| The Voice (Russian: Голос|Golos) | |
| Director: | Ilya Averbakh |
| Producer: | Sergey Selyanov Natalya Drozd-Makan Konstantin Ernst |
| Starring: | Natalya Sayko Leonid Filatov Grigori Kalatosishvili Vsevolod Shilovsky Petr Shelokhonov Yelena Safonova |
| Music: | Nikolai Karetnikov |
| Cinematography: | Dmitry Dolinin |
| Editing: | Olga Amosova Aleksandra Borovskaya |
| Distributor: | Lenfilm Goskino Sovexportfilm |
| Runtime: | 87 minutes |
| Country: | Soviet Union |
| Language: | Russian |
| Budget: | $6,500,000 (estimated) |
The Voice (Russian: Голос|Golos), is a 1982 Soviet psychological drama film. It is based on the screenplay of the same name by Natalya Ryazantseva and directed by Ilya Averbakh. This is the last film by director Ilya Averbakh.[1]
Actress Yulia Martynova (Natalya Sayko) is starring in a new film, but in the middle of the film production she is suddenly hospitalized with a serious illness. The film director (Leonid Filatov) is emotionally involved; he becomes nervous and frustrated because the film cannot be completed without the leading actress. All crew members are nervous witnessing the unfolding disaster, but the actress comes back from her hospital bed to the studio to continue her work in post-production. Yulia is so devoted to being original in creative process that she cannot allow her character speaking with the voice of another actress, so she deals with her health condition by taking drugs to overcome the pain, in order to contribute her original voice to the film. The cast and crew members are helping the leading star to continue working while she is still suffering with terminal condition, so she delivers her role elegantly thus contributing to successful result. Her original voice slightly altered by her illness brings a new depth and meaning to the film after her death.
The film was produced by Lenfilm studios in Leningrad (St. Petersburg), Russia, former USSR. Filming locations were in the city of Leningrad (St. Petersburg) and its suburbs, as well as in Moscow. Post-production was done at Lenfilm studios. Production dates were from October 1980 to October 1982.[3]
The film was released on 18 December 1982, in Leningrad (St. Petersburg), with the premiere at the (House of Film) in Leningrad. Attendance was 2.3 million viewers internationally in the first year after release. The film was released in East Germany on 28 October 1983, with narration and subtitles in German.