Yuri Gadyukin
Encyclopedia
Yuri Ivanovich Gadyukin , born Leningrad
, USSR, 1932?, birth date unknown, died London
, England
November 11, 1960. Director of cult movies. Although Russian-born, he only made one film in the Soviet Union
, Where the Tractors Roam (Там, где бродят тракторы), most of his career being spent in Great Britain
following his defection in 1955. He made three films in London, the last of which The Graven Idol was left incomplete when Gadyukin was murdered in 1960.
(now St. Petersburg) to a middle class family, his father a music teacher. During the Second World War Leningrad came under siege
and, aged 12, Gadyukin was drafted as a child soldier. His later teenage years are a blank, Gadyukin himself refused to be drawn into discussion on this period of his life.
Some accounts claim Gadyukin to have worked as a background artist in Sergei Eisenstein
’s Ivan the Terrible, pt.3
but this is unlikely as this was shot in Mosfilm
in Moscow
and there’s no record of Gadyukin in that city. Gadyukin himself claimed that as a young man he met Eisenstein and was inspired by a conversation they had, so it remains a possibility. In 1949 Gadyukin was hired as a junior assistant director
at Lenfilm studios
in his hometown. He was quickly spotted as a talent and rose fast through the ranks.
His first film, Where the Tractors Roam, came to be as the result of a drunken conversation. Gadyukin tells how, when drinking with screenwriter Yevgeni Pomeshchikov, they wrote the outline for a story that parodied the Soviet realist
cinema of the day. This document was mislaid and then mistakenly passed on to a Lenfilm executive who failed to notice the ironic tone and took it in earnest. Both men were immediately tasked with making the movie happen. While Pomeshchikov’s script was written with extreme caution, Gadyukin’s direction had the boldness of youth resulting in a finished piece that trod a precarious knife-edge between earnestness and satire.
Given the film’s satirical intent, it appeared to encapsulate everything for which Soviet cinema was striving, as such Lenfilm, who failed to catch the satirical tone, warmly received it. When the film was premiered at the Bucharest Festival of Socialist Film
however, the Romanian press saw it as a brave satire
and took it as evidence of a sudden liberalization of Russian cinema. Although the Kremlin’s grip on film culture was easing at the time it was far from ready for a full-blown satire, and the film was withdrawn. Rather than awaiting his dismissal or further punishment, Gadyukin decided to ride the controversy and defected. For reasons that remain unclear he was not welcomed by the United States government and wound up defecting to Great Britain.
was received with great expectations. His first production in the UK was Waiting… in 1956
, a project born out of a desire to film Samuel Beckett
’s stage play “Waiting for Godot
”. Beckett however, was unhappy with the textual changes Gadyukin proposed and withheld permission for an adaptation. Gadyukin’s film is a testament to his ability to tread a fine line, being very close to Beckett’s play in places but always with sufficient alterations to avoid a lawsuit. Waiting… was both experimental in narrative and formal terms, much of the dialogue being a mix of English and Esperanto
. Despite a warm reception from European festivals Waiting... met with mixed reviews from the British press and did little business.
Gadyukin decided to change tack with his next film The October Wedding which was much more in tune with the emerging fashion in Britain for so-called “kitchen sink realism
” movies. Unwilling to be a journeyman director Gadyukin experimented with improvised dialogue and encouraged his actors to embrace Stanislavski technique, a move resisted by much of his cast, not least leading man Ian Hendry
. On the film’s release in 1959
it was widely praised as helping to breathe new life into British cinema and Gadyukin was riding high.
. This was a bold experiment aiming to advance the improvisational technique he’d used previously to the point where the entire story was improvised. Gadyukin would come to work with a loose idea of what he wanted to film that day based on the sets and cast available.
Despite initially promising results, after five months shooting the studios realized that Gadyukin was still far from completing the project. The plug was pulled, but Gadyukin continued shooting on his own dime. An accident on set finally proved too much for the studio bosses and the production was shut down. Meanwhile, various tensions had been building between cast and crew. A few days after the production was shut down, Gadyukin’s body was found floating in the River Thames
with a gunshot wound to the head. Actor Harry Weathers was suspected of the murder and fled, successfully evading all efforts to find him. No one was ever charged for Yuri Gadyukin’s killing.
