January 16, 2014

The One and Only Chapayev


The One and Only Chapayev

Boris Babochkin, star of the iconic 1934 film “Chapaev,” would have been 110 years old this Saturday, January 18.

You know how some actors are remembered for that one amazing role, no matter what else they do? Soviet actor Boris Babochkin, who would have celebrated his “eleventieth” birthday this Saturday, once made the “mistake” of starring as Chapayev in Chapayev in 1934, and for the remaining 40 years of his life he never surpassed that role.

Based on real personalities of the Russian Civil War, the film follows a local Red Army commander, Vasily Ivanovich Chapayev. With the help of political commissar Furmanov (whose real-life counterpart’s memoirs formed the basis of the plot), Chapayev organizes his troops and clashes with the White Army. And since – spoiler alert! – the Bolsheviks did, in fact, win the Civil War, there’s no doubt that the Reds in the movie will be victorious, no matter what dangerous and suspenseful situations [video] they find themselves in.

"Where should the commander be? In front, on his dashing steed!"

Babochkin’s Chapayev is a bit of a country bumpkin: a witty, charismatic leader and father-figure to his troops, but a little fuzzy on the nuances of political theory. “Are you for the Bolsheviks or the communists?” the villagers ask, and he says he’s “for the International!” He uses potatoes on a roughly drawn map to demonstrate military tactics, but if his men are in trouble, he throws all that out the window and rushes in to help. “Come to me midnight or later,” he tells his soldiers, “and if I’m drinking tea – drink with me. If I’m eating – eat with me. That’s the kind of commander I am!” Can we really blame the Soviet public for falling in love with the film and its title character?

  

Petka and Anka, comrades-at-arms

Machine-gunning lessons

Of course, Chapayev didn’t do it all alone. Besides Furmanov, he had Petka (Peter), his young aide, and Anka the Machine-Gunner (bonus points for a strong, independent female character!). The Chapayev-Petka-Anka combination was later expanded upon in endless Russian jokes.

But it wasn’t just the characters or the story that attracted millions to the film. Up until Chapayev, Russian and Soviet movies had been silent – in fact, even Chapayev was made in two versions, so that even movie theaters without sound equipment could still show it. For the first time, Soviet audiences could appreciate not only the visuals and the montage, but also dialogue, presented in real-time, complete with intonations and regional accents. You can’t get that with white-on-black titles.

Furmanov (left) mentoring Chapaev (right)

And let’s not forget the film’s political bent! Here was a local commander, a free radical, being trained and educated – slowly, respectfully – by a loyal party cadre, the commissar. Together, they repel the Whites; separately, the hint goes, maybe they wouldn’t have. For all its entertainment value, for all its cinematic innovation, the film owes a significant part of its success – and its original production – to its subtle message in favor of the ruling party. No wonder Stalin reportedly watched it over 30 times!

 

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons, vothouse.ru

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955