Slavistische Beiträge ∙ Band 248
(eBook - Digi20-Retro)
Verlag Otto Sagner München ∙ Berlin ∙ Washington D.C.
Digitalisiert im Rahmen der Kooperation mit dem DFG-Projekt „Digi20“
der Bayerischen Staatsbibliothek, München. OCR-Bearbeitung und Erstellung des eBooks durch den Verlag Otto Sagner:
http://verlag.kubon-sagner.de
Jerry T.Heil
No List of Political Assets
The Collaboration of Iurii Olesha and Abram Room
on "Strogii Iunosha" [A Strict Youth (1936)]
S l a v i s t i c h e B e i t r ä g e
BEGRÜNDET VON ALOIS SCHMAUS HERAUSGEGEBEN VON HEINRICH KUNSTMANN PETER REHDER JOSEF SCHRENK
REDAKTION PETER REHDER
Band 248
VERLAG OTTO SAGNER
00050392
JERRY T. HEIL
NO LIST OF POLITICAL ASSETS:
The Collaboration of lurii Olesha and Abram Room
“ Strogii lunosha” [A Strict Youth (1936)]
VERLAG OTTO SAGNER • MÜNCHEN
Acknowledgments
The research t h a t le d to t h i s essay (and o th e r s ) was made p o s s ib le by a g r m t fro m th e I n t e r n a t io n a l Research and Exchanges Board (IR E X )f P rin c e to n , New J e rs e y , an agency p a r t i a l l y funded by th e U n ite d S ta te s ' N a t ia ia l Endowment f o r th e H u m a n itie s , W a sh in g to n , D.C. My p r i v i l e g e i n 1*80-81 was t o work in Moscow, L e n in g ra d and T b i l i s i , and I w ish t o thank c o lle a g u e s and c o n ta c ts a t v a r io u s i n s t i t u t i o n s , e s p e c ia lly a t VCIK (where some s tu d e n ts became good f r ie n d s as w e l l ) , V N IIK , TsGALI, th e Cinema S e c tio n a t LGIT>liK״ and th e Cinema S e c tio n o f th e G eorgian
"T h e e tre I n s t i t u t e " .
ו_
УГ1 L־ÏT
ѵл
7
IIV ' . ן
- וו
I I i *
i r a
УГ1
Т
ו ѵ т
׳'.נ п - г - Ь
!
Í .'f:■
ri»
I »
Il II™־ ־
1 1Г II
да■
F
_
I, 2
־*
_-J II y : Л ■
^ - 7 - 1
״; * r ־
־
1
• rH
I I. .VI
и 6Í י- r .
Il
r ', ,*
־ :־
И■ * N .l
Г
־ 1
״
г ^ - н ^ и г
Ì S Ф יידיו
, _ Г
» ך J
8 ?
II.ГС
1■
J V -
4 < Ä j £
Jkåm я
м т
«
׳ ־ ^
.1 - ■ I
< נ
I ■ V11Ï - =
! 4 5 ■ v
\ י
11
г
׳<גו
ī .־
"
ß i t
■
י
י * ־ ■ * ■
Д і г т З # ' - = i ' ־ י
=
\
■ ■■I Jl.
1■
■*,-I■•
!■Vі І і
H . 1 —Гן • '« ־
ן »« , ,
U
JL>*.
;- У .73 V
• ♦ V I ו
Table of Contents•
pages Text o f th e e s s a y ... 1-70
I n t r o d u c t io n ... 1-3 On D m i t r i ! D o r lia k as G ris h a F o k in ... 4 -8 The , gym nasium ' sequence and 'D is k o b o l' • . • 8-12
Fedor T s i t r o n o v ... 12-19 The * th e a t r e * sequence ... 19-21 The , p a r t y 1 sequence ... 22-29
A d ig r e s s io n on th e b ir c h t r e e ... 29-31 A d ig r e s s io n on Room's c r e a t i v e g ro u p . • • 31-33 A t h i r d d ig r e s s io n ... 33-35 Dr S tepanov and O lg a , a u t h o r i t y f ig u r e s • . 35-46
Masha as th e e t e r n a l f e m i n i n e ...45-61 The f i n a l a u g m e n ta tio n o f Masha and th e
e x c is io n o f G ris h a fro m th e dream . . . 61-63 O le s h a 's v is io n o f n o v y i c h e lo v e k ... 64-67
R e p o rts i n th e p r e s s , 1934-36 ... 67-70 F ig u re s 1 and 2 ... a f t e r p. v i i END-NOTES 71-96
B IB LIO G R A P H Y «14 [י ל ־
A p pendix. Abram M a tv e e v ic h Room: B io g r a p h ic a l
O u t lin e and F ilm o g ra p h y 115-127
Ршс. A Мфілмшетого
F ig . 1. Drawing by V. K o z l i n s k i i t h a t accompanied th e p u b lis h e d e x c e rp t o f
"S1K0GII IUNOSHA", e n t i t l e d " D is k o b o l. E pizod i z p 'e s y d l i a k in e m a to g ra fa ” , in L it e r a t u r n a ia g a z e ta , 28 June 1934.
С Т Р О Г И Й Ю Н О Ш А
ДружюсаЛ ллрж *уд. В. Васямеа»
F ig . 2 . A * 'f r ie n d ly c a r ic a t u r e " by V. V a s i l 'e v d e p ic t in g I u r ü Olesha t h a t accompanied a re v ie w by V. P e rts o v o f "STROCII IUNOSHA", e n t i t l e d
"Z agovor v y s o k ik h u o o v ", i n L i t e r a t u r n a i a g a z e ta , 28 Septem ber 1934.
00050392
. . •Теперь я отсталѵ снотрш как 1 о т с т а л ..,,*
І и г і і O lesha (1 8 9 9 -1 9 6 0 ) was a r e l a t i v e la te -c o m e r t o f i l m w o rk, i f compared to s e v e r a l o th e r im p o rta n t f i c t i o n a l p ro se w r it e r s o f th e S o v ie t
'e x p e r im e n ta l' ( m o d e r n is t) 1920s. O le s h a 's f i r s t m a jo r f i l m s c r i p t (and h is f i r s t s c r i p t t o be f ilm e d ) was ״STROGII IUN0SHA" [ ״ A STRICT YOUTH"], w r it t e n i n Odessa in 29 days i n May and June 1934; i t was a c c e p te d by th e U k ra in ia n F ilm S tu d io s ( U k r a i n f i l ' m ] and th e f i l m was s c h e d u le d f o r re le a s e in th e f i r s t q u a r te r o f 1935. The s c r i p t was f i r s t p u b lis h e d in th e August 1934 is s u e o f th e j o u r n a l N o v yi m ir . P ro d u c tio n was d e la y e d by d is c u s s io n s in Moscow, b u t th e f i l m was f i n a l l y co m p le te d i n 1936 i n K ie v . But th e n th e
f i l m a d m in is t r a t io n o rd e re d i t to be 's h e lv e d ' a f t e r a s e r ie s o f e v a lu a tiv e d is c u s s io n s , i . e . , STROGII IUNOSHA was banned, on 10 June 1936, b e fo re i t s
4
e xp e cte d r e le a s e .
Th§ h is t o r y o f t h i s f i l m i s f u l l o f sad i r o n i e s , n o t th e le a s t o f w hich i s t h a t i t m arks th e end o f th e s t i l l - y o u n g O le s h a 's t r u l y im a g in a tiv e and c r e a t iv e p e rio d a t a tim e when, so f a r as one can ju d g e , he was s in c e r e ly a tte m p tin g t o tr a n s fo r m h im s e lf i n t o a c r e a t o r o f i d e o l o g i c a l ly a c c e p ta b le S o v ie t l i t e r a t u r e . I t was a ls o th e b e g in n in g o f O le s h a 's somewhat s p o tty c a re e r as a w r i t e r f o r f i l m s , w hich c o n tin u e d , e r r a t i c a l l y , t o 1942 and w hich was resumed i n th e e a r ly 1950s. None o f th e o th e r f i l m s in O le s h a 's
film o g ra p h y ^ i s co m p ara b le t o STROGII IUNOSHA ( I r e f e r here both t o th e s c r i p t and e s p e c ia lly t o th e c o m p le te d f i l m ) i n any o f th e v a r io u s ways t h a t f ilm s a re deemed w o rth y o f s c h o la r ly a t t e n t i o n . The b a n n in g o f STROGII IUNOSHA may s e rv e to s p a rk i n t e r e s t i n i t nowadays, when "G o rb a c h e v 's cinem a" i s a te rm t h a t has become common c u rre n c y t o s ig n a l a supposed lib e r a lis m i n th e S o v ie t f i l m w o r ld . ^ B u t p r u r ie n t c u r i o s i t y a b o u t t h i s fo rb id d e n f i l m , d e s p ite th e p e r io d ( th e m id-1930s i n th e USSR) and th e persons in v o lv e d , would n o t w h o lly j u s t i f y a d e t a ile d commentary on i t more th a n f i f t y y e a rs l a t e r . I n any c a s e , th e f i l m i s n o t now banned, th o u g h i t has h it h e r t o
re c e iv e d o n ly c irc u m s p e c t and c a u tio u s a t t e n t io n i n th e S o v ie t U n io n .