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
, USSR, 1932?, birth date unknown, died London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
November 11, 1960. Director of cult movies. Although Russian-born, he only made one film in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, Where the Tractors Roam (Там, где бродят тракторы), most of his career being spent in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
following his defection in 1955. He made three films in London, the last of which The Graven Idol was left incomplete when Gadyukin was murdered in 1960.
Early Life and Russian Career
Details of Yuri Gadyukin’s early years are limited and most known information is owed to his own unverified account. He was born in LeningradLeningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
(now St. Petersburg) to a middle class family, his father a music teacher. During the Second World War Leningrad came under siege
Siege of Leningrad
The Siege of Leningrad, also known as the Leningrad Blockade was a prolonged military operation resulting from the failure of the German Army Group North to capture Leningrad, now known as Saint Petersburg, in the Eastern Front theatre of World War II. It started on 8 September 1941, when the last...
and, aged 12, Gadyukin was drafted as a child soldier. His later teenage years are a blank, Gadyukin himself refused to be drawn into discussion on this period of his life.
Some accounts claim Gadyukin to have worked as a background artist in 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"...
’s Ivan the Terrible, pt.3
Ivan the Terrible (film)
Ivan the Terrible is a two-part historical epic film about Ivan IV of Russia made by Russian director Sergei Eisenstein. Part 1 was released in 1944 but Part 2 was not released until 1958 due to political censorship...
but this is unlikely as this was shot in Mosfilm
Mosfilm
Mosfilm is a film studio, which is often described as the largest and oldest in Russia and in Europe. Its output includes most of the more widely-acclaimed Soviet films, ranging from works by Tarkovsky and Eisenstein , to Red Westerns, to the Akira Kurosawa co-production and the epic Война и Мир...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and there’s no record of Gadyukin in that city. Gadyukin himself claimed that as a young man he met Eisenstein and was inspired by a conversation they had, so it remains a possibility. In 1949 Gadyukin was hired as a junior assistant director
Assistant director
The role of an Assistant director include tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, maintaining order on the set. They also have to take care of health and safety of the crew...
at Lenfilm studios
Lenfilm
Kinostudiya "Lenfilm" is a production unit of the Russian film industry, with its own film studio, located in Saint Petersburg, Russia, formerly Leningrad, R.S.F.S.R. Today OAO "Kinostudiya Lenfilm" is a corporation with its stakes shared between private owners, and several private film studios,...
in his hometown. He was quickly spotted as a talent and rose fast through the ranks.
His first film, Where the Tractors Roam, came to be as the result of a drunken conversation. Gadyukin tells how, when drinking with screenwriter Yevgeni Pomeshchikov, they wrote the outline for a story that parodied the Soviet realist
Socialist realism
Socialist realism is a style of realistic art which was developed in the Soviet Union and became a dominant style in other communist countries. Socialist realism is a teleologically-oriented style having its purpose the furtherance of the goals of socialism and communism...
cinema of the day. This document was mislaid and then mistakenly passed on to a Lenfilm executive who failed to notice the ironic tone and took it in earnest. Both men were immediately tasked with making the movie happen. While Pomeshchikov’s script was written with extreme caution, Gadyukin’s direction had the boldness of youth resulting in a finished piece that trod a precarious knife-edge between earnestness and satire.
Given the film’s satirical intent, it appeared to encapsulate everything for which Soviet cinema was striving, as such Lenfilm, who failed to catch the satirical tone, warmly received it. When the film was premiered at the Bucharest Festival of Socialist Film
Bucharest Film Festival
The Bucharest Film Festival is a defunct film festival active between 1948 and 1968 in the city of Bucharest founded by Nicolae Barbu. Originally known as the Bucharest Festival of Socialist Film due to its part funding by the Communist Party, the festival specialized in films of the Eastern Bloc...
however, the Romanian press saw it as a brave satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
and took it as evidence of a sudden liberalization of Russian cinema. Although the Kremlin’s grip on film culture was easing at the time it was far from ready for a full-blown satire, and the film was withdrawn. Rather than awaiting his dismissal or further punishment, Gadyukin decided to ride the controversy and defected. For reasons that remain unclear he was not welcomed by the United States government and wound up defecting to Great Britain.
