Vitaly Melnikov (film director)

Vitaly Melnikov
Born	Vitaly Vyacheslavovich Melnikov (1928-05-01)1 May 1928 Svobodny, Far Eastern Krai, RSFSR, Soviet Union
Died	21 March 2022(2022-03-21) (aged 93) Saint Petersburg, Russia
Occupation(s)	Film director, screenwriter
Years active	1959–2012

Vitaly Vyacheslavovich Melnikov (Russian: Виталий Вячеславович Мельников; 1 May 1928 – 21 March 2022) was a Soviet and Russian film director and screenwriter. He was named People's Artist of the RSFSR in 1987 and awarded Order of Honour in 2002 and IV Class Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" in 2010. He was also a member of the Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences and was awarded the special Nika Award in 2016 "For outstanding contribution to national cinema".

Biography

Vitaly Melnikov was born at the maternity hospital of the Svobodny town (modern-day Svobodny, Amur Oblast of Russia), although his birthplace was written down as Mazanovo village where his parents lived at the moment. His maternal grandfather Danilo Fomich Trapeznikov, a peasant from the Tobolsk Governorate, served at the Far East during the Russo-Japanese War and enjoyed the area so much that he chose to stay there; during the Russian Civil War he was mobilized by the White Army, and during the 1930s he was arrested and executed "for collaboration with Alexander Kolchak". Vitaly's mother Avgusta Danilovna Melnikova was a teacher.

His paternal grandparents, Vladimir and Eudokia, lived at the Far East near gold mines. His father Vyacheslav Vladimirovich Melnikov was a forester, regularly moving with the family "from one wilderness to another". Vitaly grew up in Blagoveshchensk. During the Great Purge his father was also arrested, declared an enemy of the people and executed. His mother was told that her husband had been sentenced to 10 years in prison and suggested to leave the Far East, so she moved in with her relatives in Omsk, and later to a village near Khanty-Mansiysk in Western Siberia, where Vitaly finished secondary school. He also got addicted to cinema during that time.

In 1947 he moved to Moscow and entered director's courses at VGIK led by Sergei Yutkevich. He graduated in 1952 and started making documentary movies at Lennauchfilm (15 movies total). From 1963 on he worked at Lenfilm. His comedy movie Seven Brides of Gefreiter Zbruev (1970), based on the screenplay by Vladimir Valutsky, became the only comedy released in 1971 as well as one of the leaders of the Soviet box office (11th place), seen by 31.2 million people. Together they produced four movies in total, including another popular comedy The Head of Chukotka (1966) and a TV adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's story Another Man’s Wife and a Husband Under the Bed (1984).

His social drama Mother Got Married (1969) based on Yuri Klepikov's screenplay had been postponed for a long time and was finally released during the 1970s as a TV movie, while the psychological drama September Vacation (1979) adapted from Alexander Vampilov's play Duck Hunting was banned for 8 years and released only in 1987. Prior to that he directed an adaptation of another Vampilov's play The Elder Son (1976) which turned into one of his most popular movies since.

In 1990 Melnikov turned to the Russian history, directing the so-called Empire. The Beginning (or Empire. The XVIII Century) trilogy: The Royal Hunt dedicated to the times of Catherine the Great, Tsarevich Alexei about Alexei Petrovich, Tsarevich of Russia and Poor Poor Paul about Paul I of Russia, both based on Dmitry Merezhkovsky's writings. The films received various national awards and nominations, including a number of Nika Awards.

Melnikov and his wife, Tamara Aleksandrovna Melnikova, lived together for over 60 years. They have two daughters, Irina and Olga.

Melnikov died in Saint Petersburg on 21 March 2022 at the age of 93.

Filmography

Year	Title	Original title
			Director	Screenwriter
1963	Happiness Day	День счастья	second unit director
1964	Berbos Visiting Bobik	Барбос в гостях у Бобика	Y
1966	Chief of Chukotka	Начальник Чукотки	Y
1969	Mama Married	Мама вышла замуж	Y
1970	The Seven Brides of Lance-Corporal Zbruyev	Семь невест ефрейтора Збруева	Y
1972	Hello and Goodbye	Здравствуй и прощай	Y
1974	Ksenia, Fedor's Beloved Wife	Ксения, любимая жена Фёдора	Y
1976	The Elder Son	Старший сын	Y	Y
1977	Marriage	Женитьба	Y	Y
1979	September Vacation	Отпуск в сентябре	Y	Y
1981	Two Lines in Small Font	Две строчки мелким шрифтом	Y	Y
1983	Phenomenon	Уникум	Y	Y
1984	Another Man’s Wife and a Husband Under the Bed	Чужая жена и муж под кроватью	Y
1985	To Marry a Captain	Выйти замуж за капитана	Y
1987	First Encounter - Last Encounter	Первая встреча, последняя встреча	Y
1990	The Royal Hunt	Царская охота	Y
1991	Chicha	Чича	Y
1994	Varyony's Last Case	Последнее дело Варёного	Y
1997	Tsarevich Alexei	Царевич Алексей	Y	Y
2000	The Garden Was Full of Moon	Луной был полон сад	Y
2003	Poor Poor Paul	Бедный, бедный Павел	Y	Y
2007	Agitbrigade "Beat the Enemy!"	Агитбригада «Бей врага!»	Y	Y
2012	The Admirer	Поклонница	Y	Y

Literature

Vitaly Melnikov (2011). Cinema. Life. — St. Petersburg: BXV-Peterburg, 416 pages ISBN 978-5-9775-0669-4 (Memoirs)

External links

• Vitaly Melnikov at IMDb
• Islands. Vitaly Melnikov documentary by Russia-K (in Russian)
• Melnikov Film Evokes Subtle, Chekhovian Spirit by The Moscow Times
• Interview with Vitaly Melnikov (in German)