Vladimir Motyl

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Vladimir Yakovlevich Motyl (Владимир Яковлевич Мотыль) (b. June 26, 1927) is a Soviet and Russian film director and scenarist.

Vladimir Motyl was born in Lepel, Belarus. His father was a Polish emigrée, who was arrested in 1930 and sent to Solovki and died there the next year. Many of his other relatives suffered similar treatment. Vladimir and his mother were exiled to the Northern Urals, where he became fascinated in theatre and cinema, and later graduated from the Sverdlovsk Theatrical Institute. For about 10 years he worked in various theatres in the Urals and Siberia and eventually became chief director of Sverdlovsk Young Spectator's Theatre.

Nevertheless he decided to start afresh in cinema, despite having no technical qualifications. Eventually he directed his first film Children of Pamirs (1963) (Demi Pamiri/Дети Памира) in Tajikistan. This work was met with public success, as well as earning him the State Prize of Tajik SSR (1964), and the title of Honorary Citizen of Dushanbe (1977).

His next film Zhenya, Zhenechka, and "Katyusha" (1967) (Женя, Женечка и "Катюша"), a romantic comedy/drama set in 1944, was warmly accepted by the public as well, but earned the displeasure of the Soviet agitprop for "disrespectful" treatment of the Great Patriotic War theme, and the director fell into disfavor.

Nevertheless he was invited to direct a film which was to become one of the most popular Soviet cult films, the "Red Western" (or technically, "Ostern") White Sun of the Desert. Notably, this film has a strong theme about exile, as its protagonist, Sukhov finds himself waylaid in Central Asia when trying to return home.

[edit] Filmography

1963: Children of Pamirs (Dyemi Pamira/Дети Памира), film director
1967: Zhenya, Zhenechka, and "Katyusha" (Женя, Женечка и "Катюша"), playwriter, film director
1969: White Sun of the Desert (Beloye Solntse Pustnyi/Белое солнце пустыни), film director
1975: The Star of Captivating Fortune(Zvezda plenitelnogo schast'ya/Звезда пленительного счастья) (the title is a line from a verse by Pushkin), playwriter, film director
1980: Forest (Lyes/Лес), playwriter, film director
1984: Unbelievable bet (Neveroyatnoe Pari/Невероятное пари), film director
1987: My Best Respects (Tchest Imeyo/Честь имею), playwriter
1991: Let's Part while we're alright (Rasstanemsya, poka khorishoye/Расстанемся, пока хорошие), playwriter, film director
1993: (Okhlamon/Охламон), playwriter, play director
1996: (Nesut menya koni/Несут меня кони), playwriter, director, music of songs