Aleksei Yuryevich German | |
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| Born | Aleksei Yuryevich German 20 July 1938 |
| Died | 21 February 2013(2013-02-21) (aged 74) St. Petersburg, Russia |
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| Spouse | Svetlana Karmalita |
| Children | Aleksei German Jr. |
Aleksei Yuryevich German[1] (Russian:Алексей Юрьевич Герман,IPA:[ɐlʲɪkˈsʲejˈjʉrʲjɪvʲɪdʑˈɡʲermən]; 20 July 1938 – 21 February 2013)[2] was a Russian film director and screenwriter.[3] In a career spanning five decades of filmmaking, German completed six feature films, noted for his starkpessimism, long, serpentinesequence shots, black and white cinematography, overbearingsound design and acute observations ofStalinist Russia.
German was born inLeningrad (nowSt. Petersburg, Russia) in 1938; his father was the writerYuri German.[4] He studied underGrigori Kozintsev until 1960, and then moved on to working in theatre before joining theLenfilm studio as anassistant director. He made his directing debut withSedmoy Sputnik, co-directed withGrigori Aronov in 1967. Over the course of his career, many of his projects met with production difficulties or official opposition; in 50 years, he managed to complete just six feature films, his final film being the science fiction filmHard to Be a God, completed by his son, Alexei German after his death,[5] debuted at theRome Film Festival in 2013.
Trial on the Road (1971) is the film that made Alexei German famous. It was banned for fifteen years and was shelved by the Ministry of Culture of the Soviet Union until its release (1986) during theGorbachev era.
In 1987, at the Rotterdam International Film Festival (Netherlands), Alexei German, as a director, received a KNF Award for his three films,Trial on the Road,Twenty Days Without War, andMy Friend Ivan Lapshin.
German was married to the screenwriter Svetlana Karmalita;[6] they had a son,Aleksei Alekseivich German, who is also a film director.[7] German died of heart failure 21 February 2013.[8]
Most of German's films are set during theJoseph Stalin era and theSecond World War, and they depict the time period in a critical light. His films, shot mostly inblack and white or very muted color, have a distinctive "murky" look and are often described as looking "aged." He was known for his obstinacy as a director, for featuring protagonists who could be categorized neither as heroes nor antiheroes, and for casting actors against type.[9]
