''Chervona Ruta'' (
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
: ''Червона рута'', meaning red
rue
''Ruta graveolens'', commonly known as rue, common rue or herb-of-grace, is a species of ''Ruta'' grown as an ornamental plant and herb. It is native to the Balkan Peninsula. It is grown throughout the world in gardens, especially for its bluis ...
) is a 1971
Soviet
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, ...
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
musical film
Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks ...
written by Miroslav Skochilyas and directed by Roman Oleksiv, starring
Sofia Rotaru
Sofiia Mykhailivna Yevdokymenko-Rotaru (born 7 August 1947), known as Sofia Rotaru ( uk, Софія Михайлівна Ротару ; russian: link=no, Софи́я Миха́йловна Рота́ру; ro, Sofia Rotaru), is a former Ukrainia ...
and
Vasyl Zinkevych
Vasyl Ivanovych Zinkevych ( uk, Васи́ль Іва́нович Зінке́вич; born 1 May 1945) is a Soviet and Ukrainian singer, actor, dancer and costume designer. Alongside Nazariy Yaremchuk, Sofia Rotaru and Volodymyr Ivasyuk, Zinkev ...
alongside popular Soviet Ukrainian
ensemble
Ensemble may refer to:
Art
* Architectural ensemble
* ''Ensemble'' (album), Kendji Girac 2015 album
* Ensemble (band), a project of Olivier Alary
* Ensemble cast (drama, comedy)
* Ensemble (musical theatre), also known as the chorus
* ''En ...
s.
Regarded as one of the first modern Soviet musical films, and the first modern Ukrainian musical filmed in
Bukovina
Bukovinagerman: Bukowina or ; hu, Bukovina; pl, Bukowina; ro, Bucovina; uk, Буковина, ; see also other languages. is a historical region, variously described as part of either Central or Eastern Europe (or both).Klaus Peter BergerT ...
and the
Carpathian
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains at . The range stretches ...
mountains in the
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...
, ''Chervona Ruta'' features short dialogues combined with legendary
pop-folk
Turbo-folk (sometimes referred as pop-folk or popular folk) is subgenre of contemporary pop music with its origins in Serbia, that initially developed during the 1980s and 1990s, with similar music styles in Bulgaria (chalga), Romania (manele ...
songs in the
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian ( uk, украї́нська мо́ва, translit=ukrainska mova, label=native name, ) is an East Slavic language of the Indo-European language family. It is the native language of about 40 million people and the official state langu ...
and characteristic
Western Ukraine
Western Ukraine or West Ukraine ( uk, Західна Україна, Zakhidna Ukraina or , ) is the territory of Ukraine linked to the former Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, which was part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Austria ...
dances in modern pop
choreography
Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design ...
. The film was released in both a
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
and a
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
language version, though in both versions all but one of the songs are in Ukrainian.
In 2016, ''
BBC News Ukrainian
BBC News Ukrainian ( uk, BBC News Україна) is the Ukrainian service of the BBC which conveys the latest political, social, economical and sport news relevant to Ukraine and the world. It started broadcasts in 1992. '' wrote that ''Chervona ruta'' "popularised Ukrainian songs in a time of
Brezhnev
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev; uk, links= no, Леонід Ілліч Брежнєв, . (19 December 1906– 10 November 1982) was a Soviet politician who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union between 1964 and 1 ...
's
Russification
Russification (russian: русификация, rusifikatsiya), or Russianization, is a form of cultural assimilation in which non-Russians, whether involuntarily or voluntarily, give up their culture and language in favor of the Russian cultur ...
".
Plot
Oksana (played by Sofia Rotaru) is a young and beautiful Carpathian girl. On the "
Donetsk
Donetsk ( , ; uk, Донецьк, translit=Donets'k ; russian: Донецк ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin and Stalino (see also: Names of European cities in different languages (C–D), cities' alternat ...
-
Verkhovyna
Verkhovyna ( uk, Верхови́на, translit=Verchovyna; before 1962, uk, Жаб'є, pl, Żabie) is an urban-type settlement located in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast in western Ukraine. Verkhovyna serves as the administrative center of Verkhovyna R ...
" train she becomes acquainted with a young miner from
Donetsk
Donetsk ( , ; uk, Донецьк, translit=Donets'k ; russian: Донецк ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin and Stalino (see also: Names of European cities in different languages (C–D), cities' alternat ...
called Boris. The travellers fall in love, but are parted when they arrive at their destination. In the
Carpathian mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains at . The range stretches ...
their paths diverge, but Boris (played by
Vasyl Zinkevych
Vasyl Ivanovych Zinkevych ( uk, Васи́ль Іва́нович Зінке́вич; born 1 May 1945) is a Soviet and Ukrainian singer, actor, dancer and costume designer. Alongside Nazariy Yaremchuk, Sofia Rotaru and Volodymyr Ivasyuk, Zinkev ...
