Aleksei Balabanov

Aleksei Oktyabrinovich Balabanov (Russian: Алeксeй Oктябpинoвич Балабанoв; 25 February 1959 – 18 May 2013)[1] was a Russian film director, screenwriter, and producer, a member of European Film Academy.[2] He started from creating mostly arthouse pictures and music videos but gained significant mainstream popularity in action crime drama movies Brother (1997) and Brother 2 (2000), both of which starred Sergei Bodrov, Jr.[3] Later, Balabanov directed the films Cargo 200 (2007), Morphine (2008) and A Stoker (2010) which also received critical recognition.[4] He has been referred to as the "Russian Quentin Tarantino" in the press for his critically acclaimed yet controversial films.[5][6]

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming conventions, the patronymic is Oktyabrinovich and the family name is Balabanov.

Aleksei Balabanov
Born(1959-02-25)25 February 1959
Sverdlovsk, Russian SFSR, USSR
Died18 May 2013(2013-05-18) (aged 54)
Sestroretsk, Saint Petersburg, Russia
OccupationFilm director
Years active1989 – 2012

Life and career

Aleksei Oktyabrinovich Balabanov was born on 25 February 1959, in Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg).[6]

In 1981 Balabanov graduated from Translation Department of the Gorky Pedagogical University of Foreign Languages.[6] He then served in the Soviet Army as an officer-interpreter.[6] After his discharge, from 1983 to 1987 he worked as an assistant film director at Sverdlovsk Film Studio.[6] Balabanov shot his first film in 1987, in the Urals. The script of the film was written overnight. This low-budget work was filmed in a restaurant. Later Balabanov studied at the experimental workshop "Auteur Cinema" (Russian: Авторское кино) of the High Courses for Scriptwriters and Film Directors, graduating in 1990.[6]

Starting from 1990 Balabanov lived and worked in St. Petersburg.

In 1991 Balabanov directed his feature film debut Happy Days based on the works by Samuel Beckett. It was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 1994.[7] In 1994 Balabanov together with Sergey Selyanov and Viktor Sergeyev founded the production company CTV.[3][8] The same year he directed the Franz Kafka adaptation The Castle.

His next film, crime drama Brother (1997) about a contract killer, was a great box-office and critical success. The film featured music by the band Nautilus Pompilus for which Balabanov directed several music videos prior. It was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997.[7] It was a breakthrough film for Balabanov and the lead actor Sergei Bodrov Jr., making them instantly known throughout Russia. The success of the movie led to the creation of the sequel, Brother 2, also directed by Balabanov and starring Bodrov. The film is set in Chicago.

He directed Of Freaks and Men in 1998 about the emerging pornography business in turn of the century Imperial Russia. The film premiered at the Directors' Fortnight of 1998 Cannes Film Festival.

Dead Man's Bluff (2005) was Balabanov's first foray into dark comedy.

Cargo 200 (2007), partially based on Faulkner's novel Sanctuary, proved to be controversial among critics and audiences due to the graphic display of violence in the film. Cannes Film Festival programmer Joël Chapron likened the picture to a "snuff film" at the Sochi Film Festival premiere.[5]

Aleksei Balabanov's last completed film was Me Too which was screened at the Venice Film Festival in 2012.[9]

Personal life

He was married to costume designer Nadezhda Vasilyeva. He had two sons.[6]

Death

Balabanov struggled to cope with the death of his favoured actor and close friend Sergei Bodrov Jr. In 2002 and after Bodrov's death, Balabanov's alcohol consumption increased considerably. Balabanov died on 18 May 2013 of a heart attack.[6][8][10]

Balabanov was buried near his father's grave at Smolensky Cemetery in St. Petersburg.[11]

Unfinished works

Prior to his death, Balabanov was reportedly planning to make a film on Stalin, portraying him as a 'godfather of crime'."[6]

Legacy

Largely due to the popularity of Brother and Brother 2, Balabanov enjoys a legendary status in Russia, and is frequently cited as one of Russia's greatest ever film directors.[12]

Literature
  • Florian Weinhold (2013), Path of Blood: The Post-Soviet Gangster, His Mistress and Their Others in Aleksei Balabanov's Genre Films, Reaverlands Books: North Charleston, SC.