I n th e 1930s, th e S o v ie t f i l m w o rld was s u b je c te d t o in c r e a s in g i d e o l o g i c a l / p o l i t i c a l demands w h ic h , w it h a c o n c o m ita n t a e s t h e t ic
c o n s e rv a tis m , p la c e d se ve re l i m i t s on a lm o s t a l l a r t i s t i c e x p re s s io n . Norms were e s ta b lis h e d and p o l i t i c a l l y e n fo rc e d ( th e e f f e c t s la s te d i n t o th e 1960s and w e ll b e yo n d ). STROGII IUNOSHA f a i l e d t o s a t i s f y b o th p o l i t i c a l and
a e s t h e t ic e x p e c ta tio n s , i t s e g re g io u s e r r o r s were u n c o r r e c ta b le , and i t c o u ld n o t be s a lv a g e d in r e v is io n . I t rem ains an engaging case h i s t o r y . And in t h i s w r i t e r ' s o p in io n , th e f i l m i s more in t e r e s t in g th a n O le s h a 's p u b lis h e d s c r i p t m ig h t in d ic a t e , c r e d i t f o r t h i s b e in g due t o th e a c u te s e n s i t i v i t y and p e r s p ic a s it y o f th e f i l m ' s d i r e c t o r , Abram Room (1 8 9 4 -1 9 7 6 ).^ The p r in c ip a l aims o f t h i s paper a r e , t h e r e f o r e , to d e m on stra te t h a t th e v a lu e o f O le s h a 's t e x t i s enhanced by c o n s id e r in g i t s r a is o n d ' e t r e , i t s film e d r e n d i t i o n — to draw a t t e n t io n to t h i s f i l m , t o g iv e i t i t s t u r n t o be r e t r ie v e d from th e o b s c u r ity e n v e lo p in g i t as a c u r i o s i t y o r as an a r t i s t i c w ork o f mere 'p e r i p h e r a l ' s ig n if ic a n c e .
T e c h n ic a lly , ,'STROGII IUNOSHA״ p re s e n ts no im pedim ents t o a re a d in g as a l i t e r a r y work (a s a th e a tr e p la y , o r as a n a r r a t iv e / d e s c r i p t iv e prose work w ith d ia lo g u e ) — i t was p u b lis h e d , t o be re a d , as a f in is h e d p ie c e , u n lik e most f i l m - s c r i p t s . The s c r i p t i s d iv id e d i n t o fo r ty - s e v e n numbered s e c tio n s ,
g
w hich o rg a n iz e a la r g e r number o f c h a n g in g , a lt e r n a t in g scenes o r sequences, b u t th e s e c tio n s la c k th e numbered, te c h n ic a l d e s c r ip tio n s f o r s h o ts o r camera s e t-u p s [ k a d r y , p la n y ] , w hich a re found i n a s h o o tin g s c r i p t Í r e z h is s e r s k ii s t s e n a r i i ] o r i n a p o s t- p r o d u c tio n , w r it t e n d e s c r ip t io n o f a f i l m [ montazhnye l i s t y , o r , t o use a term more f a m i l i a r t o W estern s c h o la r s , th e découpage] . The d ia lo g u e s a re q u it e b r i e f , composed m o s tly o f s h o r t s e n te n c e s . The sh o t d e s c r ip tio n s ( in d ic a t in g th e o b je c ts i n th e p r o - f i l m i c space and how th e y a re t o be re c o rd e d by th e cam era) a re e x p e c te d ly num erous, b u t a re la c o n ic ,
'm i n i m a l i s t ', i n t h e i r p ro s e , u s u a lly in se n te n ce fo rm , and f r e q u e n t ly w ith l i t e r a r y t r a i t s w hich have an Im p o rta n t f u n c t io n a l r e la t io n s h ip t o
1c in e m a tic n e s s ' . There a re s e v e r a l themes and m o t if s in th e s c r i p t w hich show an o b v io u s c o n tin u a tio n o f some lo n g -re c o g n iz e d themes and m o t if s from
2
00050392
O le s h a 's e a r l i e r prose f i c t i o n ; th e r e a re aarked d iv e rg e n c e s as w e l l . The s p e c i a l i s t in R ussian cinema w i l l d e te c t th a t O lesha was an a d v o c a te , o f s o r t s , o f th e s o - c a lle d , e m o tio n a l s c e n a r io ' [ è m o ts io n a l'n v i s t s e n a r i i ] , a method o f f i l m - s c r i p t w r i t i n g t h a t eschewed th e more t e c h n ic a l and r i g i d fo rm o f th e 'i r o n - c l a d s c e n a r io ' [ s t a i ' n o i s t s e n a r i i ] , w h ile i t presupposed
Q
an i n t e l l e c t u a l and e m o tio n a l r a p p o r t w ith th e f i l m ' s in te n d e d d ir e c t o r ( w h ile th e re i s j u s t as much e v id e n c e t h a t t h i s s c r i p t was in fo rm e d by th e te c h n iq u e s o f w r i t i n g f o r th e t h e a t r e ) . These a re u s u a lly in s ta n c e s when i t i s j u s t i f i e d t o r e f e r t o th e d ir e c t o r as a u te u r , one who imbues a f i l m ' s a e s t h e t ic and id e a t io n a l a s p e c ts w it h a d is c e r n ib le p e rs o n a l stamp
( i r o n i c a l l y , th e a c tu a l w r i t e r f r e q u e n t ly rem ains ig n o re d o r b a re ly m e n tio n e d , b u t i n t h i s c a se , Room c o lla b o r a t e d , to an undeterm ined e x t e n t , w ith Olesha on th e s c r i p t ) . * ^ B r i e f l y p u t, Abram Room's r e n d it io n d e m o n stra te s w ith o u t q u e s tio n t h a t th e d ir e c t o r was i n t e l l e c t u a l l y and e m o tio n a lly a ttu n e d , t o a re m a rka b le d e g re e , to O le s h a 's l i t e r a r y o u tp u t and to h is p e rs o n a l and c r e a t iv e p s y c h o lo g y . Olesha was g iv e n 'h i s d i r e c t o r ' , though t h i s fo r tu n a te c irc u m s ta n c e proved t o be a c o l l e c t i v e e r r o r in p o l i t i c a l judgm ent by 1 9 3 6 .**
?he b a s ic s t o r y l i n e — th e f a b u la , as d e fin e d in l u r i i T y n ia n o v 's work12
— o f "STROGII IUNOSHA״ i s v e ry s im p le , and i t s film e d v e r s io n shows l i t t l e v a ria n c e from th e p u b lis h e d s c r i p t in t h i s r e s p e c t. The c a s t l i s t 13 i s s h o r t and t h e i r c h a r a c te r s a re 't y p e s ', pre sen te d w h o le , b u t who have c o m p lic a tio n s and e x p e rie n c e some change, and whose fa c e ts a re g r a d u a lly re v e a le d th ro u g h t h e i r i n t e r r e l a t io n s h i p s . T h is f i l m was conceived as an idealization of a fature m o r a lit y . I t p ro v id e s room f o r tolerance o f ju d g m e n ta l e r r o r ,
p h ilo s o p h ic a l d o u b t, p s y c h o lo g ic a l a p p re h e n s io n , a s e n t im e n t a lit y v i s - à- v i s th e p a s t t h a t b e fu d d le s 'c la s s c o n s c io u s n e s s ', and o f id e o lo g ic a l and even o f p s y c h o -s e x u a l ' u n s u i t a b i l i t y ' t o th e new epoch. The work as a w hole i s a s o p h is t ic a t e d e f f o r t t o d e a l w ith s im p le , p o l i t i c a l l y e x ig e n t n o tio n s o f th e S o v ie t 'New Man/Voman' [ n o v y i c h e lo v e k ] , STROGII IUNOSHA p re s e n ts an Ideal b u t i t cannot conform t o th e o f f i c i a l co n ce p t o f th e id e a l. I t i s n o t i n o v e r t p o l i t i c a l a d v e r s it y , b u t i t does p re s e n t a m u lt if a r io u s p s y c h o lo g ic a l p r o f i l e , em anating from i t s c r e a to r s , and i t s s u rfa c e tra n s p a re n c y a t t r a c t s a t t e n t i o n w h ile i t o bscures an i n t r i c a t e p a tte r n o f c o n tr a r y m eanings.
