Children Vanyushin (film)

Written in 1901 by S. A. Naydenov ’s play “Children of Vanyushin” was extremely popular at the beginning of the 20th century, it was staged in many theaters, including in both capitals ^[1] , and in 1915 Yakov Protazanov created a short mute based on it the film is not included, however, in the number of his masterpieces. Over the years, the play began to be forgotten; reminded of her in 1969, Andrei Goncharov , putting on the stage of the Moscow Theater. Vl. Mayakovsky performance, which became an event of theatrical life ^[2] . The success of this production inspired Yevgeny Tashkov to create the film.

The action takes place in a large provincial city. Alexander Egorovich Vanyushin ( Boris Andreev ), a merchant and member of the city council, has four daughters and two sons; except for the second oldest daughter, Lyudmila, who was recently married to a Moscow clerk, all the children are still living with him, including the eldest daughter, Claudia, with her husband, petty official Pavel Shchetkin; his niece Lenochka lives in the Vanyushin’s house - the family is big, but the family as such is not: “All apart,” Vanyushin complains to his wife, Arina Ivanovna. All hide something and lie to each other. The youngest son, Aleksey ( Alexander Voevodin ), a 17-year-old schoolboy, returns in the morning from his mistress, but says to his father who met him, that he was with a friend. Helen ( Elena Solovey ) is close to Vanyushin's eldest son, Konstantin, but both carefully hide their connection from home. Suddenly, Lyudmila ( Valentina Sharykina ) returns to her parents' house; says that she was fleeing secretly from her husband, Stepan Krasavin, who drinks soundly, beats her, locks her, and is angry as if her parents did not give her money. But it soon becomes clear that her husband drove Lyudmila away and the reason for his anger was Lyudmila’s premarital relationship with Claudia’s husband, Pavel Shchetkin, whom no one else knew about at home except Claudia.

Alexei, once seduced by the housekeeper Avdotya, constantly needs money - for a chorus mistress and steals money from his mother; for constant absenteeism he was expelled from the gymnasium. Vanyushin does not have time to survive this misfortune, Lyudmila’s husband arrives, Stepan Krasavin ( Victor Pavlov ), to claim compensation for “dishonor”: for 15 thousand, he is ready to take Lyudmila back. Lyudmila wants to run wherever her eyes look; without a dime, he asks Claudia for at least some money for the journey, but Claudia ( Lyudmila Gurchenko ) has no money for Lyudmila.

And Vanyushin doesn’t have 15 thousand for Krasavin, but you have to pay: if the clerk calls up all over Moscow, that Vanyushin has no money, there will be no loan. Parents have long looked after a bride with a large dowry for Konstantin, and now Vanyushin begs the eldest son to marry - for the sake of saving the family and business; but Konstantin ( Alexander Kaydanovsky ) resolutely refuses to marry money. Vanyushin takes time, and in the end Krasavin finds himself in an awkward position: he is ashamed to return to Moscow without a wife — they will laugh; now he himself is forced to persuade Lyudmila to return to him.

Vanyushin, who always put matters first and foremost, and limited communication with children with teachings, often with beatings, is now trying to “start living in a new way,” and above all, to establish relationships with children, feeling that each of them is unhappy in his own way; but can’t fix anything. He is ready for his daughter to give up business, convinces Lyudmila not to rush to go with Krasavin to Moscow, but, no matter how bad Lyudmila with her husband, at home is not better. She leaves for Moscow, Aleksey, with the blessing of her father, to Petersburg, to begin a new life there.

Everything secret in this house sooner or later becomes apparent thanks to the “true lover” Shchetkin: another scandal is being played out over Konstantin’s connection with Lenochka. Konstantin, outraged by Shchetkin’s “speculations”, takes this opportunity to send Lenochka to his mother: the girl had bored him a long time ago, Konstantin was not ready to fulfill her long-standing promise to leave home with her, and Lena’s pregnancy would soon become obvious to everyone.

Experiences for children undermine the health of Vanyushin. Several months pass, he is no longer the master in his house; the new owner, Konstantin, has survived from home sister Claudius with her husband and children and is now going to marry a girl from the local high society, whom she is trying to please in everything, including a radical change in the situation in the house.

The bride with her mother, General Kukarnikova ( Valentina Serova ), are invited to visit; without waiting for their arrival, Vanyushin leaves home, ostensibly in order to buy a gift for the bride.

Realizing that sooner or later, Inna Kukarnikova will know the story of Lenochka, Konstantin decides to “confess everything”, offering the most favorable version of what happened for himself. Inna throws him into shock with a reciprocal admission: Konstantin will not be her first either ...

Everyone is waiting for Vanyushin, but he does not return: he shot himself.

• Script writers Evgeny Tashkov
• Director: Evgeny Tashkov
• Operator: Valentin Zheleznyakov
• Artists: Mikhail Kartashov , Leonid Platov
• Composer: Andrey Eshpay

• "Children of Vanyushin" on the site "Encyclopedia of Russian Cinema"