, soloist of the instrumental band "
Smerichka") discovers where she is staying. The couple meet again and rekindle their love. Their friends invite them to perform in a concert for vacationers at a mountain resort, where they sing about their feelings for each other.
Cast
Cast according to the credits
* VIA Rosinka
* VIA Smerichka
* VIA Karpaty
* VIA Evrika
Soloists:
*
Sofia Rotar as Oksana
*
Vasyl Zinkevych
Vasyl Ivanovych Zinkevych ( uk, Васи́ль Іва́нович Зінке́вич; born 1 May 1945) is a Soviet and Ukrainian singer, actor, dancer and costume designer. Alongside Nazariy Yaremchuk, Sofia Rotaru and Volodymyr Ivasyuk, Zinkev ...
as Boris
* Raisa Koltsa
*
Nazariy Yaremchuk
Nazariy Nazarovych Yaremchuk ( uk, Назарій Назарович Яремчук) was a Hutsul Ukrainian singer, born in the village of Rivnya, Chernivtsi Oblast. He was posthumously named Hero of Ukraine in August 2021.
Until his death in 19 ...
Uncredited
*
Volodymyr Ivasyuk
Volodymyr Mykhailovych Ivasyuk or Volodymyr Ivasiuk ( uk, Володи́мир Миха́йлович Івасю́к) (4 March 1949 – 24–27 April 1979) was a Ukrainian songwriter, composer and poet. He is the author and composer of the wid ...
*
Levko Dutkovskiy
*
Anatoliy Yevdokymenko
* Alla Dutkovska
* Mariya Isak
Production
Development and casting
The idea to make a movie about Ukrainian pop-folk culture set in the Carpathian mountains arose from the fame of the VIA Smerichka and the popularity of the song "Chervona ruta" by
Volodymyr Ivasyuk
Volodymyr Mykhailovych Ivasyuk or Volodymyr Ivasiuk ( uk, Володи́мир Миха́йлович Івасю́к) (4 March 1949 – 24–27 April 1979) was a Ukrainian songwriter, composer and poet. He is the author and composer of the wid ...
in the Soviet Union. The original idea was to make a movie about Smerichka. However, the scenario was changed to a simple plot about a sudden blaze of love between Boris, an unsophisticated miner, and the Bukovinian beauty Oksana.
26-year-old Vasyl Zinkevych from Smerichka was cast as Boris over 19-year-old Nazariy Yaremchuk. As there was no female lead singer in Smerichka, Sofia Rotaru was suggested for the part. Initially, Smerichka singer Mariya Isak had been considered for the female role, but in the end, she was not cast as the producers preferred Rotaru. By 1971, Sofia Rotaru was already a well-known singer in Bukovina both for her pop-folk songs and for her victory at the 1968 International Song Festival in
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
.
Two Smerichka members had been excluded from filming because they wore beards.
Other personnel that worked on the film, included:
* Director producer: Roman Oleksiv
* Scenario: M.Skochilyas, Roman Oleksiv
* Sound operator: Vasyl Strykhovych
* Caneraman: A. Derbinyan
* Director's assistant: A. Savchenko
* Cameraman's assistant: A. Ermolichik
* Montage: V. Chernousova, N. Kovali
* Editor: T. Derzkaya
* Director: B. Dubitskiy
Filming
![Yaremche_Railway_Station_7](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Yaremche_Railway_Station_7.jpg)
The initial filming of ''Chervona ruta'' took place in August 1971 in
Yaremche
Yaremche ( uk, Яре́мче, translit=Jaremče, pl, Jaremcze or Jaremcza) is a city in Nadvirna Raion, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast (province) of west Ukraine. The city is located at the altitude of around above mean sea level. Yaremche hosts the ...
,
Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast
Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast ( uk, Іва́но-Франкі́вська о́бласть, translit=Ivano-Frankivska oblast), also referred to as Ivano-Frankivshchyna ( uk, Іва́но-Франкі́вщина), is an administrative divisions of Ukrain ...
. The spectators of the concert in the film were actually holiday-makers in Yaremche that came to curiously watch the filming and performances.
During the filming, the crew and artists stayed in leftover rooms in homes in the village of Dora, nowadays part of Yaremche. During the filming, it became clear that Sofia Rotaru did not own the right clothes to fit into the pop-folk style of the film, and as a result, Vasyl Zinkevych was sent for
Vyzhnytsia
Vyzhnytsia (; ; german: link=no, Wischnitz; pl, Wyżnica; ro, Vijnița; ; ) is a town located in the historical region of Bukovina, on the Cheremosh River in Chernivtsi Oblast of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Vyzhnytsia ...
to collect one of Alla Dutkosvka's dresses.
