Timur Bekmambetov: Especially Talented

Directing, regardless of whether it is about theater or cinema, is perhaps the most non-random profession possible. They do not come to it, because they "passed by", they do not accept directors based on the results of school exams - this is a kind of path, a way of thinking, a certain courage and self-confidence, and most importantly - many years of understanding oneself not only in the profession, but also in life generally. In general, by and large, directing is difficult to consider as a profession in the full sense of the word, rather a philosophy that is supported by a set of certain necessary skills (if you don't know how to expose the light or have not grasped the basics of editing, great ideas will not lead anywhere). Timur Bekmambetov did not become an exception to his “arrival” in the world of cinema.

One of the most famous directors not only in our country, but also far beyond its borders, Timur Bekmambetov was born in a small provincial town called Guryev (today it is called Atyrau) in Kazakhstan, in 1961. The future director combined several nationalities at once - his father is Kazakh, his mother has Belarusian roots. Bekmambetov is very proud of his family history: his ancestors on his father's side came from an ancient Kazakh family. As an adult, the director was able to trace the family lineage back to the 10th century.

Before realizing the necessity of his presence in the art of cinematography, Bekmambetov managed to study at the Moscow Power Engineering Institute for several years, safely fly out of it, move to Uzbekistan and … fall in love with Central Asia. The future director never returned to Moscow: unexpectedly deciding to devote himself to cinema, he settled in Tashkent, where he studied at the theater institute for several years, worked as an artist in the theater, and then at the Uzbekfilm film studio.

They say that every director should meet his artist. Not that such a meeting will guarantee success, but fruitful creativity is beyond doubt. Bekmambetov found his inspirer and friend in the same place, in Uzbekistan, it was the actor Victor Verzhbitsky. Today the director shoots Verzhbitsky in almost every film.

In the early 90s, Bekmambetov again tried to conquer the capital, this time quite successfully. Then the country, which was difficult and slow to adapt to the new reality, was just beginning to learn Western traditions - advertising invaded the consciousness of the Russian people, and, which is typical, immediately completely captured him. Bekmambetov, feeling the spirit of the times, undertook to shoot commercials, which many remember even after many years - for example, advertising of KAMAZ vehicles, or rather its slogan "Tanks are not afraid of dirt" is still popular among the people.

Then there was advertising and, finally, the beginning of work in real cinema - in 1994, Bekmambetov acted as a screenwriter and partly a director in the film "Peshawar Waltz", which won success in the United States and then around the world. True, a film called "Escape from Afghanistan" was released, however, this did not affect its popularity in any way. The film was awarded several prestigious awards at once: at the Sorrento Film Festival, in Karlovy Vary, and in Russia, the director's first feature film received the Kinotavr Film Critics Prize. In 1997, Bekmambetov was recognized as the best young director, according to the authoritative opinion of the Russian Film Academy.

But still, real, audience fame, which, perhaps, every artist dreams of, came to Bekmambetov only in 2004. Then the screens came out "Night Watch" based on the book of the same name by Sergei Lukyanenko. From a previously little-known work, Bekmambetov managed to make a real hit, and not only at the expense of stars like Gosha Kutsenko and Konstantin Khabensky. Russia has not yet seen such a level of fantasy (alas, there is every chance that it will not see it for a long time) and the point, by the way, is not only in the special effects, but also in the deep philosophy that Bekmambetov managed to bring into this story. This movie was watched, it seems, without exception. And, by the way, not only in our country. In the West, Bekmambetov's creation was accepted favorably, and Quentin Tarantino, he was absolutely delighted with the "Night Watch". In 2006, in the wake of the success of the first part,the director filmed the continuation of the saga - "Day Watch".

In 2007, succumbing to the general craze for remakes, Bekmambetov shot a new version of Eldar Ryazanov's film The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath! We have to admit that the movie came out, in general, not bad, and if it existed without any reference to Ryazanov's tape, everything would be very good. But, alas, the creators of the picture made a fatal mistake. It was not possible to surpass the master, but it turned out perfectly to demonstrate how modern directors are losing to their predecessors. Telling a love story turned out to be much more difficult than filming science fiction. Yes, you can't hide behind the special effects … One hope is that the second part of "The Irony of Fate", just like the first part, will be shown to the audience on December 31 every year, when art connoisseurs simply do not have time and desire for comparisons and criticism.

The salvation was Hollywood. In 2008, Bekmambetov went to the dream factory to return to the usual space of "trash" and "action", and again won a grand victory. His debut Hollywood film featured world-class stars: Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy and Morgan Freeman. At the box office, the tape called "Wanted" grossed a whopping $ 330 million.

After his success in the USA, Bekmambetov took a break and took part in several subsequent projects only as a producer. From under his light hand came such paintings as "Black Lightning", "Yolki" and "Yolki 2". It is obvious from all three films that the master really decided to take a break - he succeeded.

Then there was Hollywood again and President Lincoln: The Vampire Hunter. This time, Bekmambetov released a film about the secret life of the President of America, who fights ghouls in his free time. Such an exciting and more than original idea could not leave indifferent the first lover of "strange" cinema - Tim Burton, who acted as a producer on the film.

The next work of Timur Bekmambetov should be released in the United States in August this year. The film, based on the novel by Lew Wallace, Ben-Hur: The Story of Christ, is called Ben-Hur. The film promises to be successful, and the rest remains to be judged only by us, the audience.

Photo source: stills from movies