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, p ...

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 o ...

cinema. He was awarded six

Stalin Prize Stalin Prize may refer to: * The State Stalin Prize in science and engineering and in arts, awarded 1941 to 1954, later known as the USSR State Prize The USSR State Prize (russian: links=no, Государственная премия СССР, ...

s (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 incl ...

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 t ...

of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the 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 the Great Northern War. ...

(now

Altai Krai Altai Krai (russian: Алта́йский край, r=Altaysky kray, p=ɐlˈtajskʲɪj kraj) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (a krai). It borders clockwise from the west, Kazakhstan (East Kazakhstan Region and Pavlodar ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

). 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, scree ...

in the

Proletcult Theatre Proletcult Theatre ( Russian: Театры Пролеткульта; abbr. from Proletarian Cultural and Educational Organizations Theatre) was the theatrical branch of the Soviet cultural movement Proletcult. It was concerned with the powerful e ...

production ''The Mexican''. Pyryev also acted in Eisenstein's first short film '' Glumov's Diary.'' Pyryev's early career included production jobs behind the camera, such as work for director

Yuri Tarich Yuri may refer to: People and fictional characters Given name * Yuri (Slavic name), the Slavic masculine form of the given name George, including a list of people with the given name Yuri, Yury, etc. *Yuri (Japanese name), also Yūri, feminine Ja ...

. 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 Grigori Vasilyevich Aleksandrov or Alexandrov (russian: Григо́рий Васи́льевич Алекса́ндров; original family name was Мормоненко or Mormonenko; 23 January 1903 – 16 December 1983) was a prominent Soviet ...

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, movemen ...

, all of which starred his wife

Marina Ladynina Marina Alekseyevna Ladynina (russian: Мари́на Алексе́евна Лады́нина; June 24 .s. 11 1908 in Skotinino, Smolensk, Russian Empire – March 10, 2003 in Moscow, Russian Federation) was a popular Soviet film and theatre ...

. 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 t ...

, 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 Yevgeny Valerianovich Samoilov (russian: Евгений Валерианович Самойлов) (16 April 1912 in St. Petersburg – 17 February 2006 in Moscow) was a Soviet actor who gained prominence in youthful heroic parts and was named a ...

), when separated by war, arrange a date at 6 PM on the

Victory Day Victory Day is a commonly used name for public holidays in various countries, where it commemorates a nation's triumph over a hostile force in a war or the liberation of a country from hostile occupation. In many cases, multiple countries may ob ...

, 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 They Met in Moscow (russian: Свинарка и пастух, Svinarka i pastukh, en, Swine-herd and Stableman) is a 1941 Soviet musical-comedy film directed by Ivan Pyryev. Plot Swineherd Glasha and stableman Kuzma from a farm in what is now t ...

'' (1941), ''

Ballad of Siberia ''The Ballad of Siberia'' (in ), also known as ''Symphony of Life'', produced by Mosfilm and released in 1948, was the Soviet Union's second color film (after ''The Stone Flower''). It was directed by Ivan Pyryev and starred Vladimir Druzhnikov an ...

'' (1947) and ''

Cossacks of the Kuban ''Cossacks of the Kuban'' () from Mosfilm is a color film, glorifying the life of the farmers in the kolkhoz of the Soviet Union's Kuban region, directed by Ivan Pyryev and starring Marina Ladynina, his wife at that time.Soviet Union 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 ...

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 a ...

) meet at the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition 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 operett ...

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 known ...

. ''Cossacks of the Kuban'', which launched the star of

Klara Luchko Klara Stepanivna Luchko ( uk, Клара Степанівна Лучко; russian: Кла́ра Степа́новна Лучко́; 1 July 1925 – 26 March 2005) was a Soviet, Russian and Ukrainian actress known for her roles in the Soviet cin ...

, 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 or ...

. 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 Kirill Yuryevich Lavrov (russian: link=no, Кирилл Юрьевич Лавров; 15 September 1925 – 27 April 2007) was a Soviet and Russian film and theater actor and director. Biography Childhood Kirill Yuryevich Lavrov was born on 15 ...

and

Mikhail Ulyanov Mikhail Ulyanov may refer to: * Mikhail Alexandrovich Ulyanov, actor * Mikhail Ivanovich Ulyanov, diplomat {{disambig ...

are usually credited with having brought the project to a conclusion. His widow Lionella Pyryeva, 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 Grigori Lvovich Roshal (russian: Григорий Львович Рошаль; October 21, 1899 – January 11, 1983) was a Soviet film director and screenwriter. He directed 26 films between 1926 and 1968. Biography Grigori Roshal was born o ...

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'' (Посторонняя женщина) * 1930 - '' The Civil Servant'' (Государственный чиновник) * 1933 - '' The Conveyor of Death (Конвейер смерти) * 1936 - '' Party Membership Card'' (Партийный билет) * 1938 - '' The Country Bride'' (Богатая невеста) * 1939 - ''

Tractor Drivers Tractor Drivers (russian: Трактористы, Traktoristy) is a 1939 Soviet Union, 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 stepp ...

'' (Трактористы) * 1940 - '' The Beloved'' (Любимая девушка) * 1941 - ''

'' (Свинарка и пастух) * 1942 - '' The District Secretary'' (Секретарь райкома) * 1944 - '' Six P.M.'' (В 6 часов вечера после войны) * 1948 - ''

'' (Сказание о земле Сибирской) * 1949 - ''

Devotion Devotion or Devotions may refer to: Religion * Faith, confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept * Anglican devotions, private prayers and practices used by Anglican Christians * Buddhist devotion, commitment to religious observance * Cat ...

'' (Испытание верности) * 1958 - ''

'' (Идиот) * 1959 - ''

White Nights White night, White Night, or White Nights may refer to: * White night (astronomy), a night in which it never gets completely dark, at high latitudes outside the Arctic and Antarctic Circles * White Night festivals, all-night arts festivals held ...

'' (Белые ночи) * 1961 - '' Our Common Friend'' (Наш общий друг) * 1965 - '' The Light of a Distant Star'' (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