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Lydia Vertinskaya as Akyudag in The Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors
The daughter of a descendant of Georgian princes, Lydia Tsirgvava, lived an amazing, albeit difficult, fate. She was lucky to meet and become the wife of the great artist Alexander Vertinsky, who was ready to put the whole world at her feet. However, their love story had a downside.
The future artist met Vertinsky in Shanghai, China, when she was not yet 20 years old. Alexander Nikolaevich turned out to be older than the burning beauty by as much as 34 years. The age difference did not prevent the lovers from getting married, although Lida’s mother was against it. Soon, the newly-minted Vertinskaya gave the famous wife of daughters – Marianne and Anastasia.
Having moved to the USSR, the family of Alexander Nikolaevich was forced to live in the Metropol Hotel for three whole years, until he was given an apartment on the street, which today is called Tverskaya. Vertinsky worked hard to support his family. He brought money to the house and constantly offered his beloved Lidochka something to buy for himself. Vertinskaya did not suffer from shopaholism. But she wanted to act in films. And here the opinions of the spouses radically diverged.
Alexander Nikolaevich did not want his wife to act, although job offers constantly rained down on her. In 1952, the artist went on about Lydia, and she played the role of the Phoenix bird in the film “Sadko” directed by the storyteller Alexander Ptushko.
“The director wanted to cover my face with gold paint, but I refused because it was dangerous. Then they made me an “Indian” make-up. I was thin, sat on a chair, picked up my legs, bent at the knees and became very small. I was bent over with a corset along with this metal chair and forced to sit like that for several hours a day! And on top they put on a turquoise plumage from the feathers of two peacocks. My knees were like the chest of a bird, my legs were paws, and my hands were put into the wings. It was very hard! But I was so fascinated by the process of filming! Therefore, she was ready to endure everything in the world, ”Vertinskaya later recalled this role.
By the way, even abroad, critics were amazed at the play of our Lydia Vladimirovna. “The outlandish creature fascinates, causes superstitious horror, looks so natural, as if it really exists,” they wrote in Italian publications after the screening of “Sadko” at the Venice Film Festival.
Vertinsky was terribly jealous of his Lida, and this was no secret to anyone. The same suffered all the outbursts of discontent of her husband. He was still the most important person to her. And when Alexander Nikolayevich died in 1957, Vertinskaya experienced terrible grief. She never married again. In the first place, the actress got her growing daughters, who had to be fed and dressed. After the death of Vertinsky, his family no longer had enough money, and the singer’s widow tried in vain to obtain a pension for their children or other assistance from the state.
Saved Lydia Vladimirovna film roles. She appeared in the films “Kiev”, “Don Quixote”, “The Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors” and “The New Adventures of Puss in Boots”. Vertinskaya’s artistic talent also proved to be a great help: she painted pictures and sold them. The daughters of Alexander Nikolaevich and Lydia Vladimirovna Marianna and Anastasia began acting early for the sake of money. Sometimes the Vertinsky family was helped by friends.
Lydia Vladimirovna herself carried her love for her husband until the end of her life. She left everything in their apartment as it was with her husband – so much her soul yearned for her lover. The widow of Vertinsky died on December 31, 2013 at the age of 90.
Source: prozvezd.info
Photo source: frame from the movie “Sadko”, frame from the movie “Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors”
