Grigori Kozintsev
Encyclopedia
Grigori Mikhaylovich Kozintsev ' onMouseout='HidePop("44985")' href="/topics/Kiev">Kiev
, – Leningrad, now Saint Petersburg
, 11 May 1973) was a Jewish Ukrainian, Soviet Russia
n theatre and film director
. He was named People's Artist of the USSR
in 1964.
He studied in the Imperial Academy of Arts
. As a theatre director he was part of Eccentricism, a modernist
avant garde movement
that spanned Russian futurism
and constructivism
, which included the theatre of Vsevolod Meyerhold
and Sergei Eisenstein
. Kozintsev contributed the "Salvation in the Trousers" section to the Eccentric Manifesto, published on 9 July 1922 (the other contributors were Leonid Trauberg
, Sergei Yutkevich
and Georgii Kryzhitskii) and was involved with the Factory of the Eccentric Actor group. Some of his early films were launched under the FEKS label.
He began making films in 1921. His silent features, including The Overcoat
(1926) and The New Babylon
(1929), had a ring of Expressionism
, while the early sound film Alone (1931) used experimental montage sound techniques. Kozintsev is most renowned by his adaptations of William Shakespeare
(King Lear
and Hamlet
) and Miguel de Cervantes
' Don Quixote
.
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, – Leningrad, now 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...
, 11 May 1973) was a Jewish Ukrainian, Soviet Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n theatre and film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
. He was named People's Artist of the USSR
People's Artist of the USSR
People's Artist of the USSR, also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to citizens of the Soviet Union.- Nomenclature and significance :...
in 1964.
He studied in the Imperial Academy of Arts
Imperial Academy of Arts
The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, was founded in 1757 by Ivan Shuvalov under the name Academy of the Three Noblest Arts. Catherine the Great renamed it the Imperial Academy of Arts and commissioned a new building, completed 25 years later in 1789...
. As a theatre director he was part of Eccentricism, a modernist
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
avant garde movement
Cultural movement
A cultural movement is a change in the way a number of different disciplines approach their work. This embodies all art forms, the sciences, and philosophies. Historically, different nations or regions of the world have gone through their own independent sequence of movements in culture, but as...
that spanned Russian futurism
Russian Futurism
Russian Futurism is the term used to denote a group of Russian poets and artists who adopted the principles of Filippo Marinetti's "Manifesto of Futurism"...
and constructivism
Constructivism (art)
Constructivism was an artistic and architectural philosophy that originated in Russia beginning in 1919, which was a rejection of the idea of autonomous art. The movement was in favour of art as a practice for social purposes. Constructivism had a great effect on modern art movements of the 20th...
, which included the theatre of Vsevolod Meyerhold
Vsevolod Meyerhold
Vsevolod Emilevich Meyerhold was a great Russian and Soviet theatre director, actor and theatrical producer. His provocative experiments dealing with physical being and symbolism in an unconventional theatre setting made him one of the seminal forces in modern international theatre.-Early...
and Sergei Eisenstein
Sergei Eisenstein
Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein , né Eizenshtein, was a pioneering Soviet Russian film director and film theorist, often considered to be the "Father of Montage"...
. Kozintsev contributed the "Salvation in the Trousers" section to the Eccentric Manifesto, published on 9 July 1922 (the other contributors were Leonid Trauberg
Leonid Trauberg
Leonid Zakharovich Trauberg was a Jewish Ukrainian Soviet film director and screenwriter. He directed 17 films between 1924 and 1961 and was awarded the Stalin Prize in 1941.-Filmography:* The Adventures of Oktyabrina ...
, Sergei Yutkevich
Sergei Yutkevich
Sergei Iosifovich Yutkevich was an award-winning Soviet film director and screenwriter.-Life and career:He began work as a teen doing puppet shows. Later he helped found the Factory of the Eccentric Actor , which was primarily concerned with circus and music hall acts. He entered films in the...
and Georgii Kryzhitskii) and was involved with the Factory of the Eccentric Actor group. Some of his early films were launched under the FEKS label.
He began making films in 1921. His silent features, including The Overcoat
The Overcoat (1926 film)
The Overcoat is a 1926 Soviet film directed by Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg, based on Nikolai Gogol stories "Nevsky Prospekt" and "The Overcoat".-Cast:* Andrei Kostrichkin - Akaki Akakievich* Antonina Yeremeyeva* Sergei Gerasimov - Yaryzhka...
(1926) and The New Babylon
The New Babylon
The New Babylon is a 1929 silent film written and directed by Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg...
(1929), had a ring of Expressionism
Expressionism
Expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas...
, while the early sound film Alone (1931) used experimental montage sound techniques. Kozintsev is most renowned by his adaptations of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
(King Lear
King Lear (1971 USSR film)
King Lear is a 1971 Soviet film directed by Grigori Kozintsev, based on William Shakespeare's play King Lear.-Cast:* Jüri Järvet - King Lear * Elza Radzina - Goneril* Galina Volchek - Regan* Valentina Shendrikova - Cordelia...
and Hamlet
Hamlet (1964 film)
Hamlet is a 1964 film adaptation in Russian of William Shakespeare's play of the same title, based on a translation by Boris Pasternak. It was directed by Grigori Kozintsev and Iosif Shapiro, and stars Innokenty Smoktunovsky as Prince Hamlet.-Background:...
) and Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was a Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright. His magnum opus, Don Quixote, considered the first modern novel, is a classic of Western literature, and is regarded amongst the best works of fiction ever written...
