The Italian Version of the Russian Literature Classic in the films “Tempest” and “The Steppe” by Alberto Lattuada

Abstract

Alberto Lattuada has never got in the focus of interest of the film research in Russia. Though this original director left a mark in history of such movements in the Italian cinema as neorealism, caligraphism, verism. The article points out the reason of ignoration which can be applied to similar cases. The subject of the primary interest for the Russian researches are Lattuada’s adaptations of the Russian literature, two of which are analyzed here — “Tempest” (from the novel “The Captain’s Daughter” by Pushkin) and “The Steppe” (from the short novel by Chekhov). Topicality of the research offered is not in the Russian origin of the novels but also in their classical status — as H.-G.Gadamer mentioned: the classic opens the truth. Continual rethinking of the classical literature heritage by the means of cinema is necessary. As it is known there are notionally two kind of “polar” ways of screen adaptation. Some films pattern the literature origin. Their directors try to keep dramaturgy (plot, character sketches, genre), stylistic structure (means of depiction and expression, temporythm), main idea and subject matter. Other adaptations refuse to “translate” the literature source, to create counterpart reconstructions of the artistic structure and the ideas. They loosely exploit the motives and “images” of the origin instead. The article reveals that on the one hand being a kulturtrager Lattuada cares about the formal similarity and strives to render the “spirit” of the literary source, on the other – he creatively initiates transformations. In some cases it is done by “translating” artistic structures of literature into the film language perceived as movement, rich in the events, action at the present moment (“The Steppe”); in other cases – through changing the message (“Tempest”). As a matter of fact Lattuada’s artistic methods can be defined as eclectic. Eclecticism was peculiar to the director as far as material is concerned too. His works demonstrate that there is nothing negative in it.