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1961

1961 (NURIEV)

By Neil BELL

MARIFILMAS (SEPT ELEPHANTS) - as PROD

Action/Adventure - Development 2020

This film - is that it’s founded on the real events. Nureyev was really going to be liquidated by the Soviet intelligence service and there really was and there is the special agent - to execute the order.

- Year of production
- 2020
- Genres
- Action/Adventure
- Countries
- RUSSIA, USA, GERMANY
- Languages
- ENGLISH
- Budget
- 10 - 25 M$
- Duration
- 116 mn
- Director(s)
- Neil BELL
- Writer(s)
- Michael DI JIACAMO
- Producer(s)
- Andrey TETERKIN (MARIFILMAS (SEPT ELEPHANTS)), Marina SHULDIAKOVA RAVIE (MariFilmas)
- Synopsis
- Several times in the century, mankind gives birth to maximum two or three greatest talents in one or another creative profession. They are the main engines in the evolving of the mankind as the united organism. They reach the incredible success, influences, respect and recognition as the personalities, possessing something that is inaccessible to the rest. They grant us with feelings, emotions, understanding, liberation and sensuality, all that we lack so much in our ordinary life.
  And the primary task for each of us separately and for the mankind as a whole, is to help and protect such talents, allowing them to develop and to present us with the light, even though their behavior is not standard in regard to what is commonly accepted.
  Since, when we do get acquainted with their creativity, and particularly with them personally, their thoughts, sensations and internal world change us forever, forcing us to conceive about our being.
  1962. Rudolf Nureyev, the greatest dancer after Nijinsky, and even the one to outperformed him, changed the attitude of the whole world towards the male forming of the ballet, forced us to believe that not only women are capable to conquer the world by their sensuality and emotion, made the "jump to liberty", and already emigrated from SOVIET UNION to France, than caused indelible disgrace on USSR. In less then a year he will become worldwide known. But before that…
  Our main hero, Oleg – the ultra patriotic 31 years old External intelligence service officer, is attending the class in Harvard. He came here on the student exchange, at the times of The Khrushchev’s "thaw". Merry, enterprising, ready for pranks and playoffs, adventures and not getting lost in any situations; he achieves the success among Americans, who call him "Our Russian in Harvard". During the class we find out that he is the champion of Harvard in Roken roll, in USSR he was the champion in box – that is exactly why he dances so well.
  Oleg constantly falls into various loud situations, the stories about him are written in the newspapers and shown on the local television, as phenomenon from "red" Russia.
  For instance, once upon a time he gets acquainted with a teacher of feminine college, disposed near by Harvard and gets invited to visit the college and read the lecture about USSR. Knowing that on the territory of college they do not let any male, except teachers, Oleg accepts the invitation with joy. After the lecture in gigantic common-room, Oleg is lead on excursion on the territory of college, and, having noticed covered pool with 10 meters high diving … , he agitated, burns with the resistless desire to have a swim and jump from this heights - demonstrate an art of the Russian long-drawn jump in front of the feminine group.
  The Tribunes of pool are rammed with hundreds of girls, but he, having got undressed till primitive soviet "household" undershirts, climbs all the way up and jumps, performing in midair the graceful figures of aerobatics - rescues the military childhood and athletic past. Having sewn water, as a bullet, he finds out, that under terrible pressure of air and water, his parachute alike undershorts are teared down. Not having found his underwear under water and having surfaced, Oleg finds that crowded tribunes literally sob from overfilling emotions - overhand it is beautifully seen that he is nacked and his convulsive quest was not crowned with any success.
  Not confused and quick as lightning to overcome the embarrassment, he swims up to to the side and addresses to tribunes the request to be shared the panties with.
  Girls respond to request of "Russian from Harvard", they climb under their skirts… ensemble of mini-parachutes of different cut and color come down to Oleg. Strained on himself gentile rose atlas, Oleg is getting out of water under the loud applauses and weighs out the bows in all directions…This event, either as many others in Oleg’s life, get the illumination in the American newspapers, and nobody knows that Oleg is a scout, and does not even suspect about this, since Oleg’s behavior absolutely disagrees with the scout stereotype. Even the American Secret service does not know, how to approach him.
  The certain amount of time will pass and Nureyev, will also gain the reputation of being unpredictable and uncontrolled madcap, capable of throwing the bottle in to corps de ballet for premature entering or to impulsively pinch the behind of some visiting princess, not conceiving - will this cause or will not this cause the international scandal.
  The Resident sends the task to Oleg - to stop Nureyev’s dance for the West for good - so begins the main action of our film.