3
4
The s t o r y b e g in s v i t h th e in t r o d u c t io n o f th e m ain p r o ta g o n is t s , a ' l i v i n g g ro u p ' c o n s is t in g o f Dr I u l i a n S tep a n o v, h is v i f e , Masha, and t h e i r u b iq u ito u s l i v e - i n 'g u e s t ', Fedor T s itr o n o v . The seeming b a la n ce o f t h is th re e s o m e 's arrangem ent i s d is r u p te d by th e a r r i v a l a t Dr S te p a n o v 's summer dacha, as M asha's g u e s t, o f G ris h a F o k in , who i s in tro d u c e d i n th e t e x t m e re ly as 't h e young man' [ m o lo d o i c h e lo v e k ] , G ris h a m ig h t seem t o be d is t r a c t e d by th e c o n s id e ra b le f r u i t s o f la u d a b le , and o f f i c i a l l y re w a rd e d , c o n t r ib u t io n s (D r S te p a n o v 's ) t o h u m a n ity . But i t i s Masha, n o t m a te r ia l p le a s u re s , who d i s t r a c t s him fro m h is p a th , and e v e n tu a lly he t r i e s t o p u l l away, to rem ain w it h in h is own w o rld (he i s n o t s u c c e s s f u l) . G r is h a 's c o n t r a s t in g w o rld c o n s is ts o f a community o f e n t h u s ia s t ic Young Communist League members
[ k o m s o m o l'ts y ] , most p ro m in e n t among whom, a f t e r G ris h a , a re K o lia , nicknamed
" D is k o b o l" [" D is c u s T h ro w e r" (whose R ussian name i s r e ta in e d h e r e ) ] , two ko m so m o łki, one named Olga and th e o th e r i d e n t i f i e d as " th e G i r l " [ Devushka]
and by h e r name, L iz a . T h e ir extended r e la t io n s h ip s in c lu d e G r is h a 's m o th e r, D is k o b o l's u n c le (a t a i l o r ) , O lg a 's husband (a s a i l o r ) , and h e r f a t h e r (a w o r k e r) . Some o f th e a c to r s in main r o le s were w e ll known, e s p e c ia lly Maksim S h tra u k h (1 9 0 0 -1 9 7 4 ) as T s it r o n o v , * * O lga Z h izn eva (1 8 9 9 -1 9 7 2 ) as Masha S te p a n o v a ,*^ and D m i t r i i D o r lia k (1 9 1 2 -1 9 3 8 ) as G ris h a F o k in .
The b io g ra p h y o f D m i t r i i D o r lia k m ig h t su g g e st some a b s tru s e c lu e s t o th e d i f f i c u l t i e s o f STROGII IUNOSHA. The D o r lia k f a m ily had descended from re fu g e e s fro m th e French R e v o lu tio n . H is m o th e r, K s e n iia N ik o la e v n a D o r lia k (1 8 8 1 -1 9 4 5 ) had once been a la d y - in - w a it in g in th e l a s t Romanov c o u r t , b u t she had s ta y e d on in S o v ie t tim e s ( im p la u s ib le as i t seems) t o a c h ie v e
prom inence i n Moscow's p o l i t i c a l l y in fo rm e d m usic community as C h a ir o f V o ca l M usic a t th e Moscow S ta te C o n s e rv a to ry . Both she and h e r d a u g h te r ( D m i t r i i 's s i s t e r ) , Nina L 'v o v n a D o r lia k ( b . 1 9 0 6 ), had e s tim a b le r e p u ta tio n s as s in g e r s and pedagogues. N ina D o r lia k was m a rrie d t o th e p i a n i s t , S v ia to s la v R ic h te r (b o rn 1 9 1 4 ). D m i t r i i D o r lia k was an a c to r in th e Vaghtangov T h e a tre Company.
He won immense r e c o g n itio n and p o p u la r it y a p p a re n tly le s s f o r h is a c tin g a b i l i t i e s th a n f o r h is e x tre m e ly handsome p h ysiq u e and e x q u is it e b e a rin g .
A p p a re n tly a f t e r h is p a r t in STROGII IUNOSHA had been f ilm e d , D o r lia k was g iv e n a r o le i n 20RI PARIZHA [TWILIGHT OF PARIS (1 9 3 6 , re le a s e d i n March 1 9 3 7 )], d u r in g w hich he was supposed t o have begun a romance w it h th e a c tr e s s A n to n in a Maksimova (who was a ls o i n t h a t f i l m ) . * * * He became n o to r io u s a f t e r an a r t i c l e i n th e newspaper K in o , e n t i t l e d "A V u lg a ria n fro m th e Vakhtangov T h e a te r'1, condemned h is "m o ra l t u r p i t u d e " v a lle g e d ly f o r c r u e l l y j i l t i n g Maksimova, whereupon B o r is S h u m ia ts k ii ( re s p o n s ib le f o r th e newspaper d e n u n c ia tio n , Head o f th e M ain M o tio n P ic tu r e A d m in is t r a tio n , and S e rg e i E is e n s te in 's n e m e s is )*^ fo rb a d e any f u t u r e work in f i lm s f o r D o r lia k .
D m i t r i i D o r lia k was as c lo s e as e v e r one has heard t o a S o v ie t *m atinee i d o l ' , and a b io g ra p h e r d e s c rib e s him i n s in c e re b u t n e a r-ra p tu ro u s to n e s , a t t e s t in g as w e ll t o th e a d o ra tio n bestowed on him by th e p u b lic . In r e c a llin g a p o r t r a i t o f th e a c to r t h a t had once hung in th e Vakhtangov T h e a tre , l u r i i E la g in [ J e la g in ] s a id t h a t D o r lia k was
a s t r i k i n g l y handsome young man. True n o b i l i t y was r e fle c t e d in th e f i n e , a r i s t o c r a t i c fe a tu r e s o f h is fa c e th a t had been p a in te d in p r o f i l e . E v e ry th in g about i t was in harmony and p e r f e c t io n . No s c u lp t o r in th e w o rld c o u ld have c o n c e ive d a в more b e a u t if u l f a c e • • • •
And he added t h a t D o r lia k
began a ra p id c lim b up th e t h e a t r i c a l la d d e r o f success because o f h is p h y s ic a l appearance, There was no o th e r young a c to r in Moscow who had D m i t r i i 's su p e rb and p o w e rfu l p h y s iq u e .• • • 18
D o r lia k was f u r t h e r d e s c rib e d as a d a s h in g h a b itu é o f Moscow's expensive r e s ta u r a n ts ( th e n , as now, t h i s h a b it presupposed p o l i t i c a l c o n n e c tio n and f i s c a l m eans), as " th e o n ly h e a lth y young man in th e S o v ie t Union who walked around w it h a c a n e ", as one who s to o d i n c o n tr a s t t o th e a ffe c t e d p r o le ta r ia n v u lg a r it y o f o th e rs by th e " s t r i k i n g s i m p l i c i t y " and " f a u l t l e s s t a s t e " o f h is a t t i r e . One n ig h t s u s p e c t t h a t such b e a u t if u l m a le s, a t t r a c t i v e in th e way t h a t th e 'p e a s a n t p o e t' S e rg e i E senin had been, a re n o t alw ays h e te ro - s e x u a lly i n c l i n e d . E la g in w ro te t h a t D o r lia k "seldom to o k any la d ie s t o the r e s ta u r a n ts , though women p la y e d an im p o rta n t r o le in h is l i f e • He p re fe rre d t o go o u t w it h n e n ". But t h i s m ale-bonded s o c ia liz in g i s coanon i n Russian
ty p h o id , in I r k u t s k w h ile t o u r in g S ib e r ia w ith a Vakhtangov g ro u p . ( E la g in , w r i t i n g i n 1950, d id n o t q u e s tio n th e cause o f D o r lia k 's death i n 1938, a t th e h e ig h t o f S t a l i n ' s p u rg e s .) H is Moscow fu n e r a l was a th ro n g e d e v e n t t h a t f i l l e d th e A r b a t, a s p e c ta c u la r , u n o f f i c i a l o u tp o u rin g o f p o p u la r a f f e c t i o n .
J u d g in g from E la g in 's a c c o u n t, D m i t r i i D o r lia k was a l o g i c a l , a lre a d y p o p u la r c h o ic e , even p h y s ic a lly ty p e c a s t in th e r o le o f O le s h a 's and Room's
1New S o v ie t M a n '. I t i s a p p a re n t, how ever, t h a t h is s e le c t io n as a role aodel was e v e n tu a lly p o l i t i c a l l y u n a c c e p ta b le . D o r lia k 's p e rs o n a l t r o u b le s may
n o t have had a d i r e c t b e a rin g on th e problem s o f STROGII IUNOSHA, though th e e vid e n ce s u g g e s ts t h a t th e y d id , and th e p u b lic d is g ra c e o v e r th e
Maksimova a f f a i r sounds s u s p ic io u s ly l i k e a trum ped-up c h a rg e . B ut th e f i l m ' s tre a tm e n t o f ■ a le p h y s ic a lit y ( w it h G ris h a and D is k o b o l) d id come a t an
h i s t o r i c a l l y in a u s p ic io u s moment.