During the film, the mother of Nazariy Yaremchuk passed away. Initially, it was unknown whether Yaremchuk would be able to complete filming due to
Hutsul
The Hutsuls (sometimes the spelling variant: Gutsuls; uk, Гуцули, translit=Hutsuly; pl, Huculi, Hucułowie; ro, huțuli) are an ethnic group spanning parts of western Ukraine and Romania (i.e. parts of Bukovina and Maramureș). They ...
mourning customs. Eventually, Yaremchuk managed to complete filming.
Music
The music from the film came from popular local amateur music ensembles. In the film, Sofia sang "U Karpatakh hodyt' osin'", a song that was normally performed by Smerichka, but had been lent to Rotaru by Levko Dutkovskiy. All of the songs were recorded by sound operator
Vasyl Strikhovych.
The recording of "Vodohray" by the
tenor
A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...
Vasyl and the
alto
The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: ''altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In 4-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in choruses by ...
Sofia was not used in the final version of the film. Instead
Nazariy Yaremchuk
Nazariy Nazarovych Yaremchuk ( uk, Назарій Назарович Яремчук) was a Hutsul Ukrainian singer, born in the village of Rivnya, Chernivtsi Oblast. He was posthumously named Hero of Ukraine in August 2021.
Until his death in 19 ...
's voice was dubbed in place of Vasyl Zinkevych, and Mariya Isak's voice was dubbed in place of Sofia Rotaru in the song. It appears that the original performance had a defective
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
. In the film Mariya Isak appears fifth in the row of five girls, for a couple of seconds.
Impact
![Volodymyr Ivasyuk Museum 04](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Volodymyr_Ivasyuk_Museum_04.JPG)
''Chervona ruta'' unexpectedly became a hit film and is nowadays considered to be a cult film in Ukraine. The title song "Chervona ruta" was performed by Vasyl Zinkevych, Nazariy Yaremchuk and Volodymyr Ivasyuk at the first ''
Pesnya goda
Pesnya goda (russian: Песня года), meaning Song of the Year, is an annual Russian music gala and former Soviet televised music festival. First held in 1971, it became the main event of the year for Soviet singers and musical groups. Pesn ...
'' in Moscow in late 1971. A year later at ''Pesnya goda'', Nazariy Yaremchuk, Myroslava Ezherenko and VIA Smerichka performed "Vodohray", while Yaremchuk and Zinkevych performed a very short version of "Chervona ruta".
In 2016, ''
BBC News Ukrainian
BBC News Ukrainian ( uk, BBC News Україна) is the Ukrainian service of the BBC which conveys the latest political, social, economical and sport news relevant to Ukraine and the world. It started broadcasts in 1992. '' wrote that ''Chervona ruta'' "popularised Ukrainian songs in a time of
Brezhnev
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev; uk, links= no, Леонід Ілліч Брежнєв, . (19 December 1906– 10 November 1982) was a Soviet politician who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union between 1964 and 1 ...
's
Russification
Russification (russian: русификация, rusifikatsiya), or Russianization, is a form of cultural assimilation in which non-Russians, whether involuntarily or voluntarily, give up their culture and language in favor of the Russian cultur ...
".
After the death of Ivasyuk in 1979, the film was said to be denounced by the Soviet authorities and tapes of the film (especially those in the Ukrainian version) were destroyed. In 2014, a recording in Ukrainian was uploaded by the project ''Golden Fund of Ukrainian Artistry'' on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
.
Sequels
In 1981, ten years after the release of the film, a sequel titled ''Chervona ruta: 10 rokiv potomu'' was released on Ukrainian television. In this film, Vasyl Zinkevych and Nazariy Yaremchuk discuss the impact that the film had on their lives. Next to that, the film shows performances of Zinkevych and Yaremchuk, as well as Sofia Rotaru and VIA Smerichka. Volodymyr Ivasyuk, who contributed heavily to the original film, was only mentioned once.
In 2019, it was announced that Ukrainian producer Nataliya Yaksymovych was planning to create a modern version of the film, titled ''Chervona ruta: Nova istoriya''. The film would be a
romantic comedy
Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...
, using the vast body of Ivasyuk's songs. The sequel was pitched as a story about a young and shy Carpathian girl who goes on a journey across Ukraine.
Notes and references
External links
*
Sofia Rotaru: secrets of her success, podrobnosti.ua*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chervona Ruta (Film)
Ukrainian-language films
1971 films
Soviet-era Ukrainian films
Concert films
Films about entertainers
Soviet black-and-white films
1970s musical films
1970s dance films
Ukrainian black-and-white films
Ukrainian musical films