' Don Quixote
Don Quixote (1957 film)
Don Quixote is a 1957 Soviet drama film directed by Grigori Kozintsev. It is based on Miguel de Cervantes's classic novel of the same name. It was entered into the 1957 Cannes Film Festival. It opened in the United States in 1961, beginning its U.S. run on January 20, the same day that President...
.
Filmography
- Note: all films before 1947 are co-directed with Leonid TraubergLeonid TraubergLeonid Zakharovich Trauberg was a Jewish Ukrainian Soviet film director and screenwriter. He directed 17 films between 1924 and 1961 and was awarded the Stalin Prize in 1941.-Filmography:* The Adventures of Oktyabrina ...
Year Original Title English Title Notes 1924 Похождения Октябрины The Adventures of Oktyabrina The Adventures of OktyabrinaThe Adventures of Oktyabrina is a 1924 Soviet/Russian silent film directed by Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg. This film, and many other early Russian films are believed to have been destroyed in a studio fire in 1925.-Cast:...director; screenwriter
film is lost1925 Мишки против Юденича Mishki versus Yudenich Mishki versus YudenichMishki versus Yudenich is a 1925 Soviet silent film directed by Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg. Film is believed to be lost.-Plot:...director; screenwriter
film is lost1926 Чёртово колесо The Devil's Wheel The Devil's WheelThe Devil's Wheel is a 1926 Soviet silent film directed by Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg.-Cast:* Pyotr Sobolevsky - Vanya Shorin* Lyudmila Semyonova - Valya* Sergei Gerasimov - Question Mark* Emil Gal* Sergei Martinson - Conductor...director Шинель The Overcoat The Overcoat (1926 film)The Overcoat is a 1926 Soviet film directed by Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg, based on Nikolai Gogol stories "Nevsky Prospekt" and "The Overcoat".-Cast:* Andrei Kostrichkin - Akaki Akakievich* Antonina Yeremeyeva* Sergei Gerasimov - Yaryzhka...director 1927 С.В.Д. The Club of the Big Deed The Club of the Big DeedThe Club of the Big Deed is a 1927 Soviet silent film directed by Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg about 1825 Decembrist revolt.-Cast:* Sergei Gerasimov - Medoks* Andrei Kostrichkin - Servant of Medoks* Pyotr Sobolevsky - Sukhanov...director Братишка Little Brother Little Brother (1927 film)Little Brother is a 1927 Soviet silent film directed by Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg. Film is believed to be lost.-Cast:* Pyotr Sobolevsky - Driver* Yanina Zhejmo - Girl* Sergei Martinson* Andrei Kostrichkin * Sergei Gerasimov...director; screenwriter
film is lost1929 Новый Вавилон The New Babylon The New BabylonThe New Babylon is a 1929 silent film written and directed by Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg...director; screenwriter 1931 Одна Alone director; screenwriter 1934 Юность Максима The Youth of Maxim The Youth of MaximThe Youth of Maxim is a 1935 Soviet film directed by Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg, the first part of trilogy about the life of a young factory worker, Maxim....director; screenwriter 1937 Возвращение Максима The Return of Maxim The Return of MaximThe Return of Maxim is a 1937 Soviet film directed by Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg, the second part of trilogy about the life of a young factory worker, Maxim....director; screenwriter 1938 Выборгская сторона The Vyborg Side The Vyborg SideThe Vyborg Side is a 1939 Soviet film directed by Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg, the final part of trilogy about the life of a young factory worker, Maxim. The film was also released in the United States under the title New Horizons....director; screenwriter 1943 Юный Фриц The Young Fritz The Young FritzThe Young Fritz is a 1943 Soviet film directed by Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg based on a short satiric poem by Samuil Marshak. The film was banned by censors, never released, and is believed to be lost.-Cast:* Mikhail Zharov - Fritz...director
film is lost1946 Простые люди Simple People Simple PeopleSimple People is a 1945 Soviet film directed by Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg. The film, along with the second part of Eisenstein's Ivan the Terrible was harshly criticized by Andrei Zhdanov and banned...director; screenwriter 1947 Пирогов Pirogov Pirogov (film)Pirogov is a 1947 Soviet film directed by Grigori Kozintsev, based on the life of Russian scientist and doctor Nikolay Ivanovich Pirogov .-Cast:* Konstantin Skorobogatov - Pirogov* Vladimir Chestnokov - Ipatov* Sergei Yarov - Skulachenko...director 1953 Белинский Belinsky Belinsky (film)Belinsky is a 1953 Soviet film directed by Grigori Kozintsev, based on the life of Russian literary critic Vissarion Belinsky . The production of the film was completed in 1951 but it was not released until 1953, following the reshooting of various scenes demanded by Stalin.-Cast:* Sergei Kurilov...director; screenwriter 1957 Дон Кихот Don Quixote Don Quixote (1957 film)Don Quixote is a 1957 Soviet drama film directed by Grigori Kozintsev. It is based on Miguel de Cervantes's classic novel of the same name. It was entered into the 1957 Cannes Film Festival. It opened in the United States in 1961, beginning its U.S. run on January 20, the same day that President...director 1964 Гамлет Hamlet Hamlet (1964 film)Hamlet is a 1964 film adaptation in Russian of William Shakespeare's play of the same title, based on a translation by Boris Pasternak. It was directed by Grigori Kozintsev and Iosif Shapiro, and stars Innokenty Smoktunovsky as Prince Hamlet.-Background:...director; screenwriter 1971 Король Лир King Lear King Lear (1971 USSR film)King Lear is a 1971 Soviet film directed by Grigori Kozintsev, based on William Shakespeare's play King Lear.-Cast:* Jüri Järvet - King Lear * Elza Radzina - Goneril* Galina Volchek - Regan* Valentina Shendrikova - Cordelia...director; screenwriter