Stanislav Govorukhin

I remember how they criticized the film when it was released 20 years ago. During all that year 'The Literary Gazette' would come with articles where the 'Pirates' was cited as an utterly tasteless film. Critics had never ever mentioned a single favorable word about my films. Nevertheless, I have won a reputation of a popular director. They even call me a classic. Though the reviews in newspapers and magazines, both bigger and minor ones, would run like: '...not professional, not artistic...' 'it's anything but art...' But time's the best judge of all. Twenty years have passed. Why did they criticize 'The Pirates of the 20th Century'? [It's] just a romantic story, an adventure, where we've a hero, somebody to be emulated, because he is a real man. And what is a real man? It's not a Schwarzenegger** with biceps. It's rather a man who can prove he's worth his salt, who can defend a child, a woman, a motherland... Such was our hero. Also our film was released long before 'Rambo' ['First Blood' (1982)], it was like the one of its kind in our country [Russia]. And look how the critics took it. Firstly, they threw a wet blanket onto that genre, a genre of romantic adventure. That obnoxious criticism disheartened the film director Durov for many years to follow. And other film directors would chime in: 'Why should we need this. For this little money - this no end of disgrace.' But time made its own corrections. Twenty years have passed, the film being watched by ever new generations of children. And, against the retail film ventures of our time, this film is so pure and humane, it arouses noble feelings. It can even inspire you to a good deed, to an exploit** even. It's very important to recollect now and analyze how the public took the picture. It was a hit with those for whom it was meant, that is boys, who would watch it for a dozen times. The film was a box-office hit. But the elite of cinematography, who had to promote everything new and worthwhile and interesting, their reaction to 'The Pirates' was not logical. It is very symptomatic. And we should keep it in mind. Because the uppers are always jerks and they're always here, like when they criticized the 'Pirates'. That was not the first film I had written a screenplay for. Usually they [Soviet government officials] would cut it [my scripts for different films] to odds and ends. But that time the script was untouched [the script for 'The Pirates of the 20th Century']. The director approached the script very earnestly. I felt that it would be a very good picture and very popular, too. But even I couldn't imagine it would be this popular. So kids watch it and grown-up guys watch it trying to see why this film appealed to them so when they were kids. Thus the audience of this film has even increased. Show less «