G ris h a F o k in 's ( D o r l i a k 's ) a r r i v a l a t S te p a n o v 's dacha [s e c tio n s 5 -1 1 ] 19 i s h e ra ld e d by th e w h is t le o f th e t r a i n w hich has b ro u g h t him i n t o th e r e s o r t com m unity; Masha r id e s t o th e s t a t io n t o meet h im , b u t th e y by-pass each o th e r ; F o k in w a lks t o th e dacha, where th e y meet up. A t th e s c r i p t ' s end, G ris h a meets Masha in a h y p e r-ro m a n tic dream sequence, as i t seems [4 5 - 4 6 ].
Nowhere in th e s e o r in th e in te r v e n in g p a r ts o f th e s c r i p t i s th e re an e x p la n a tio n f o r th e p a ir in g o f t h i s handsome and a p p a re n tly in n o c e n t young man w ith th e o ld e r m a rrie d woman. Nowhere i s t h e i r f i r s t e n c o u n te r d e s c rib e d , n o r i s th e re a d e f i n i t e f i n a l p a r t in g . N o th in g o f t h e i r m u tu a l p h y s ic a l and e m o tio n a l a t t r a c t i o n i s g iv e n an a r t i c u l a t e d r a t io n a le i n th e t e x t . O le s h a 's s c r i p t r e l i e s on d i s t i n c t i v e , n o n -e q u iv a le n t d e s c r ip t io n s o f G ris h a and Masha t o make th e p o in t s , e l l i p t i c a l l y , t h a t th e f i l m w i l l make in !■ages. T h e ir f i r s t 'o n -c a m e ra ' m e e tin g [1 1 ] i s m ediated by O le s h a 's s c r ip t e d , associative p ro m p tin g :
ОООВО392
There i s a ty p e o f male appearance w hich has developed as a r e s u l t o f th e developm ent o f te c h n o lo g y , a v ia t io n , s p o r t . From under th e le a t h e r peak o f a p i l o t ' s h e lm e t, a p a ir o f g ra y e y e s , as a r u l e , lo o k o u t a t you. And you may be s u re t h a t when th e p i l o t t a le s o f f h is h e lm e t th e n i t w i l l be f a i r h a i r t h a t w i l l be gleam ing b e fo re you. A ta n k i s m oving a lo n g th e s t r e e t . The ground tre m b le s beneath y o u r f e e t . Suddenly a tr a p - d o o r opens i n th e back o f t h i s m o n s te r, and a head appears th ro u g h t h i s t r a p - d o o r . T h is i s th e tankman. And, n e e d le s s to s a y , he w i l l a ls o be p a le -e y e d .
L ig h t e y e s, l i g h t h a i r , a t h i n fa c e , a t r i a n g u l a r to r s o , a m u s c u la r c h e s t— such i s th e modern ty p e o f male b e a u ty . T h is i s th e b e a u ty o f th e Red Army s o ld ie r s , th e b e auty o f th e young men who wear th e GTO emblem on t h e i r c h e s ts .
20
I t comes a b o u t fro m fr e q u e n t c o n ta c t w ith w a te r, m achines and g ym n a stic e q u ip m e n t. Such i s th e appearance o f th e young man who now s ta n d s b e fo re Masha, on th e g ra s s , i n th e m id s t o f cam om ile, i n th e b r ig h t s u n - s h in e .The m e e tin g .. . .
O le s h a 's f i l m - s c r i p t f u n c t io n s to g u id e th e d i r e c t o r , and a t t h i s p o in t h is l i t e r a r y p ro m p tin g f u n c t io n s t o a s s o c ia te h is h e ro w ith a s ta n d a rd image o f m a sc u lin e b e a u ty , a t t i r e d , s i g n i f i c a n t l y , in a d i s c i p l i n e d / d i s c i p l i n i n g o u t f i t . In th e im m ediate c o n t e x t , i t i s p r a g m a tic a lly m o tiv a te d as an image t o w hich a woman, Masha, i s a t t r a c t e d . I n th e b ro a d e r co n ce p t o f th e s c r i p t , how ever, t h i s d e s c r ip t io n — one o f two lo n g e s t s in g le passages i n th e e n t ir e s c r i p t — i s hoeo-erotic and c e n te rs on the gaze o f b o th th e w r i t e r and th e p o t e n t ia l v ie w e r s . And th e r e a re o th e r passages in th e s c r i p t w hich is o l a t e the attractive ■ale aa aa object of the gaxe; one example i s n a r c i s s i s t i c , a n o th e r i s h o a o - e r o t ic ( in n o c e n t ly , b u t c e r t a i n l y Idealizing)• Im m e d ia te ly upon r e t u r n in g home fro m S te p a n o v 's dacha [ 2 0 ] , G ris h a F o k in e n c o u n te rs a young g i r l ( fr o m a n e ig h b o rin g a p a rtm e n t, Sosedka) whose own r e f l e c t i o n in a m ir r o r she f i n d s u n a t t r a c t i v e . G ris h a encourages h e r by s a y in g t h a t whoever
7
8
has been t o l d ” 1 lo v e y o u " by someone I s b e a u t i f u l • Whereupon G ris h a
tmb+n
th e m ir r o r , lo o k s i n t o i t , and t h i s b r i e f d ia lo g u e f o llo w s : [SON]: "Mama, am I g o o d -lo o k in g [ k r a s i v y i ] ? "
MOTHER: " W e ll, o f c o u rs e you a r e . "
SON: " B u t nobody has y e t s a id t o me, f I lo v e y o u 1. ״ NEIGHBOR: " B u t a l l th e same, you a r c g o o d - lo o k in g . "
Nowhere in th e s c r i p t o r f i l m does anyone say t o G r is h a , o r t o Masha,
" I lo v e y o u ". I n th e s e c tio n s w it h h i s m o th e r [2 0 , 2 8 , 3 3 ] , G ris h a i s
i d e n t i f i e d as " t h e s o n " [ s y n ] , an exam ple o f O le s h a 's s u b je c t iv e p ro m p tin g . There i s a n o th e r scene where G ris h a lo o k s a t h im s e lf i n a m i r r o r , b u t he sees T s it r o n o v 's r e f l e c t i o n [ 3 0 ] , and a n o th e r where th e s u n 's , ra y s r e f le c t e d from a m ir r o r a re used t o b e d a z z le , t o d e s t r o y , t e m p o r a r ily and p l a y f u l l y , S te p a n o v 's a b i l i t y t o see [ 4 0 ] .
But G r is h a 's gaze i s n o t o n ly upon h is own v is a g e . In w hat m ig h t be
c a lle d th e "gym nasium " o r th e " s ta d iu m sequence” [ 2 1 - 2 2 ] , he i s among a number o f young a t h le t e s :
A young man w it h a d is c u s comes up [ t h e s t a i r c a s e ] t o th e r e s t i n g g ro u p . I t i s D is k o b o l.
From below [ s i c : s n iz u ] F o k in sees D is k o b o l com ing•21 F o k in lo o k s .
D is k o b o l s lo w ly ascends th e s t a ir c a s e .
D is k o b o l. He i s s t r i p p e d . He i s w e a rin g o n ly a p a i r o f b r i e f s h o r t s . [On o b n a z h e n n y i. T o i 'k o k o r o t k ie t r u s y na nem. ]
T h is b r i e f sequence o f F o k in 's 's e e in g ' [ v i d i t ] and 'l o o k i n g ' [ s m o t r i t ] ca n , a rg u a b ly , be in t e r p r e t e d as a s u b t ly h o m o -e ro tic g a z e , b u t t e c h n ic a lly
( c in e m a t o g r a p h ic a lly ) , i t g u id e s th e r e a d e r s '/ v ie w e r s ' a t t e n t i o n t o th e s o re im p o rta n t male o b je c t ־־o f - t h e - l o o k i n STROGII IUNOSHA• T h is i s D is k o b o l— t h i s m u s c u la r, s m o o th -s k in n e d , s u n -ta n n e d , b lo n d , l i t e r a l l y ( b u t n o t a c t u a lly )
'n a k e d ' [ o b n a z h e n n y i] a t h l e t e who i s s it u a t e d in th e im m e d ia te ly f o llo w in g s h o t- s e r ie s [ i n 22] i n a c l a s s i c a l pose, as th e c e n t r a l f i g u r e w it h in a g ro u p o f a d m irin g m ales and fe m a le s ( t h e a t h l e t i c kom som ol' t s v ) . T h is im p o rta n t scene in th e s c r i p t g iv e s h a r d ly a c lu e t o th e film e d v e r s io n , though th e y o u th s ' c o n v e rs a tio n seems t o have been re n d e re d w o r d - fo r - w o r d in th e f i l m .