Filmography
Year English title Original title Notes Ref
Cyrillic Transliteration
1987There Used to Be Another TimeРаньше было другое времяRan'she bylo drugoye vremyashort film[13]
1988I Don't Have a Friend or One Step BeyondУ меня нет друга, или One step beyondU menya net druga, ili One step beyondshort film[13]
1989Nastya and YegorНастя и ЕгорNastya i Yegorshort documentary[13]
1990On Aviation in RussiaО воздушном летании в РоссииO vozdushnom letanii v Rossiishort documentary, graduation film[13]
1991Happy DaysСчастливые дниSchastlivyye dni
1991Border ConflictПограничный конфликтPogranichnyy konflikt
1994The CastleЗамокЗамок
1995Pribytiye poyezdasegment "Trofim"
1997BrotherБратBrat[14]
1998Of Freaks and MenПро уродов и людейPro urodov i lyudey[15]
2000Brother 2Брат 2Brat 2[16]
2002The RiverРекаReka
2002WarВойнаVoyna[17]
2005Dead Man's BluffЖмуркиZhmurki[18]
2006It Doesn't Hurt MeМне не больноMne ne bol'no[19]
2007Cargo 200Груз 200Gruz 200[20]
2008MorphiaМорфийMorfiy[21]
2010A StokerКочегарKochegar[22]
2012Me TooЯ тоже хочуYa tozhe khochu[23]

Notes
  • ^ Aleksei Balabanov was awarded the "Best Director" award for the film Me Too (Я тоже хочу) (2012) at the Saint Petersburg International Film Festival.

Music videos

Balabanov directed several music videos:

  • Three clips for the band Nautilus Pompilius: "A glimpse from the screen" (Russian: Взгляд с экрана, 1988), "Pure demon" (Russian: Чистый бес, 1992), and "In the rain" (Russian: Во время дождя, 1997; soundtrack to his movie Brother);
  • A clip for Nastya (band): "Stratosphere" (Russian: Стратосфера, 1989);
  • Together with the director Valery Makushchenko, a clip for the band Bi-2: "No One Writes to the Colonel" (Russian: Полковнику никто не пишет, 2000; soundtrack to his film Brother 2).

See also

References
  1. "Russian cult film director Alexei Balabanov dies". BBC News. 18 May 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  2. Peter Rollberg (2016). Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Cinema. US: Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 75–78. ISBN 1442268425.
  3. "Aleksei Balabanov: The Metropole's Death Drive". The Imperial Trace : Recent Russian Cinema. Oxford University Press. 2009. pp. 217–236. ISBN 978-0199710546.
  4. "Russian cult film director Balabanov dies". Herald Sun. 19 May 2013.
  5. Maria Baker. "Алексей Балабанов "грузит" Кинотавр". BBC.
  6. "Aleksei Balabanov Russian Film Director Dies at 54". The New York Times. 21 May 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  7. "Aleksei Balabanov". Cannes Film Festival.
  8. Прощание с кинорежиссером Алексеем Балабановым в Петербурге прошло тихо и скромно – Первый канал
  9. "Me Too (Ya tozhe hochu): Venice Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
  10. III, Harris M. Lentz (16 May 2014). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2013. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7864-7665-7.
  11. "Причиной смерти Алексея Балабанова стала сердечная недостаточность". Российская газета (in Russian). Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  12. Алексей Балабанов [Alexey Balbanov] (in Russian). Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  13. Österberg, Ira (2022). Aleksei Balabanov: 'Brother'. Bristol: Intellect. ISBN 978-1-78938-483-3.
  14. "Brother". Variety. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  15. "Of Freaks and Men". Variety. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  16. "Brother 2". Variety. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  17. "War". Variety. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  18. "Dead Man's Bluff". Variety. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  19. "It Doesn't Hurt". Variety. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  20. "Cargo 200". Variety. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  21. "Morphia". Variety. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  22. "A Stoker". Variety. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  23. "Me Too (Ya tozhe hochu): Venice Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
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