Andrei Konchalovsky
Who was Andrei Konchalovsky?
Film director whose movie 'Runaway Train' (1985) earned two Oscar nominations and who won the Silver Lion at Venice for 'House of Fools' (2002). He is the brother of filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov and son of poet Sergey Mikhalkov.
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Andrei Konchalovsky (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Andrei Sergeevich Konchalovsky was born in Moscow in 1937 into a well-known cultural family. His father, Sergey Mikhalkov, was a famous Soviet poet who wrote the lyrics for the Soviet anthem. His younger brother Nikita Mikhalkov also became an internationally recognized filmmaker. Konchalovsky received extensive musical education at Moscow's Central Music School, the Academic Music College of the Moscow Conservatory, and the Moscow Conservatory itself. He later focused on cinema at the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography.
Konchalovsky started his career in the 1960s during the Soviet cinema's New Wave and worked with director Andrei Tarkovsky on several projects, including the screenplay for 'Andrei Rublev' (1966). His own films from this period, like 'The First Teacher' (1965) and 'Asya Klyachina's Story' (1967), made him an important figure in Soviet cinema, although some faced censorship. In the 1980s, Konchalovsky moved to Hollywood and directed 'Runaway Train' (1985), a thriller that got Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor for Jon Voight and Eric Roberts.
After his time in Hollywood, Konchalovsky returned to European filmmaking, creating films exploring themes like madness, war, and human nature. His film 'House of Fools' (2002), set in a Chechen psychiatric hospital during the war, won the Silver Lion at the Venice International Film Festival. Konchalovsky has been married three times: to actresses Natalya Arinbasarova and later to French actress Viviane Godet, and currently to Russian actress Julia Vysotskaya.
In addition to filmmaking, Konchalovsky is known as a theatrical director, opinion journalist, and memoirist. His writings include essays on cinema, politics, and culture, showing his role as an intellectual figure connecting Russian and Western artistic traditions. He continues to direct into the 21st century, making films that look at Russian history and society, influenced by his international experiences.
Before Fame
Growing up in the culturally elite Mikhalkov family during the Stalin era, Konchalovsky was surrounded by artistic activities from a young age. He started his musical education early, attending Moscow's top institutions, where he became skilled as a pianist and composer. The cultural scene of the post-Stalin Soviet Union in the 1950s and early 1960s gave young artists the chance to try out new forms of expression.
The liberalization that followed Stalin's death in 1953 and Khrushchev's cultural thaw allowed a new generation of filmmakers to come forward. Konchalovsky's switch from music to cinema happened during this time of artistic freedom, when Soviet cinema was starting to gain international attention, and young directors could explore more personal and experimental filmmaking styles.
Key Achievements
- Directed 'Runaway Train' which earned two Academy Award nominations in 1985
- Won Silver Lion at Venice International Film Festival for 'House of Fools' in 2002
- Co-wrote screenplay for Andrei Tarkovsky's internationally acclaimed 'Andrei Rublev'
- Successfully transitioned between Soviet, Hollywood, and European film industries
- Received multiple Nika Awards for contributions to Russian cinema
Did You Know?
- 01.Co-wrote the screenplay for Andrei Tarkovsky's epic film 'Andrei Rublev' about the medieval Russian icon painter
- 02.His film 'Asya Klyachina's Story' was banned by Soviet authorities and not released until 1988, twenty years after completion
- 03.Directed Sylvester Stallone in the action film 'Tango & Cash' (1989) during his Hollywood period
- 04.His current wife Julia Vysotskaya is a popular Russian television host and cookbook author
- 05.Won the Nika Award, Russia's equivalent of the Oscar, multiple times for his contributions to Russian cinema