Vadym Illienko and evolution of cinema ; ВАДИМ ІЛЛЄНКО Й ЕВОЛЮЦІЯ КІНОЗОБРАЖЕННЯ

Open Access

Abstract

Vadym Illenko's creative work as a cinematographer and director was not yet considered in detail aside a few publications, including those that consider his early works as film director. Vadym Illenko's filmography can be chronologically divided into several periods, which correspond to the periodization of Ukrainian cinema. The first, Thaw period was very intense for his creative output; it included seven films which Vadym Illenko has shot as a cinematographer (Journey to Youth, Simple Thing, Military Secret, Coming to You, Oleksa Dovbush, Chasing Two Hares, Only Statues Keep Silence), as well as two films he directed (Veronika's Return, Southern Cross is Above Us). During this period, thanks to the cultural politics of the Thaw, the film industry was growing and new fresh forces entered cinema. The Thaw films often portrayed romantic persons as main characters; this was the case of Vadym Illenko's directorial debut. This film affirms such traits as nobleness, selflessness, and sympathizes with the characters that are ready to prefer the uncomfortable conditions of life for the sake of moral comfort. In other words, this film fits to the ethos of the Thaw. Soviet cinema of 1950s was eager to address the topics of underdeveloped areas, and Vadym Illenko's creative biography illustrates this trend. His films of the period featured adventures of alpinists, mysterious fortress in Crimea, marine rescue ship, virgin land, Antarctica. Vadym Illenko also took part in creating the most popular Ukrainian comedy of this period - Chasing Two Hares.The central for the second period of Vadym Illenko's creative biography was the work on the film The Eve of Ivan Kupalo, which testified his innovative approach to cinematography. Particularly important was the complicated search for color chord, which was achieved only due to professional obsession of cinematographer. Vadym Illenko's camera work in this film can be treated as an anthology of the best accomplishments of Ukrainian school of cinematography and is equal to the attainments of the world cinematography. The successful formal experiment was facilitated by the late Thaw, which was relatively prolonged in Ukraine. Yet, Vadym Illenko also made completely different kind of cinematography in films Postal Romance, White Bashlyk, as well as in his directorial work Cuckoo with Diploma.The third period (There Far, Beyond the River…, Feast of Backed Potato, School and others) was a period of Stagnation when there was a great pressure to make ideologically correct films which generally were deprived of any artistic merits.The fourth period (Ivan A., directorial work Pass it Over…) belongs to Perestroyka time with its creative freedom and possibility of realize long nurtured projects.Finally, during Independencetime Vadym Illenko worked as cinematographer on the film Hetman's Gems directed by Leonid Osyka (based on the novella Whirlpool, 1993, by Bohdan Lepky). This film is the last work of talented filmmaker Leonid Osyka. It depicts the period of Ruin, whenUkraine due to the internal squabbles was losing its power and statehood achieved during Bohdan Khmelnytsky's time. The cause of the squabbles, according to the authors, laid in the inability of every individual person to see beyond its private interests, in individualism which excludes love to the near ones and wider state interests.In 1991 Vadym Illenko co-authored screen play, directed and made cinematography of his best film The Last Bunker. The film revisited the events of Soviet time from the new perspective, which is free of the ideology enforced by the Communist Party. This film was an adaptation of the novella In Front of Tribunal by Leonid Borodin, based on the real story told to the author during his imprisonment in Soviet labor camp in 1960s. The internal struggle and moral opposition among perpetrators of Soviet repressive state apparatus faded onto background in the film. National resistance against Russian perpetrators was foregrounded. Vadym Illenko's film reveals the ways of criminal conduct Russian perpetrators, for example, how they kill Ukrainian intelligentsia while dressed as representatives of Ukrainian Insurgent Army. The film shows the war after the war, and the struggle between the unequal forces: a powerful, efficient repressive apparatus of NKVD-MVD on one side, and a national resistance to Russian occupation inWestern Ukraine on the other. Vadym Illenko made everything to stay true to the harsh reality of that struggle. There are no open battles in the film; the armed struggle was not possible by 1947. The struggle was conducted as an underground terror, UPA warriors were destroying representatives of NKVD-MVD and their collaborators; and in the film this is shown from point of view of the latter. The film exposes slyness and perfidy of experienced captain Shytov, who is ready to sacrifice the local population and even his colleagues in the sake of his career.The last work on Vadym Illenko's filmography is an adaptation of the novel Helli and Nock by Olaksander Granin. Vadym Illenko turned to the work of romantic writer in the pragmatic time proving that the person with realistic and sober thinking was able to contain the trust in strong and pure hearts.For a long time Vadym Illenko stayed in the shadow of his brother, Yuri Illenko, an ambitious and successful director and cinematographer, a prizewinner of international festivals. Yet, Vadym Illenko also experienced a moment of success. It happened during the 1990s, the disadvantageous period for film production that almost halted in Ukraineand in the whole Post-Soviet space. During this time the comedy Chasing Two Hares, which Vadym Illenko shoot as a director of photography, became extremely popular.Vadym Illenko was highly prized for his professional qualities and reliability, which he proved from the very beginning of his career in the second half of 1950s. He successfully shot films in extreme circumstances, for example such films as Journey to Youth and Oleksa Dovbush. Vadym Illenko's cinematography exposes a wide pallet, yet his work is recognizable. He always inspires optimism with the help of visual means; he always tries to give chance to the characters to improve the drawbacks. When human impasse and repentance is shown, as in the film Nonsense based on Chekhov's story, there is a prospect for hope opened in the field of vision. Vadym Illenko didn't overaccentuate violence in the films which displayed cruelty; he was able to relate such episodes to the environment, which affirmed universals and eternity of existence. As a director Vadym Illenko tended to assert his trust in humanity, indestructability of goodness. Vadym Illenko affirmed eternal values even when he shot the ironic, sparkling comedy Chasing Two Hares. Vadym Illenko was considered as an authority, yet he was a humble person. He never flaunted his professional abilities preferring to prove them in his work. ; Постановочно-складні, експериментальні й жанрові фільми українського кіно радянських часів кінооператор Вадим Іллєнко знімав, маючи репутацію високого професіонала і людини, цілком відданої своїй справі, що і поєднувало все зняте ним. І якби він зняв усього два фільми — «За двома зайцями» та «Вечір на Івана Купала» — його ім'я увійшло б в історію українського кіно. Він же зняв дев'ятнадцять. А крім того, поставив шість картин як кінорежисер, серед яких пальма першості належить стрічці «Останній бункер». Аналіз операторського і режисерського спадку майстра і становить зміст статті.