Ekaterina Savinova | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Ekaterina Fyodorovna Savinova (1926-12-26)26 December 1926 |
| Died | 25 April 1970(1970-04-25) (aged 43) Novosibirsk, RSFSR, USSR |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1946–1970 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Andrey Tashkov |
Ekaterina Fyodorovna Savinova (Russian:Екатерина Фёдоровна Савинова; 26 December 1926 – 25 April 1970) was a Soviet theatre and film actress and singer most famous for the leading role in the comedy movieCome Tomorrow, Please... directed by her husbandYevgeny Tashkov. She was namedMeritorious Artist of the RSFSR in 1965.[1]
Ekaterina Savinova was born in the Yeltsovka village (modern-dayYeltsovsky District,Altai Krai of Russia) into a peasant family, the youngest of four children. Her ancestors, originally fromPenza Governorate, resettled inSiberia during theStolypin reform. Her father Fyodor Yakovlevich Savinov worked inkolkhoz. Savinova inherited her singing talent from her mother Maria Semyonovna Savinova. She finished a secondary school and in August 1944 left for Moscow to enter acting courses. She was too late for exams, so she studied in a farming university and in half a year entered an additionalVGIK course launched byVasili Vanin. She was soon dismissed "for the lack of acting skills", but this didn't stop her, and during the next summer she became a VGIK student underBoris Bibikov and his wifeOlga Pyzhova.[2][3]
She studied along with her future husbandYevgeny Tashkov. They graduated in 1950 and in a year they got married. In 1957 their sonAndrey Tashkov was born (also a popular Russian actor). After VGIK Savinova entered theGnessin State Musical College to study vocals. Her rare voice (3.5octave) was so impressive that she was offered to perform at theBolshoi Theatre and pop scene upon graduation, yet she declined all offers, because she saw herself only as a cinema actress and "just enjoyed singing on her own".[4][3]
She played her first big role in 1949 in the musical comedyCossacks of the Kuban where she also performed the singing parts. According to Tashkov, directorIvan Pyryev (who also served as the head ofMosfilm at the time) tried to seduce Savinova. She slapped Pyryev in the face, and after that he used his influence to ruin her career. For many years she appeared only in supporting or episodic roles. Nevertheless, she received the Best Acting Award at the1955 Cannes Film Festival along with other actors ofA Big Family.[5] From 1952 on she also performed at theNational Film Actors' Theatre.[3]
In 1961 Tashkov decided to produce his own comedy movie with his wife in the leading role. Together they wrote a screenplay which turned to be partially autobiographical. The heroine – named after Savinova's childhood friend Frosya Burlakova – was also a young girl with a unique voice who arrived to Moscow from a small Siberian village Yeltsovka hoping to enter the Gnessin College, too late for exams. Many comic episodes were also "borrowed" from real life. In addition to all singing parts, Savinova also voiced one of the characters – Maria Semyonovna, an elderly housekeeper named after her mother. Tashkov, in turn, voiced the leading male character played byAnatoli Papanov.[2][3]
During the shooting Tashkov revealed that his wife had been suffering from high temperature for a long time, yet kept quiet about it. At one point they had to call ambulance. He insisted on physical examination. After going through many checks Savinova was finally diagnosed withbrucellosis: she got infected by drinking unpasteurized milk. The shooting had to be delayed for a year.[6]
When the film was finished, it turned a great success. Savinova was named the best actress at the 1964All-Union Film Festival. In 1965 she was named theMeritorious Artist of the RSFSR. The spouses then toured around the country with concerts where Tashkov talked about filmmaking and Savinova performed with songs. During that time she started complaining about "hearing voices". Turned out brucellosis touched her brain and nervous system which led tosluggish schizophrenia. From then on Savinova's health had been slowly decreasing. She had to take a lot of medicine and spent months in mental clinics.[3][6]
She continued touring with concerts and acting. In 1964 she played another notable role in the comedyBalzaminov's Marriage, yet the illness had been progressing, and Savinova felt it. In 1970 she suddenly left forNovosibirsk and spent a month with her sister. On 25 April 1970 Savinova left for Moscow, arrived to a local train station and threw herself under the passing train. "Just likeAnna Karenina whose monologue she read during the entry exams at VGIK", as Tashkov later recalled.[2][3]
Savinova was buried at the Kleshchikhinskoye Cemetery in Novosibirsk. During the lifetime she was very religious, and her husband insisted on conducting amemorial service in theRussian Orthodox traditions. In 2006 the tomb was moved to a better part of the cemetery and renewed.[6][7]
In 1995Leonid Filatov dedicated the 9th episode of his long-running documentary seriesTo Be Remembered to Savinova.
In 2011 during the 85th anniversary of Savinova's birth a Museum of Ekaterina Savinova was opened in the Yeltsovka village.[8][9]
Same year a book of memoirs and other writings left by the actress,Light of the Faded Star: Ekaterina Savinova, was published.[10]
Also in 2011 the movieCome Tomorrow, Please... was restored,colorized and shown onChannel One Russia.[11]
| Year | English Title | Original Title | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | Life Pages | Страницы жизни | Katya Sorokina |
| 1949 | Cossacks of the Kuban | Кубанские казаки | Lubochka |
| 1953 | Chuk and Gek | Чук и Гек | mail carrier (uncredited) |
| Mysterious Discovery | Таинственная находка | Ekaterina Sotnikova | |
| Alyosha Ptitsyn Grows Up | Алёша Птицын вырабатывает характер | ice cream vendor (uncredited) | |
| 1954 | A Big Family | Большая семья | Dunyasha Zhurbina |
| 1955 | The Shadow Near the Pier | Тень у пирса | Klava Shubina |
| 1959 | Ballad of a Soldier | Баллада о солдате | conductor (uncredited) |
| 1963 | Come Tomorrow, Please... | Приходите завтра… | Frosya Burlakova; Maria Semyonovna (voiceover) |
| 1964 | Balzaminov's Marriage | Женитьба Бальзаминова | Matryona |
| Come Here, Mukhtar! | Ко мне, Мухтар! | Verochka | |
| 1968 | Zigzag of Success | Зигзаг удачи | saleswoman (uncredited) |
| 1970 | Payback | Расплата | Annushka the neighbor |
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