised for the emotive camera style and the way it told the stories of everyday people during the Great Patriotic War. ''The Cranes Are Flying'' casts the beautiful Russian actress
Tatiana Samoilova
Tatiana Yevgenyevna Samoilova (russian: link=no, Татья́на Евге́ньевна Само́йлова; 4 May 1934 – 4 May 2014) was a Soviet and Russian film actress best known for her lead role in '' The Cranes Are Flying'' (1957). She ...
and actor
Aleksey Batalov
Aleksey Vladimirovich Batalov (russian: link=no, Алексе́й Влади́мирович Бата́лов; 20 November 1928 – 15 June 2017) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor, film director, screenwriter and pedagogue acclaimed f ...
. The film sometimes featured hand-held camera shots, especially the scene where Tatiana runs away in a moment of distress. She was asked to film herself while running with the hand-held camera. The movie changed the way that Russian citizens viewed heroines throughout the course of Russian film history.
''I am Cuba (Soy Cuba)''
As a much more art oriented film, ''Soy Cuba'' initially was not well praised by the masses. The Cuban audience didn't appreciate the movie, stating that it showed stereotypes that simply were not true. For the Russians, it wasn't revolutionary enough and also contained too much compassion for the lives of the Cuban bourgeoisie. In 1995, shortly after the fall of 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, ...
, the movie was released in the United States. Film lovers in the U.S. adored the art aspect of the film and the tracking shots used by Urusevsky. Famous Hollywood director
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, incl ...
even had the film restored for audiences in the United States. The film won the Archival Award from the
National Society of Film Critics
The National Society of Film Critics (NSFC) is an American film critic organization. The organization is known for its highbrow tastes, and its annual awards are one of the most prestigious film critics awards in the United States. In January 2014, ...
upon its re-release in 1995. ''Soy Cuba'' was also shown at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.
As a director
Sergey Urusevsky directed and released two of his own films: ''Proshschay, Gyulsary!'' in 1968 and ''Sing Your Song, Poet'' in 1973. The latter was produced just months before his death in 1974.
Filmography
* ''
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules.
During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...
'' (1945); directed by
Vladimir Legoshin
* ''
Sinegoria'' (1946); directed by
Erast Garin
Erast Pavlovich Garin (russian: Эра́ст Па́влович Га́рин; – 4 September 1980) was a Soviet and Russian actor, director and screenwriter. He was, together with Igor Ilyinsky and Sergey Martinson, one of the leading comi ...
and
Khesya Lokshina
* ''
The Village Teacher'' (1947); directed by
Mark Donskoy
Mark Semyonovich Donskoy (russian: Марк Семёнович Донско́й; – 21 March 1981) was a Soviet film director, screenwriter, and studio administrative head.
Biography
Mark Donskoy was born in Odessa in a Jewish family. Durin ...
* ''
Alitet Leaves for the Hills
''Alitet Leaves for the Hills'' (russian: Алитет уходит в горы) is a 1949 Soviet drama film directed by Mark Donskoy.
Plot
The inhabitants of Chukotka were cruelly exploited before the revolution. Once Chukotka was visited by ...
'' (1949); directed by Mark Donskoy
* ''
Dream of a Cossack
''Dream of a Cossack'' (russian: Кавалер Золотой Звезды, translit. ''Kavalier zolotoy zvezdy'') is a 1951 Soviet drama film directed by Yuli Raizman based on the novel ''The Golden Star Chavalier'' by Semyon Babayevsk ...
'' (1951); directed by
Yuli Raizman
* ''
The Return of Vasili Bortnikov
''The Return of Vasili Bortnikov'' (russian: Возвращение Василия Бортникова, ''Vozvrashshyeniye Vasiliya Bortnikova'') is a 1953 Soviet drama film directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin based on the novel ''The Harvest'' by Ga ...
'' (1953); directed by
Vsevolod Pudovkin
Vsevolod Illarionovich Pudovkin ( rus, Всеволод Илларионович Пудовкин, p=ˈfsʲevələt ɪlərʲɪˈonəvʲɪtɕ pʊˈdofkʲɪn; 16 February 1893 – 30 June 1953) was a Russian and Soviet film director, screenwriter ...
* ''
The First Echelon'' (1955); directed by
Mikhail Kalatozov
Mikhail Konstantinovich Kalatozov ( ka, მიხეილ კალატოზიშვილი, russian: Михаил Константинович Калатозов; 28 December 1903 – 26 March 1973), born Mikheil Kalatozishvili, was a So ...
* ''
Lesson of Life
A lesson or class is a structured period of time where learning is intended to occur. It involves one or more students (also called pupils or learners in some circumstances) being taught by a teacher or instructor. A lesson may be either one ...
'' (1955); directed by Yuli Raizman
* ''
The Forty-First'' (1956); directed by
Grigori Chukhray
* ''
The Cranes Are Flying
''The Cranes Are Flying'' (russian: Летят журавли, translit. ''Letyat zhuravli'') is a 1957 Soviet film about the Second World War. It depicts the cruelty of war and the damage done to the Soviet psyche as a result of war, which ...
'' (1957); directed by Mikhail Kalatozov
* ''
The Unsent Letter'' (1959); directed by Mikhail Kalatozov
* ''
I Am Cuba'' (1964); directed by Mikhail Kalatozov
* ''
Proshschay, Gyulsary!'' (1968); directed by Sergey Urusevsky
* ''
Sing Your Song, Poet
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music ( arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or ...
'' (1973); directed by Sergey Urusevsky
Accomplishments and awards
* Special Award, Cannes Film Festival for ''The Cranes Are Flying'', 1957
* Palme d'Or, Cannes Film Festival for ''The Cranes Are Flying'', 1958
* Archival Award, NSFC for ''Soy Cuba'', 1995
* Honored Art Worker,
RSFSR
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
, 1951
* State Prize, USSR, 1948, 1952
External links and References
*
* 1. http://www.filmreference.com/Writers-and-Production-Artists-Ta-Vi/Urusevsky-Sergei.html
* 2. Great Soviet Encyclopedia
* 3. http://russia-ic.com/people/general/u/629
* 4. https://wbis.degruyter.com/biographic-document/US90219
{{DEFAULTSORT:Urusevsky, Sergey
1908 births
1974 deaths
Soviet cinematographers
Stalin Prize winners
Mass media people from Saint Petersburg