00050392
T h is s t y l i z e d scene o f p h ilo s o p h iz in g i n th e gymnasium m e r it s a d e t a ile d d e s c r ip t io n . The background i s o n e -d im e n s io n a lt a f l a t w a l l , e x te n d in g
o u t־ o f ־ fram e l e f t , r i g h t and t o p ; th e camera i s f a i r l y c o n s is t e n t ly a n gled a t 90° p e r p e n d ic u la r t o th e w a l l ; i t i s d e c o ra te d w it h e c o n o m ic a l c la s s ic a l p a t t e r n s , in c lu d in g a row o f c a m e o -lik e p o r t r a i t s o f f a m i l i a r fa c e s ( S t a l i n 's among th e m ), p la c e d on th e w a ll a t a l e v e l above th e a c t o r s ' heads. (These cameos veer p r e c a r io u s ly to w a rd th e p u r e s t fo rm o f k i t s c h ♦) The s c r i p t ' s
" a t th e s ta d iu m " [n a s ta d io n é ] f o r t h i s s e t t i n g i s s l i g h t l y m is le a d in g : th e n e x t s e c tio n [ 2 3 , d is c u s s e d l a t e r ] i s o u t s id e , on th e s p o r ts g r o u n d , w h ile th e f i l m c l e a r l y in d ic a t e s t h a t t h i s 'S p a r ta n ' r e s t a re a i s in s id e a gymnasium b u ild in g , and n e a r th e show er room , because a b e to w e lle d young man i s seen g o in g i n and com ing o u t o f i t (a n u n s c r ip te d 22 d e t a i l t h a t d e m o n s tra te s Room's awareness o f O le s h a 's o b s e s s io n w it h th e p h y s ic a l) . Some c l a s s i c a l columns b re a k th e space between th e w a ll and th e c l u s t e r o f p e o p le fo re g ro u n d e d a t c e n t e r - s h o t . The c e n te r p ie c e o f t h i s g ro u p i s D is k o b o l, posed i n l a t e - C la s s ic a l o r H e lle n ic Greek fa s h io n as a ' r e c l i n i n g a t h l e t e ' , on a m arble p la tfo r m o r p e d e s ta l. The m odel f o r t h i s p a r t i c u l a r p o s it io n in g c o u ld have been a n y th in g fro m a Graeco-Roman a t h le t e o r a f a l l e n - w a r r i o r s ta tu e to a c o m p o s ite image ta k e n fro m numerous s o u rc e s , b u t th e o v e r a l l c o m p o s itio n i s a k in t o a te m p le f r i e z e , i . e . i t i s a film e d ta b le a u v i v a n t . T h is
f r o n t a l i t y does n o t c h a r a c t e r iz e o th e r sequences i n th e f i l m ( i n f a c t , r a th e r th e o p p o s ite , a d e p t h - o f - f i e l d p h o to g ra p h y , o b ta in s e ls e w h e r e ). O nly seeming t o be th e s u b je c t o f p a r t o f th e c o n v e r s a tio n , t h i s young a t h l e t e i s f u r t h e r d e s c rib e d as f o llo w s :
S unta n n e d . A heavy s to n e d is c u s i n h is hands.
D is k o b o l i s s i t t i n g .
As i f he i s n ' t l i s t e n i n g [ Как b y d to ne s lu s h a e t ] .
♦ • • ♦
D is c o b o l t r a n s f e r s th e d is c u s [w h ic h he has been c a r r y in g ] to th e o th e r hand. As i f he i s n o t l i s t e n i n g . He s i t s , le a n in g s l i g h t l y on h is e lb o w s . H is ta n n e d body gleam s i n th e s u n .
Someone ( " h e " ) i s p ra is e d by th e ' f i r s t young man' i n th e g ro u p f o r asse m blin g th e ' t h i r d s e t ' o r 'c o m p le x ' o f q u a l i t i e s o f th e CTO. I t becomes q u it e c le a r
9
th e p h y s ic a l and p a t r i o t i c v a lu e s o f th e GTO, w hich th e k o m s o m o l's ty a re t o s t r i v e t o f o llo w ( th e GTO m oral system i s p u r e ly o f O le s h a 's in v e n t io n ) .23 The c o n v e rs a tio n h e re [2 2 ] i s eco n o m ica l and j u s t lo n g enough t o a c c o m p lis h th re e t h in g s : i t in tr o d u c e s th e 'p h ilo s o p h ic a l' theme o f a f u t u r e m o ra l code, i t fo re g ro u n d s a n o th e r s i g n i f i c a n t c h a r a c te r , th e G i r l ( L i z a ) , and i t s e rv e s as th e f i r s t r e a l l y d e te c ta b le ju n c t u r e o f th e c o m p lic a te d c r is s - c r o s s in g n e t o f sym bols t h a t u n it e s G ris h a w it h D is k o b o l. T h is sym bolism tr a n s e c ts th e s c r i p t and f i l m a t th e le v e ls o f Roland B a rth e s ' 'o b v io u s ' and 'o b tu s e ' m eanings, 24 b u t perhaps i t i s b e t t e r d e s c rib e d as an a c t iv e , fe c u n d , an o ft e n m a ve rick process o f s y m b o liz a tio n a lo n g b in a r y axes o f s i g n i f i c a t i o n ; th e se axes a re f r e q u e n t ly c o n c u rre n t ( o v e r la p p in g ) .
G ris h a F o k in 's ' t h i r d c o m p le x' i s g iv e n i t s e x p lic a t io n by means o f a te a c h e r- s tu d e n t d is c o u rs e . The S o c r a tic p re ce d e n t i s th e c le a r re fe re n c e h e re , i n th e s t y l iz e d C la s s ic a l s e t t i n g . The p a r t i c i p a t i n g s tu d e n ts a re th e unnamed ' f i r s t ' , 's e c o n d ' and ' t h i r d ' young men, w h ile th e G i r l i s th e e x p l i c a t r i x . Q u e s tio n s and answers re v e a l th e t h i r d com plex o f GTO to be a "com plex o f m o ra l q u a l i t i e s " in c lu d in g "m o d e s ty ", " s i n c e r i t y , " g e n e r o s it y " , th e n " s e n t i m e n t a lit y " , "a h a rs h a t t i t u d e tow ard e g o is m ", and " c h a s t i t y " .
Each o f th e se q u a l i t i e s re c e iv e s a b r i e f v e rb a l e la b o r a tio n (m o d e sty: "So t h a t t h e r e 's no rudeness o r undue f a m i l i a r i t y " ; s e n t im e n t a lit y : "So as to l i k e n o t o n ly m arches, b u t w a ltz e s , t o o " ) . When th e second young man d e c la re s th e se f i n a l th r e e t o be "b o u rg e o is q u a l i t i e s " , he i s c o r re c te d by th e f i r s t young man and th e G i r l : th e s e a re "human q u a l i t i e s " , w h ich th e " b o u rg e o is ie had p e rv e rte d ” , because " th e r e was th e power o f m oney", and " s in c e now th e re i s no power o f money, a l l th e s e f e e lin g s a re p u r i f i e d " . These m o ra l q u a l i t i e s a re a l l w e ll and good, and th e y re c e iv e f u r t h e r e x p lic a t io n i n l a t e r s e c tio n s . But O le s h a 's t e x t h e re , as e ls e w h e re , has in s e r te d two o f many d e t a i l s t h a t c o n s t it u t e th e f i l m ' s second d is c o u r s e , i t s system o f s y m b o liz a tio n : th e i l l u s t r a t i o n t o th e q u a l it y o f 'c h a s t i t y ' [ ts e lo m u d r ie ] i s n o t v e r b a l, b u t
r a th e r a d e m o n s tra tiv e d o u b le -s h o t o f G ris h a and D is k o b o l, i n t h i s s e r ie s :
00050392
GIRL:
11
[ 1 s t MAN]
GIRL [ 1 s t MAN]
DISKOBOL GIRL
[ e l i c i t i n g re s p o n s e s ] " W e ll, go on, go o n ."
״ A harsh a t t i t u d e tow ard e g o is m ."
" T h a t , s r i g h t . "
Ф
" W e ll, and c h a s t i t y . "
"What do you mean by * c h a s t i t y 1?"
"D o n *t you u n d e rs ta n d ? "
G ris h a F okin in th e c i r c l e [ o f y o u th s ]. Sun. G ra ss. Camomile.
D is k o b o l i s s i t t i n g .