  After he got the task, Oleg begins attentively to study Nureyev’s past and present, this incomprehensible personage, around whom there is so much agiotage, this traitor of Native land, this "gay", disgracing his country.
  He begins to search for the ways of approaching Nureyev, who is protected by FBI as if he was a president. Using whole intelligence network, he begins to follow him on tours, studying habits of the dancer and the people, who have the access to him.
  And gradually Oleg begins to learn the personality of this unpredictable talent. He realizes that the KGB had made the mistake, practically with their own hands having pushed Nureyev on to emigration, when they had determined to urgently, without explanations, during his first tour to return him back.
  Oleg studies Nureyev’s interviews and understands that, in spite of relatively young age, Rudolf Nureyev is very clever and has an excellent understanding of reality of the modern world. Gradually ripens the plan - appear two variants of penetration in the inner circle of Nureyev. Either act "gay", or find someone, who will be able to recommend Oleg and enter the company, surrounding dancer all the time.
  Using different methods and variants, Oleg performs his plan and insinuates in to Nureyev’s confidence. The time had come to conduct the liquidation. But by then the ruffian Oleg gets under the influence of madcap Rudolf, he is penetrated with the atmosphere of Art and particularly Liberties in all its manifestations, with all that he was prone to by his nature and temperament initially.
  Oleg communicates with Rudolf Nureyev more and more, and Rudolf’s personality appears before him in the whole might and attractiveness.
  One thing to study the object from the distance but totally another deal is to get acquainted with the real person, who talks with all the mankind as a whole, using the main language, inaccessible for Oleg – the soul and the spirituality and, emotions and feelings.
  Oleg understands that Rudolf is high above the system that Oleg is working for, above the system of the human valuables, which we follow in usual lives – Nureyev belongs to the other system, the system of universe, the system of the divine nature, whence he culls his creative energy that Nureyev tells Oleg at some moment. And only that system has the right to judge Nureyev.
  Rudolf reveals his soul in front of Oleg, in front of this strange and interesting Russian, same madcap as him capable of the impulsiveness and openness, of rowdiness and action, but without most main, for the sake of what it is worth to live - artistic talent. Reveals, in spite of the constant fear, that he could be killed by the Soviet intelligence services.
  And Rudolf perfectly understands that this "Russian from Harvard" could be his murderer, but the relations are already in such stage, that he feels certain perverted interest to how does it all end, how ever not totally believing that Oleg is the liquidator and is capable of killing him – Rudolf Nureyev.
  Simultaneously develops the story of relations between Oleg and Soviet intelligence services. Acting on the task, Oleg is not getting under the suspicions so far. But during the time of delaying the result, the mighty of this world, decide to duplicate the assassin and to send in several liquidators.
  But Oleg, being one of the best agents and realizing by now that Nureyev must be saved by any costs, gets into the intrigues with the authorities and direct physical interference on the send murderers, neutralizes several situations.
  Finally, Oleg manages to convince the higher authorities that the murder of Nureyev will come to the Soviet intelligence at much more cost than if to leave him alone.
  They trust Oleg, but call him back to the USSR, and at this point of time his career will be damaged. Oleg
  expects such a variant, but returns in spite of the fact that Nureyev persuades him to remain in the west.
  One of the last scenes in film will show elderly, drunken Oleg in small one-room apartment. He rests upon the rasping settee looking into the television set, on a very small screen, showing the burial of Rudolf Nureyev, where had gathered all the famous and significant people of our world – the kings, sheiks, princes, oligarchs, world talents in science and arts, as well as hundreds of thousand of simple, ordinary people.
  On genre our film presents itself as a human tragedy, comprised in a shell of comedies, detective and political thriller.
  Thematically our film will touch such questions, as the influence of the strong personality on the surrounding ones, and on the ones that thirsts for that, relations of talent and mediocrity, the person and the state, enlightenment through the art, and ensemble of others.
  The film will tell about interesting period of history of SOVIET UNION and practically for the first time will consider the agent of the great powered Soviet intelligence service, as a human being. What is particularly interesting about this film - is that it’s founded on the real events. Nureyev was really going to be liquidated by the Soviet intelligence service and there really was and there is the special agent - to execute the order. He is our consultant.
- Partners & financing
- privat
  Gilles·Mann filmproduktion
  Derchoffilm
- Production schedule
- Marifilmas
  Gilles·Mann filmproduktion
- Beginning of shooting
- Feb 17, 2020
- End of shooting
- Aug 17, 2020