When the Trees Were Tall

Name: When the Trees Were Tall
Genre: Drama, Romance
Released: 1961-12-25
Duration: 1 h 35 min
Rating: 8
Cast: Inna Gulaya, Yuriy Nikulin, Leonid Kuravlyov, Vasiliy Shukshin, Lyudmila Chursina

Когда деревья были большими (1961)

Timing: 1:35 (95 min)

8/10
45 516

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no scores

6.7/10
34

7.6/10
867

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All about film

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Photo 5

Actors and characters

Photo 5

Release date

Country

Production

Genre

Budget

Revenue

Website

Director

Lev Kulidzhanov

Actors

Inna Gulaya, Yuriy Nikulin, Leonid Kuravlyov, Vasiliy Shukshin, Lyudmila Chursina, Yekaterina Mazurova, Yelena Korolyova, Marina Gavrilko
All actors and roles (8)

Scenario

Nikolai Figurovsky

Producer

Boris Krakovskiy

Operator

Valeriy Ginzburg

Composer

Leonid Afanasyev

Artist

Pyotr Galadzhev

Audition

Editing

Natalya Loginova
All team (16)

Short description

The story of a man who routinely dodges all responsibility, bemoans fate, spends his days boozing, and refuses to work. The act of playing long-lost father to a pretty teenager spurs him to turn over a new leaf.

What's left behind the scenes

A real washing machine was dropped down the stairwell. They bought two machines and removed the motors. They chose an old building on Prospekt Mira. The director's assistants visited every apartment and warned the residents not to be frightened by the noise.
Kulidjanov searched for the lead actor for a long time. He thought of Vasily Merkuryev, then considered Boris Andreev. However, the monumental presence of these actors did not fit the image of the pathetic little man who had emerged during the scriptwriting process. Kulidjanov decided to take a risk and entrust the role to Yuri Nikulin. Until then, he had been known in cinema as a master of sharp comedic and farcical roles. Most curiously, Kulidjanov had not seen a single one of Nikulin's film roles.
They searched for the costume for a long time. The costume designer and the director felt that there was no need to sew one specifically for Kuzma. He needed to look shabby and rumpled. They struggled to find the right headwear. In the wardrobe department, they went through a hundred caps and peaked caps, and the actor didn't like a single one. By chance, he noticed a small cap with a broken visor in the corner and tried it on. It was exactly what they needed.
Nikulin struggled with the role of Iordanov for a long time. Makeup artist Alexander Ivanov helped him find the character's look. It was decided immediately that Iordanov would be unshaven.