2nd MAN: "B u t s u r e ly th e s e a re b o u rg e o is q u a l i t i e s . " [& e t c . ]
(The a c t u a l f i l m shows an i n t e r i o r s e t t in g h e re , as noted a lr e a d y . ) The two in s e r te d s h o ts o f G rish a and D is k o b o l e s t a b lis h them v i s u a l l y , to g e th e r, as e xem plars o f c h a s t it y (m o ra l and presum ably p h y s ic a l p u r i t y ) , and p o s s ib ly as 'b o u r g e o is * , to o . These s h o ts a re i d o l i z i n g / i d e a l i z i n g and s im u lta n e o u s ly re p re s e n t th e a u t h o r ia l gaze and th e G i r l ' s gaze (h e r a c tu a l p o in t o f view by way o f th e s u b je c tiv e ca m e ra ). But th e f i l m * s s o u n d -tra c k r i v e t s a t t e n t io n here on th e G i r l as w e ll: i t l i n k s h e r to a c h a r a c te r iz in g rem ark, "D o n 't you u n d e rs ta n d ? " [ " N e u z h e li ty ne ponim aesh?11 ] . The a c tre s s who played th e G i r l was a p r e t t y , te e n -a g e d V a le n tin a S e ro va , née P o lo v ik o v a . 25 Her c h a ra c te r i s young, l i g h t , a t t r a c t i v e . But he r s p r ig h t lin e s s in t h i s r o le i s d o u b le - edged ( i n t e n t i o n a l l y ) because, w h ile she does charm th e v ie w e r, she a ls o i r r i t a t e s . W ith a h ig h - p it c h e d , a d o le s c e n t v o ic e , th e G i r l re p e a ts her " D o n 't you u n d e rs ta n d ? " s ix tim e s in t h i s s e c tio n [2 2 ] a lo n e , and tw e lv e tim es
a lto g e th e r as h e r lin e s a re s c r ip t e d [& in 23, 28, 30, 36, 4 1 ], w h ile most o f he r o th e r spoken lin e s a re a r t i c u l a t i o n s o f h e r c h i l d i s h l y im petuous and c o n t in u a lly d e m o n stra te d * th e o ry o f d e s ir e f u l f i l l m e n t * [ " C helovek ne dolzhen p o d a v lia t * z h e l a n i i " , " Nado is p o l n i a t * z h e la n iia " : 28, 29, 30 4 3 8 ]. The p r e t t y L iz a i s th u s p o rtra y e d a ls o as p u e r i le ly condescending and
i n t e l l e c t u a l l y s u p e r f i c i a l , and even i f Olga i s p o s ite d ir . th e t e x t as i t s id e o lo g ic a lly a u t h o r i t a t i v e fem ale f i g u r e , L iz a t a lk s more, t o p u t i t s im p ly . As d is c u s s e d b e lo w , th e d e p ic t io n s o f women ( L iz a , O lga, and e s p e c ia lly Masha) in STROGII IUNOSHA had p o l i t i c a l r a m if ic a t io n s . S u ffic e i t t o say here t h a t th e G i r l , L iz a , i s a t D is k o b o l's s id e in th e f i l m , when he i s i s n o t being p a ire d w it h G ris h a , and t h a t he r c h ir p in e s s i s in i r o n i c c o n tr a s t to th e s o le m n ity o f h e r two male f r ie n d s and o f th e two o th e r main fem ale c h a r a c te r s .
s o lip s is m tend to le n d them a m u tu a l t r a i t by s e t t in g them a p a rt from th e g ro u p ; fu rth e r m o r e , th e a lt e r n a t in g s h o ts in d ic a te d h e re , w ith th e d ia lo g u e , s e rv e t o b lu r th e d i s t i n c t i o n s between th e two young men. 26 The GTO m o tif a ls o fu n c tio n s t o l i n k up D is k o b o l, exem plar o f th e GTO and o f th e C la s s ic a l id e a l, w ith th e Komsomol m o r a lit y a t t r ib u t e d more to G ris h a F o k in , and w it h th e a s s o c ia tiv e d e s c r ip t io n g iv e n i n th e s c r i p t o f him [1 1 , ^.v_• ] . The e f f e c t i s one o f * tw in n in g ' G ris h a w ith D is k o b o l a t th e le v e l o f s ig n i f y i n g m o t if s , w h ile th e young men a re more d e m o n s tra b ly p a ire d by t h e i r com parable
a t t r a c t iv e n e s s , by t h e i r b e h a v io r, b e a rin g and f r ie n d s h ip , and by t h e ir com plem entary * p h ilo s o p h ic a l* f u n c t io n s . D is k o b o l* s r o le as th e C la s s ic a l id e a l i s balanced by h is o th e r r o le as G ris h a F o k in *s ra is s o n e u r and h is c o n s c ie n c e . D is k o b o l i s p o s ite d as F o k in *s s tu d e n t, as w e ll , and i s s t r i c t e r in a p p ly in g th e GTO code th a n i s h is m o ra l t u t o r . Thus G ris h a and D isk o b o l a re com plem entary f ig u r e s and d o u b le s , o r tw in n e d p a r tn e r s . T h is p a ir in g
fu n c tio n s on two le v e ls , t h a t o f r e a l i a (B a rth e s : *th e o b v io u s ') and th a t o f a b s tr a c t/a r c a n e sym bolism ( 't h e o b t u s e ') . G ris h a and D is k o b o l a re Oleshan h e ro e s, and n e ith e r i s re le a s e d from th e gaze and c o n t r o l o f t h e i r c r e a to r . There i s an u n m is ta k a b le tra n s fe r e n c e o f th e Oleshan psyche o n to these two male c h a r a c te r s — Olesha spoke many tim e s o f th e * c o n fe s s io n a l* n a tu re o f h is w r i t i n g , and he was c r i t i c a l l y u p b ra id e d f o r in s e r t in g h im s e lf in t o h is f i c t i o n s . 27 I t i s n o t f a r - f e t c h e d , i n t h i s c o n te x t, t o c la im t h a t the u n fo ld in g a s p e c ts o f G ris h a d is c lo s e a n o th e r d o u b le , t h i s one s ig n if y in g a p o t e n t ia l n e g a tiv e a s p e c t, a d e v i l i s h im p, i n th e person o f Fedor T s itr o n o v
T s itr o n o v i s n o t a m in o r c h a r a c te r . In d e e d , he i s th e f i r s t o f th e f i l m * c h a r a c te r s t o be p re s e n te d , and h is i n i t i a l appearance i s accompanied by a lo n g p h y s ic a l and c h a ra c te r d e s c r ip tio n in O le s h a 's s c r i p t ( i t i s not c o in c id e n t a l t h a t t h i s paragraph [ i n 1 ] i s a lm o s t e x a c tly th e same in le n g th and number o f words as th e a s s o c ia tiv e d e s c r ip tio n o f G ris h a [ 1 1 ] ) :
00050392
In th e garden, near th e v e ra n d a , s i t s a man in a w ic k e r c h a ir . I b i s i s Fedor Ia k o v le v ic h T s itr o n o v , a f r ie n d o f th e m aster o f th e house.
He has an im p le a s a n t appearance.
Im agine a face on w hich i s c o n s ta n tly p re s e rv e d an e x p re s s io n o f a person about t o doze o f f . H is lo w e r l i p i s about t o d ro o p .
H is cheeks have become a l l p u f f y .
Add t o th a t th e f a c t t h a t th e man s i t t i n g i n th e c h a ir i s n o t young. And t h a t he has eaten and d ru n k a g r e a t d e a l and has s a te d h is g lu tto n y as much as he c o u ld d u rin g th e c o u rs e o f h is l i f e . He had always been in c lin e d t o c o rp u le n c e . There was a tim e when t h i s c o rp u le n ce c o u ld make i t s e l f e s p e c ia lly m a n ife s t. But a c a ta s tro p h e o c c u rre d , p o s s ib ly p h y s ic a l i n n a tu re , perhaps a k id n e y d is e a s e , and as a r e s u l t o f t h i s c a ta s tro p h e th e re o c c u rre d a sudden lo s s o f w e ig h t, w h ich le d t o a c e r t a in
p r e s e n tly o b se rv a b le sa g g in g in t h i s m an's f ig u r e • N o n e th e le s s , anyone who took a lo o k a t him would say t h a t th e man was s t o u t , r a th e r than t h in .
T h is passage i s fo llo w e d by a b r i e f s e r ie s o f s h o ts [ 2 ] t h a t in tr o d u c e th e 'd o w n s ta ir s ' s id e o f th e Stepanov household (a cook and a k itc h e n maid p e rfo rm in g t h e i r c h o re s ). The house i s c h a r a c te r iz e d as c le a n and s h in in g , w it h h ig h , w h ite doors and w it h windows o v e r lo o k in g th e back s id e o f th e garden and g iv in g a view o n to th e g ra v e le d garden p a th s , w hich p ro v id e s an
'o p e n in g ' in t o th e v e ry n e x t s h o t, on th e r i v e r s h o re , in tr o d u c in g Masha a f t e r h e r swim [ 3 ] . T h is i s a t y p i c a l t r a n s i t i o n s h o t in a f i l m . (The
i n t e l l e c t u a l i z e d * t e x t u r a l ' m a tc h -o n -th e -c u t fro m one s h o t t o th e n e x t s h o t—
g ra v e l/s a n d — would be lo s t on a l l b u t th e most c in e m a tic a lly s o p h is tic a te d v ie w e r s .) However, th e f i n a l l i n e o f t h i s s e c tio n o f th e s c r i p t [ 2 ] i s an e a r ly in s ta n c e o f th e b in a ry s i g n i f i c a t i o n and c o n t r a d ic t o r y n a r r a t iv e s t r a t e g ie s o f STROGII IUNOSHA: th e f i n a l l i n e (a re p e a te d one) i s , *1The
flo w e r s a re c o m p le te ly s t i l l " [ Nepodvizhno s t o i a t t s v e t y ] , and th e f i l m shows p r e c is e ly t h a t . I t i s sa fe t o i n t e r p r e t t h i s as a comment, even i f a m inor one, on th e l i f e - s t y l e c o n ta in e d w it h in th e Stepanov h o u s e h o ld , i . e . , t h a t
13
14
i t i s s t a t i c i n th e tim e o f dynamic changes. But i t i s a ls o a p r e t t y and becalmed s ig n o f a c o m fo rta b le l i f e ( , o f th e p a s t 1, a c c o rd in g t o th e then e s ta b lis h e d dom inant id e o lo g y ; , o f th e id e a liz e d f u t u r e ' , a c c o rd in g t o O le s h a 's d e s ir e s ) , i t i s a k in d o f s h o t common i n s i l e n t f ilm s o f an a n t ic ip a t o r y q u ie t , and i t precedes th e in t r o d u c t io n o f Masha.
