Russian folklorist and writer Bazhov Pavel Petrovich was born in 1879 in a working class family. After graduating from Perm Theological Seminary, he works as a teacher in Kamyshlov and Yekaterinburg. In 1918, a volunteer enrolled in the Red Army. At the end of the war, the future writer took up journalistic activities. His first book was called “Ural were” and was published in 1924. His most famous collection, “Malachite Box”, was published in 1939. During the writer's life, this book was repeatedly supplemented with new tales.
Bazhov. "Stone Flower" - the magic of folk tale
This work, like all the other tales of Bazhov, was written by him from the words of the Ural artisans and, to a large extent, is a literary treatment of folklore. The story is about the stone-cutter Danilushka, who was kidnapped right from the wedding by the Mistress of the copper mountain - a mythical character of ancient Ural legends.
Recreating anxieties, everyday life, hopes and the perception of ordinary workers in tales - that is what Bazhov sought. The “stone flower" in this regard is no exception. According to the plot, the protagonist Danilushka wholeheartedly wants to understand the natural beauty of the stone. He fails to do this on his own, and he asks the Mistress of the Copper Mountain to show him the legendary stone flower. Seeing his unearthly beauty, Danila, as the legend warns, remains forever in grief, because even the white light becomes not nice to him.
In this story, the author reveals the eternal desire of creative people to know the real nature of beauty. Constantly developing, it remains, in fact, unattainable and slipping away, like forest fog. This is what he wanted, based on folk art, to convey to the reader Bazhov. “Stone Flower” is not just an interesting fairy
tale, it is an expression of national longing for justice, true pure love and fidelity. Indeed, at the end of the book even the heart of the Mistress of the copper trembled - the stone maiden Danila let go home to his bride.
The film "Stone Flower"
In 1946, based on this work and other tales of the collection “Malachite Box”, the film “Stone Flower” was released. This old tape can certainly be called ethnographically accurate. In it, the folk customs of one particular region are most realistic revealed. It is quite difficult to even determine the genre of the film - this is not a magical fantasy, nor a historical picture.
The tape conveyed to the viewer an extraordinary story of love for his skill, a story of talent and fidelity. Ural tales immerse the viewer and reader into the mythological atmosphere of ancient legends, whose true roots are still unknown to anyone. Their main idea can be considered the assertion that not everything in this world is measured in money, and far from everything can be bought.
I wanted to tell the reader about this, collecting materials for my tales, Bazhov. “Stone Flower" is a work that has been read out by more than one generation. The same can be said of the film. They looked it, they look and they will watch it. And it cannot but rejoice that with all the modern abundance of special effects on the screens there are people who are not interested in real cinema with meaning.