Rendering №14

The article “On 75th Birthday, Legend Vysotsky’s Iconic Status Endures” was published on January 30, 2013 in “The St. Petersburg Times”. It discusses the events, which are dedicated to the 75th birthday of Vladimir Vysotsky. Alexander Bratersky notes that while not writing a single song that would praise the authorities, he wrote ballads about World War II and was a symbol of patriotism for many Russians. It is mentioned that Vysotsky’s birthday was widely marked by Russian and foreign fans over the weekend. The author points out that several concerts and exhibitions in honor of Vysotsky took place across Russia, including in Tambov, Penza, St. Petersburg and Moscow. In Rostov, fans placed a rock on the spot where they will later erect a monument to the singer. Moreover, Vysotsky’s son, Nikita, attended the opening of a museum to his father in Yekaterinburg, where locals and visitors can see the poet’s restored Mercedes, his wax statue, clothes and personal trinkets. It is interesting that Channel One showed the film “Vysotsky: Thank God I’m Alive,” which is based on a real-life episode in the artist’s life.

 It is necessary to mention that the staff of Poland’s Vladimir Vysotsky Museum in Koszalin held an international festival of documentary films and organized an exhibition of archived materials, including footage of Vysotsky rehearsing his role in “Vishnyovy Sad” and photographs from his Taganka Theater’s French tour in 1977. It is an open secret that one of the documentary films shown on Rossia 1, titled “Vladimir Vysotsky: A Letter to Warren Beatty,” shows Vysotsky appealing to the acclaimed American actor in English. The correspondent makes clear that Vysotsky, who died in 1980, has cult status in Russia. The legendary Soviet chess master Boris Spassky never crossed paths with the singer but explained his appeal the best. Vera Shirokaya explained that his songs made many people think, do they really live in the world’s best country?’ Under the influence of his songs, she started to realize that that was not the way it was. Yury Saprykin lamented in an article in Afisha magazine that the younger generation doesn’t recognize a lot of the famous quotes from the poet’s songs. 

In conclusion, it is necessary to mention that the 2011 film “Vysotsky: Thank God I’m Alive,” which collected $27.4 million in theaters but disappointed critics. It happened because the film, based on the real-life episode of Vysotsky’s clinical death in Uzbekistan during a concert, focuses more on his romantic relationships and love of racing his Mercedes than on his songs. In my opinion, Vladimir Vysotsky deserved that his birthday is celebrated. Russian people like his songs and the films with him and every year on January, 25 they remember the popular artist.