The scre e n tim e ( d ie g e t ic tim e ) from th e f i r s t s ig h t o f T s itr o n o v t o th e f i r s t s ig h t o f Masha i s v e ry s h o r t . O le s h a 's s c r ip t e d , p r e j u d i c i a l d e s c r ip t io n o f T s itr o n o v becomes a b r i e f s e r ie s o f images i n th e f i l m • But h is c h a r a c te r i s w e ll d e lin e a te d in subsequent sequences. Abram Room's b io g ra p h e r g iv e s t h i s e f f i c i e n t summary o f him :
T s itr o n o v i s a c y n ic , a p a r a s ite , a m o ra l s a d is t He de־ a e s t h e t ic iz e s and v u lg a r iz e s e v e r y th in g touched by h is hands, eyes and w o rd s. He p e rc e iv e s e v e r y th in g as consumer ite m s : T h is can be gobbled up [ s o z h r a t '] , t h a t can be lapped up [ v y l a k a t * ] , a t h i r d t h in g can be used i n a n o th e r way. Here he makes s p o ts w it h h is d i r t y f in g e r s a l l o v e r a w ine b o t t l e 's s tre a m lin e d s u r fa c e s , s h in in g [ i n th e s u n - l i g h t ] . Here he d ro p s th e ashes o f a c ig a r s to le n fro m Stepanov• Here he spends a lo n g tim e s ta n d in g in a s o r t o f p a th e tic d o g 's pose, lo o k in g th ro u g h th e k e y - h o le , w a tc h in g Masha a t h e r m o rn in g [ s i c ] t o i l e t .
In h is m onologue, even woman becomes a g a s tro n o m ic ite m , to ra n k w it h c ig a r s , p a s t r ie s and d r in k s . And h is e v a lu a to r y ju d g m e n ts o fte n a re o f a d ig e s t iv e c h a r a c te r .28
The m e ta p h o ric d e s c r ip t io n o f T s itr o n o v as a v o ra c io u s a n im a l i s a p p r o p r ia te . T h is b ê te humaine d re sse s i n b la c k , even in th e h o t, s u n -d re n ch e d o u td o o rs , and h is costume s i g n i f i e s an outmoded l i f e - s t y l e and h is f u n c t io n w it h in th e Stepanov household b o th as a la c k e y o r s e rv a n t and h a n g e r-o n : h is a c t i v i t i e s o f t e n in v o lv e th e f o n d lin g o f fo o d t r a y s and b o t t l e s , h is arms a re o fte n fo ld e d , w a i t e r - l i k e . 'B la c k ' a ls o d e s c rib e s h is s o u l, as he is g re e d y , a m a lic io u s in g r a t e , and e n v io u s o f h is b e t t e r s . He com m its an
'u lt im a t e c r im e ' in O le s h a 's a e s th e tic w o rld by u s in g h is a b i l i t y t o see f o r a p e t t y and i l l i c i t purpose— he peeps th ro u g h a k e y -h o le a t Masha [ 4 2 ] ,
00050392
b u t g e ts found o u t [A 4 ]. On th e s y m b o lic l e v e l , he i s a d o u b le a ls o o f Dr S tepanov. In a scene in th e im p o rta n t " h o s p it a l sequence" [ 3 7 ] , T s itr o n o v hands Stepanov a peach:
. . . [S te p a n o v ] d e vo u rs th e peach l i k e a nonkey.
He e a ts th e peach w it h h is e n t ir e palm . J u ic e flo w s . He ta ke s th e p i t o u t o f h is mouth w ith h is hands.
T s itr o n o v hands him a second peach.
He devours i t in th e same way.
D is t r a c t e d , Stepanov th e n blames T s itr o n o v f o r e a tin g th e second peach; he i s g iv e n a g la s s o f cognac, w hich he s p i l l s o v e r h im s e lf . The 'o b v io u s ' t r a i t s h a re d , th e n , by T s itr o n o v and Stepanov i s t h e i r s lo p p y in g e s tio n o f fo o d . But i n O le s h a 's s y m b o lic syste m , f r u i t i s a s s o c ia te d w ith b l i s s and
consummated lo v e , i t s j u i c i n e s s , roundness and c o lo u r im p ly p h y s ic a l
a t t r a c t i o n and s e x u a l s a t i s f a c t i o n ; flo w in g j u i c e (cognac i s ju ic e - d e r iv e d ) i s a s ig n o f s e x u a l availability. 29 But th e s e x u a l arrangem ent im p lie d here i s s p i r i t u a l l y d i s s a t i s f y i n g , as i t i s a s s o c ia te d w ith ' s t e a l t h ' : T s itr o n o v sneaks h is c ig a r s — o r g a n ic , is o m o r p h ic a lly p h a l l i c , o r a l l y consumed— from h is 'h o s t ' (th o u g h Stepanov o f f e r s him c ig a r s as w e ll [ 2 5 ] ) , and le a v e s o ffe n s iv e tra c e s [8 & 4 4 ] . T s itr o n o v i s indeed th e re v e re d d o c t o r 's dark shadow. He i s a ls o G ris h a F o k in 's b ê te n o ir e .
As soon as G ris h a a r r iv e s a t th e Stepanov dacha, i t i s c le a r th a t T s itr o n o v w i l l be a n ta g o n is tic to h is young p o t e n t ia l r i v a l . H is t a l k a t a te a - tim e re p a s t and a fte rw a r d s i s aimed a t p ro v o k in g G ris h a , w h ile he a ls o
provokes Stepanov by c a s tin g a s p e rs io n s on M asha's c h a r a c te r and by being s l e a z i l y obsequious [ 6 - 8 , 1 2 -1 5 ]. Tsitronov is a dissseabler who provokes rivalry and incites envy. S i g n i f i c a n t l y , he and Stepanov a re p o s ite d ms s p a ir when Masha d r iv e s G ris h a back t o th e t r a i n s t a t io n [1 6 - 1 9 ]; lo n g -s h o t f il m i n g i s u t i l i z e d in th e s e sequences t o a c c e n tu a te th e e m o tio n a l and p h y s ic a l d is ta n c in g e f f e c t s o f M asha's r e la t io n s h ip w ith G ris h a , as here [1 6 & 1 9 ]:
Stepanov and T s itr o n o v a re s ta n d in g on a p a tc h o f g ra s s [o u ts id e th e d a ch a ]•
From here th e y can see th e ro a d . I t ' s a good d is ta n c e .
15
16
The a i r i s tr a n s p a r e n t. They see d e t a i l s o f th e d is t a n t la n d s c a p e , w hich have become v e ry m in ia t u r e .
L i t t l e t r e e s . L i t t l e bushes. L i t t l e h o u s e s . A l i t t l e c a r a p p e a rs , moving r a p id ly .
But th e c a r s to p s (s o m e th in g a p p a re n tly goes wrong w it h th e m o to r, w hich G ris h a r e p a i r s ) . Stepanov n o tic e s t h i s • The two men have been w a tc h in g th e d is a p p e a rin g c a r th ro u g h b in o c u la r s :
[S te p a n o v ] r a is e s th e b in o c u la r s . He sees th e young p e o p le , th e c a r . The young p e o p le a re c o n v e rs in g .
He se e s : moving l i p s . Masha i s la u g h in g . L o u d ly , one has t o assume.
B ut Stepanov h e a rs n o th in g . For him i t i s s i l e n t cinem a.
The n a r r a t iv e i s l i g h t b u t id e a t io n a lly com plex, and i t p ro v id e s th e p ro d u c tio n crew and d ir e c t o r w ith d e t a i ls p re c is e enough t o e lim in a te th e need f o r te c h n ic a l d ir e c t io n s : i t i s c in e a a t ic te c h n iq u e i n n a r r a t iv e p ro s e . In th e above, l a t t e r sequence [ 1 9 ] , as i t was f ilm e d , th e in te n d e d e m o tio n a l im p a c t on Stepanov i s e x tre m e ly e f f e c t i v e ( th e v ie w e r p e rc e iv e s i t ) . Both men a re is o la t e d h e re , b u t b o th r e ־ appear in l a t e r sequences.