Career in Britain
Following the controversy of Where the Tractor’s Roam, Gadyukin’s arrival in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
was received with great expectations. His first production in the UK was Waiting… in 1956
1956 in film
The year 1956 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 5 - The Ten Commandments opens in cinemas and becomes one of the most successful and popular movies of all time, currently ranking 5th on the list of all time moneymakers * February 5 - First showing of documentary films by...
, a project born out of a desire to film Samuel Beckett
Samuel Beckett
Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet. He wrote both in English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black comedy and gallows humour.Beckett is widely regarded as among the most...
’s stage play “Waiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot is an absurdist play by Samuel Beckett, in which two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait endlessly and in vain for someone named Godot to arrive. Godot's absence, as well as numerous other aspects of the play, have led to many different interpretations since the play's...
”. Beckett however, was unhappy with the textual changes Gadyukin proposed and withheld permission for an adaptation. Gadyukin’s film is a testament to his ability to tread a fine line, being very close to Beckett’s play in places but always with sufficient alterations to avoid a lawsuit. Waiting… was both experimental in narrative and formal terms, much of the dialogue being a mix of English and Esperanto
Esperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
. Despite a warm reception from European festivals Waiting... met with mixed reviews from the British press and did little business.
Gadyukin decided to change tack with his next film The October Wedding which was much more in tune with the emerging fashion in Britain for so-called “kitchen sink realism
Kitchen sink
Kitchen sink is a term often used in the phrase everything but the kitchen sinkKitchen sink may also refer to:* A sink in a kitchen for washing dishes, vegetables, etc* Kitchen Sink, a 1989 short film by Alison Maclean...
” movies. Unwilling to be a journeyman director Gadyukin experimented with improvised dialogue and encouraged his actors to embrace Stanislavski technique, a move resisted by much of his cast, not least leading man Ian Hendry
Ian Hendry
Ian Hendry was an English film and television actor. He is best known for his work on several British TV series of the early 1960s such as The Avengers, and for his roles in 1970s films such as Get Carter .-Career:Hendry was born in Ipswich, Suffolk and educated at Culford School...
. On the film’s release in 1959
1959 in film
The year 1959 in film involved some significant events, with Ben-Hur winning a record 11 Academy Awards.-Events:* The Three Stooges make their 190th and last short film, Sappy Bull Fighters....
it was widely praised as helping to breathe new life into British cinema and Gadyukin was riding high.
Final Project and Death
Gadyukin’s final movie, The Graven Idol, went into production in May of 19601960 in film
The year 1960 in film involved some significant events, with Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho the top-grossing release in the U.S.-Events:* April 20 - for the first time since coming home from military service in Germany, Elvis Presley returns to Hollywood, California to film G.I...
. This was a bold experiment aiming to advance the improvisational technique he’d used previously to the point where the entire story was improvised. Gadyukin would come to work with a loose idea of what he wanted to film that day based on the sets and cast available.
Despite initially promising results, after five months shooting the studios realized that Gadyukin was still far from completing the project. The plug was pulled, but Gadyukin continued shooting on his own dime. An accident on set finally proved too much for the studio bosses and the production was shut down. Meanwhile, various tensions had been building between cast and crew. A few days after the production was shut down, Gadyukin’s body was found floating in the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
with a gunshot wound to the head. Actor Harry Weathers was suspected of the murder and fled, successfully evading all efforts to find him. No one was ever charged for Yuri Gadyukin’s killing.
Filmography
- 1954 Where the Tractors Roam
- 1956 Waiting…
- 1959 The October Wedding
- 1960 The Graven Idol (unfinished)