Yuliy Solomonovich Gusman - director, actor, TV presenter. For more than twenty years he has been sitting on the jury of KVN. There are few works in Guzman's filmography. He directed only four films. What are these films? How did the creative path of Yuli Gusman begin?
Family
Yuliy Gusman was born in 1943. His hometown is Baku. The father of the future director and TV presenter was a military doctor, during the Great Patriotic War he served in the Caspian military flotilla. Mother was an actress by profession, in addition, she graduated from the Institute of Foreign Languages and worked as a translator. Yuli Gusman has a brother - Mikhail Solomonovich - a journalist, translator and TV presenter. The director's wife and daughter live in the US.
Career start
After graduating from school, Julius Gusman entered the medical institute. He did not plan to become a doctor, but from his youth he was interested in psychology, namely clairvoyance, sleep learning, hypnosis and Freud's theories. In his student years, Julius Gusman was seriously involved in sports. He has nine sports categories and a champion title in fencing. The future presenter found time forparticipation in artistic activities. In the mid-sixties, Yuli Gusman founded the Baku club KVN with his friends. Soon became its leader. For five years, the team of Yuli Gusman has not lost a single time.
In 1966 he received a diploma in psychiatry. Four years later he graduated from graduate school. Then he left for Moscow, where he enrolled in courses for screenwriters and directors. Guzman decided to start her career in her hometown. After completing the course, he returned to Baku, where he got a job as a director at a local film studio. In 1976 he made his debut as a screenwriter.
Creativity
The director worked for several more years in Baku, where he staged two performances based on the works of Schwartz. In 1988 he finally moved to Moscow. Julius Gusman made a significant contribution to the development of Russian cinema. He owns the idea of creating the Nika award, which is an analogue of the Hollywood Oscar. Films by Yuli Gusman: “One fine day”, “Don't be afraid, I'm with you”, “Country house for one family”, “Park of the Soviet period”. He also has five acting credits in his filmography.
The turning point in the biography of Yuli Gusman happened in 1987. Then the director was offered to head the Central House of Cinema. He completed this task together with his colleague Viktor Merezhko. In the late eighties, the House of Culture turned into a real cultural center of the Soviet capital. At the same time, the Nika Prize was founded, which became the favorite brainchild of Julius Gusman. By the way, the director himself has never received a prestigious film award.
A significant project in Guzmán's professional career is the musical "The Man from La Mancha". The premiere took place in 2005, dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the actor Zeldin. Few believed in the success of the production. However, the performance ran until 2016, until the departure of Zeldin. In 2009, Guzmán directed Dancing with the Teacher. This performance has already been dedicated to the 95th anniversary of the famous Soviet actor.
A little-known fact in the biography of Yuli Gusman: the director's debut took place in 1972. It was the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar. The libretto was written by Rozovsky. The performance caused positive feedback from the audience, but was banned in Moscow after the second performance.
One day
The film was released in 1976. Filmed at the Lenfilm studio. This fantastic film consists of three parts. The main roles were played by actors whose names few viewers remember today.
Don't be afraid, I'm with you
The musical comedy, released in 1981, brought success to Guzman. One of the main roles was played by an outstanding actor and director Lev Durov. The songs that sounded in this film were released on a vinyl record in 1984. Passion for martial arts began on the set of this film. In order not to look like a layman, the director decided to learn more about martial arts in practice. He has been training hard for over two years.
Events take place at the end of the 19th century, in the Russian Empire. The main characters are circus actors Rustam and San Sanych. They come to Azerbaijan and here, to their surprise, they find that medieval customs are allnot yet forgotten. This musical comedy has elements of action and western. Thirty years later, after the premiere, Julius Gusman shot the continuation of the film.
Park of the Soviet period
The premiere of Yuli Gusman's comedy took place in 2006. What is the film about? The main character, TV presenter Oleg Zimin, spends his vacation in a unique reserve, which is a mixture of VDNKh from Disneyland. At the same time, he makes a report about this cultural and leisure center. The main roles were played by Alexander Lazarev Jr., Mikhail Efremov, Elizaveta Boyarskaya.
Public position
Yuliy Gusman is an ardent opponent of xenophobia, nationalism and homophobia. Repeatedly opposed the law banning propaganda of homosexuality. Once he appeared on one of the talk shows with an attached badge that said “gay”. Thus, Guzman expressed support for representatives of sexual minorities. The host also advocated for the release of Pussy Riot. Gusman heads the Russian Jewish Congress.