T s itr o n o v c o n tin u e s t o ta u n t G ris h a . He v i s i t s G r is h a 's home to pass a lo n g th e news t h a t th e S te p a n o v 's have w ith d ra w n t h e i r i n v i t a t i o n to Dr S te p a n o v 's * f a r e w e ll p a r t y ' (he i s t o t r a v e l t o London t o g iv e a speech)
[2 5 & 3 0 -3 1 ]. G ris h a i s a lre a d y dressed f o r th e o c c a s io n , and he goes to th e n e ig h b o r g i r l ' s room t o use he r m ir r o r a g a in :
F o k in lo o k s i n t o th e m ir r o r . He f in d s i t to o d a rk [ i n s i d e ] . He goes o u t o n to th e la n d in g . The n e ig h b o r g i r l i s behind him*
F o k in g iv e s th e m ir r o r t o th e n e ig h b o r g i r l •
The n e ig h b o r g i r l h o ld s th e m ir r o r i n f r o n t o f h im . I t i s l i g h t h e re .
B e fo re he has tim e t o be r e f le c t e d in i t , he sees T s itr o n o v in th e m ir r o r .
00050392
I n th e room.
T s itr o n o v i n th e doorw ay.
He ta k e s i n e v e ry o n e w it h a g la n c e . He sees th e m o th e r,
D is k o b o l, th e G i r l , F o k in .
I t i s im p o rta n t t o n o te t h a t i n t h i s s e r ie s o f s h o ts , th e c l a r i t y o f v is io n i s emphasized by th e l i g h t , e n a b lin g G ris h a to see n o t h is own, but
T s it r o n o v 's r e f l e c t i o n i n th e m ir r o r , and t h a t i n O le s h a 's a e s th e tic v is io n , glasa i s a medium th ro u g h w h ich th e im a g in a tio n i s fre e d and t r u t h i s
p e rc e iv e d ( th e p la y o f l i g h t r e f le c t e d o r r e fr a c t e d by g la s s can a ls o s e rv e as a d e v ic e t o d i s t o r t v is io n a e s t h e t i c a l ly , o r m e re ly t o e n r ic h th e s e e in g ) . The a n g le o f r e f l e c t i o n / v i s i o n h e re — assumed t o be an a lm o st 180° re v e rs e a n g le , r e t u r n in g th e lo o k t o th e lo o k e r — i s a s ig n i f y i n g d e v ic e o f
u n m is ta k a b le p u rp o se : i t s u g g e s ts T s itr o n o v as G ris h a F o k in 's p o t e n t ia l a l t e r ego, w ith whom he can even i d e n t i f y . 30 In t h i s same s e c tio n [ 3 0 ] , G rish a p a s s iv e ly a c c e p ts T s it r o n o v 's a u t h o r it y to w ith d ra w th e i n v i t a t i o n t o th e S te p a n o vs' p a r ty o r even t o v i s i t them a g a in . H ere, a g a in , D is k o b o l's m u scu la r p h y s ic a lit y i s s tre s s e d ("B e n e a th th e l i g h t c lo t h o f h is s h i r t one can sense [ u g a d y v a e ts ia ] th e b u lg in g i n t e r l a c i n g o f m u s c le s "), and h is anger a t
T s it r o n o v 's in s o le n t ru d e n e s s i s so g re a t t h a t he n e a rly a tta c k s him ( t h i s im p u lse i s sto p p e d o n ly by G r is h a 's " s tr o n g g r i p " ) .
T s it r o n o v 's r o le as s o c i e t a l la c k e y and modern d e v i l - f i g u r e becomes c le a r e r h e re . H is f o r m a lly t a i l o r e d b la c k c lo t h in g i s a s ig n o f démodé elegance t h a t c o n tr a s ts w it h th e lig h t - t o n e d and - te x t u r e d s i m p l i c i t y o f
th e y o u th s ' c l o t h i n g , and h is fa c e bears a contem ptuous s m irk * T h is c h a ra c te r 'c r i e s o u t ' f o r a p re c u rs o r i n R ussian l i t e r a t u r e (he i s r e la te d t o th e a ls o e n v io u s K a v a le ro v o n ly i n t h i s a s p e c t) . T s itr o n o v m ig h t be seen as a re m o te , th o ro u g h ly v u lg a r iz e d d e sce n d a n t o f T u rg e n e v 's s l i g h t l y fo p p is h P avel
P e tro v ic h K irs a n o v ( i n O tsy i d e t i [1 8 6 2 ]) , one o f whose fu n c tio n s i n t h a t n o v e l i s t o u n d e rs c o re th e s o c i o - p o l i t i c a l d if f e r e n c e s between th e g e n e ra tio n s
( T s itr o n o v la c k s P a v e l's s e n s i t i v i t y and h is once u s e fu l s o c ia l é la n ) .
17
18
D o s to e v s k ii's p e e v is h 'u n d e rg ro u n d man' ( i n Z a p is k i i z p o d p o lia [1 8 6 4 ]) m ig h t be a n o th e r d is t a n t r e l a t i o n i n l i t e r a t u r e , whose lin e a g e i n T s itro n o v i s
debased (th o u g h i t was n e ve r n o b le , and he la c k s th e 'm a n 's ' i n t e l l e c t u a l i t y ) , w h ile h in t s o f G o lia d k in 's 'd o u b le ' ( i n D v o in ik [1 8 4 6 ]) m ig h t be re c o g n iz a b le t r a i t s o f t h i s l a t e r , 'e n fle s h e d ' d o u b le . T s itr o n o v m ig h t be a le s s h e in o u s h e ir t o th e d e v i l r y found e lse w h e re in Russian l i t e r a t u r e . He a ls o fo llo w s in a l i n e o f p r e v io u s , more g ro te s q u e movie v i l l a i n s , and he i s a c a r ic a tu r e o f th e p e t i t e b o u r g e o is ie , a 'c la s s enem y', so o fte n p i l l o r i e d i n S o v ie t a r t . T s itr o n o v s c o rn s th e re c e iv e d id e o lo g y o f th e young Communists. E a r l i e r , he has spurned G ris h a as 1'one o f many" ( i n c o n tr a s t t o h is h o s t, whoa he has fa w n in g ly p ra is e d as "one o f th e fe w " ) , and he summarizes h is views o ve r te a by t u r n in g t o th e d o c to r and s a y in g [ 1 2 ] :
" I t tu r n s o u t, I u l i a n , t h a t under s o c ia lis m , to o , th e re i s a l o t and a l i t t l e . "
(Masha p r o te s ts t h i s ta u n tin g o f h e r g u e st by T s itr o n o v , b u t Stepanov, even i f i r r i t a t e d , excuses him as "my f r i e n d " . ) Then, a t G r is h a 's , T s itro n o v manages t o o ffe n d everyone assem bled, n o t j u s t by r e s c in d in g G ris h a 's i n v i t a t i o n , b u t by engaging G ris h a in a b r i e f 'p h ilo s o p h ic a l' d is c u s s io n a b o u t 'i n e q u a l i t y ' [ n e ra v e n s tv o ] and 'e q u a lis a t io n ' o r 'l e v e l i n g dovn'
[ u r a v n ilo v k a ] , a 'm is c o n c e p tio n ' o f s o c ia lis m denounced by S t a l i n and a p e jo r a t iv e te rm in S o v ie t usage: G r is h a 's response i s t h a t " o f co u rse , th e re s h o u ld n 't be a 'l e v e l i n g d o w n '" . 31 T s it r o n o v 's m o tiv e s a re a p p a re n t in th e rem arks he d e liv e r s t o th e d i s ־ in v it e d and d is h e a rte n e d G ris h a , t o whom he a t t r i b u t e s h is own o b v io u s ly greedy d e s ir e s :
" . . . Masha w i l l s h in e in a b a llg o w n . * . . She e a ts p a s try , you gaze a t h e r and i t seems t o you t h a t h e r e v e r!
g u lp i s l i k e a k is s . B ut you h a v e n 't even g o t a d r e s s - c o a t . * .
The G i r l rem arks upon T s it r o n o v 's p o l i t i c a l s ta te m e n ts :
" T h a t 's a f a s c i s t in t e r p r e t a t i o n o f communism. D o n 't you u n d e rs ta n d ? "
The G i r l ' s a c tio n s in t h i s s e c tio n g iv e o u t more o f th e 'm ixe d s ig n a ls ' t h a t abound in t h i s s c r i p t : she moves away from D is k o b o l, behind whom she i s h id in g in fe a r o f T s itr o n o v , goes up to G ris h a and k is s e s h im , t o s a t i s f y
