Actress Natalya Krachkovskaya at home, 2013
Photo: Anatoly ZHDANOV
Natalya Krachkovskaya was one of the most luxurious Soviet comedy artists. Yes, it was an “episode”, but even her appearance in the frame for a few seconds, as in “Pokrovsky Gate” or “The meeting place cannot be changed”, greatly embellished the paintings. And, of course, it is difficult to imagine Leonid Gaidai’s films of the 70s without her, starting with “12 Chairs” and the brilliant role of Madame Gritsatsueva, with which she really entered the cinema.
HE COULD BECOME AN ARCHAEOLOGIST AND PLAY THE LOVE INTEREST OF STENYKA RAZIN
Natalya Leonidovna’s mother, Maria Fonina, worked at the Pushkin Theater in Moscow. And in an interview, Krachkovskaya joked that she, apparently, was destined to become an artist, too. Although in her early youth she doubted her: she was no less interested in geology, archeology and history. The cinema almost lost her: her mother did everything possible to dissuade her from going to VGIK, believing that with her size it would be difficult for her to play romantic heroines.
But she went to college. And after that, she was immediately hit by a car. It took her a long time to recover from this accident (because of this, her vision deteriorated, doctors told her that she should not appear under the blinding lights of spotlights, and generally limited physical activity). I was never able to study. But after a while, she started filming…
Of course, no one now remembers the films “An Agronomist’s Tale” and “In the Silence of the Steppe”, where he played the first roles. And in general, at first he was unlucky: he acted, but his name, as a rule, was not even indicated in the credits, the episodes were too modest. Everything changed after “12 Chairs”: Gaidai wanted to find an artist “similar to the wife of sound engineer Krachkovsky” for the role of the widow Gritsatsueva. And at some point, realizing that she already had experience in acting, she decided to give it a try. Everything turned out great. (In fact, Gaidai knew her from the filming of “Prisoner of the Caucasus,” where her husband worked, but the director never thought of using her appearance in her films.) By the way, Krachkovskaya beat out Nonna Mordyukova and Galina Volchek, who also auditioned for the role!
The role of Madame Gritsatsueva, “12 Chairs” by Leonid Gaidai. Photo: kino-teatr.ru
In an interview, she laughed and talked about how difficult Gritsatsueva was for her. Gaidai informed her that she would perform all the stunts herself; It was impossible to find a double for a woman her size. As a result, at first she ran for five days along a high staircase built in the pavilion, then they began to lower her from above in a huge clock, and then she began the worst. “They said, “Well, great, the next thing you have is a transporter. Do you see the tape? Lie down and swing your legs. In the middle of the transporter is a bridge, they will carefully lower it onto you, with a fishing line, and then you will ride with it. Well, it is a normal bridge, two meters square.” Here I already said: “My dears, I am not a circus actress, but a dramatic one!” But I still decided to inspect the bridge: it turned out that it was made of expanded polystyrene. OK so. I lie down on the conveyor belt, go to Gomiashvili and shout: “Gopher!” The tape reaches the bridge, they put it on my feet and I let out a roar like the whistle of a locomotive. He didn’t believe that a person could make such a roar, much less a woman. This indoor bridge was brought down by a huge cast iron slat!
Also, laughing, Natalya Leonidova recalled the filming of the famous “And you will be cured and they will cure me” from “Ivan Vasilyevich”. Gaidai was seriously planning to shave his head for this scene. But Krachkovskaya shouted: “Then I will shave you all myself!” So we settled for a wig with a short, youthful haircut.
Natalya Krachkovskaya in the comedy “Ivan Vasilyevich changes his profession.” Photo: kino-teatr.ru
Another question is that she, like many comedy actors, at some point began to think about more serious roles. But the artistic councils did not want to hear about it. And one more problem: many directors said: “She is from Gaidaev, so let him act in films” … And yet, during her life she played more than 90 roles. In particular, she acted for Vasily Shukshin in “Kalina Krasnaya”; He really appreciated her. And she was even going to star in the role of Stenka Razin’s love interest in the movie “I Came to Give You Freedom.” But first the film was closed by the artistic council, and then Shukshin died…
Natalya Krachkovskaya on the streets of Moscow, 1983
Photo: GLOBAL LOOK PRESS
“THERE WILL BE NO ONE LIKE MY VOLODYA, AND I DON’T NEED ANYONE ELSE”
He was an unusually light, bright and cheerful person, but this does not mean that there were no tragedies in his life. She called herself a “daughter of war.” Until I was older I remembered how they brought my father’s funeral in 1945. How terrible her mother screamed, that she was left a widow at 28 years old with two children in her arms…
She also remembered her husband, Vladimir Krachkovsky: the marriage with him was very happy, despite the age difference of almost twenty years. This marriage lasted a quarter of a century, and then Vladimir Vasilyevich died, and it was a great pain. She outlived her husband by almost three decades. And she never remarried. She categorically stated: “There will be no one like my Volodya and I do not need another. With him I felt so much warmth and care that I had never felt before. Every woman needs this and so do I, despite all my strength and my persistent character.”
The actress in her apartment.
Photo: GLOBAL LOOK PRESS
Finally, he suffered from diabetes and other health problems. Her curvaceous build that made her so charming on screen is hardly compatible with a healthy lifestyle. (He said that on the set of “Ivan Vasilyevich” he fell ill with pneumonia and lost 10 kilograms, but Gaidai personally prescribed a diet for him – “semolina porridge with whipped cream, buns with butter, boiled macaroni and cheese” – so that the weight would return :without It didn’t have the necessary comic effect. It’s okay: the weight didn’t bother her and, according to her, it didn’t make her feel clumsy).
If after the death of her husband she suffered a heart attack, in 2009 she suffered a serious stroke. The doctors got her on her feet, although she had a hard time walking. In one of her last interviews with the NTV channel, she said that she practically never goes outside. “Especially in winter, since I can’t walk well, God forbid, I should go out and fall. He could be hurt. You see, if you fall, it will be one thing, if I fall, it will be completely different. And if I really want to go far, I bought a chair and said, “come on, bring me,” and I feel great.” Consequently, she found it extremely difficult to act in the theater and act in films… But in the same interview she added: “I am sad alone. “I don’t need others to see everything that is mine, I don’t need it, because they are already fed up with their own sadness.”
March 2016. During the funeral of actress Natalya Krachkovskaya at the Troekurovsky cemetery.
Photo: Vladimir VELENGURIN
And ten years ago he told Komsomolskaya Pravda: “My recipe for loving life? We get up in the morning and go to the mirror: “Lord, how good and glorious I am!” And outside, let’s say, it’s raining. “Rain also has its own charm!” You just have to look and find the positive in everything. And if you start like this every morning, honestly, life will be easier!
THE NAIS IS OFFICIAL EDITOR ON NAIS NEWS