Discussion of the Film “Voices and Colours”

Discussion of the film “Voices and Colours” by the Gorky Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting at the Main Directorate of Local Broadcasting of the State Committee.

Merkulov (licensing department). The film is unquestionably a success for the studio and the director in its visual and screenplay aspects. A completely original form has been found for a narrative concert. The film showed us the highest professionalism and culture of choral singing. Precise and subtle sound and visual transitions have been found and achieved, in which colour and rhythm correspond fully to the musical basis.

Shchukin (head of the review department). On the whole I liked the picture; it is a success. Individual shortcomings, in my view, lie in the insufficiently strict selection of paintings to go with the vocalise. The paintings for the Volga and for “Tanya-Tanyusha” were chosen very precisely and successfully (Malyavin’s colours fit organically into “Thunderstorm” and “Spring”). Cui fits organically into the fabric of the film; the use of Makovsky’s canvas for Prokofiev’s “Vocalise” is quite understandable and justified, but further on, in Mozart’s “Alphabet”, the choice of paintings is rather arbitrary. If the selection had been stricter, the result would have been even more successful. On the whole the work will find its viewer; this narrow circle of viewers numbers hundreds of thousands. The picture is undoubtedly necessary from the educational point of view.

Gantseva R. A. (deputy head of the directorate, chair of the artistic council of the main directorate). A very interesting, delicate picture, made with deep artistic taste. I must remind you that Lenin said that in art one should not simply follow the taste of the public but raise the people to an understanding of the best images, to the level of the creating artist. It seems to me that this is just what the authors of the film do. Before us are beautiful painting and beautiful music. And it must be taken into account that music is a non-concrete art, so associations here are fairly arbitrary and may exist, and depend on the artistic personality; naturally the director of the picture has his own vision, and he expresses it in the film. Yes, one can of course change something, suggest something, but these would only be details. On the whole the film has undoubtedly succeeded and we must accept it.

Dmitryuk A. N. (head of the main directorate). Yes, the painting is classical, the music is classical, the performers are highly professional. Some things could have been tidied up, but these are not such major details. We accept the picture for printing under the colour allocation and will pass the film to the film archives when we are given a copy.