Vasilyev brothers

File:Братья Васильевы - Bratia Vasilyevy (не позже 1946).jpg

Georgy Vasilyev and Sergey Vasilyev (before 1946)

Georgi Vasilyev (Russian: Георгий Николаевич Васильев, 1899 – 1946) and Sergei Vasilyev (Russian: Серге́й Дмитриевич Васильев, 1900 – 1959), usually credited as Vasilyev brothers (Russian: Братья Васильевы) were two namesake Russian Soviet film directors and screenwriters . In spite of the fact that the two collaborators weren't actually relatives, they accepted the popular misunderstanding that they were brothers and used it in the credits to their movies.

Collaboration

The two Vasilyevs became acquainted in 1925 on cinema production facilities in Moscow. After the merge of two cinema organisations, "Goskino" and the Moscow branch of "Sevzapkino", into the monolite "Sovkino" (later known as Lenfilm) they found themselves working in the same editing room.

They often worked jointly on editing films. The feature-length documentary "Heroic Deed Among the Ice" (premiered on October 23, 1928) was their first directing experience. In the credits of their next (and their first feature film), "The Sleeping Beauty", they called themselves the Vasilyev brothers for the first time. The 1934 film "Chapaev" brought the Vasilyev brothers worldwide professional recognition and countrywide fame. The film's premiere took place on November 5 in the Leningrad cinema theatre "Titan". Instantly, the film became one of the most popular ones in entire history of Soviet cinema: within only a year after its release the picture was watched by over 30 million people.

Joint filmography

• 1928 — Подвиг во льдах (Heroic Deed Among the Ice) (feature-length documentary)
• 1930 — Спящая красавица (The Sleeping Beauty)
• 1932 — Личное дело (Тревожные гудки) (A Personal Affair (Alarming Siren))
• 1933 — Невероятно - но факт! (Incredible - But True!) (short documentary)
• 1934 — Чапаев (Chapaev)
• 1937 — Волочаевские дни (The Defense of Volotchayevsk aka Volochayev Days)
• 1942 — Оборона Царицына (Fortress on the Volga aka The Defense of Tsaritsyn), (dilogy)
• 1943 — Фронт (The Front)

Sergei Vasilyev's filmography (after 1946)

• 1950 — Наши песни (Our Songs), (unfinished)
• 1954 — Герои Шипки (Heroes of Shipka)
• 1958 — В дни Октября (October Days), (part 1)

Bibliography

• In Russian: Братья Васильевы: Собрание сочинений в 3-х тт. - Москва: Искусство, 1983.