A film about Chernobyl will be shown in the USA: the script was written by a descendant of Ukrainian emigrants. VIDEO
The television mini-series “Chernobyl” produced by HBO and Sky is being released on world screens. The film tells the dramatic story of the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986, as well as the people who tried to minimize the consequences.
The series was written by Craig Mazin, known for the films “The Huntsman and the Ice Queen”, “Without Feelings”, “Charlie’s Angels”, and directed by Johan Renck (“The Walking Dead”, “Breaking Bad”). He called this work the largest project in his career, writes Air force.
The miniseries tells the story of "one of the worst man-made disasters in history" and "the sacrifices made by brave men and women to save Europe from unimaginable destruction," according to the description on HBO's website.
This film is about the war with the truth. Mazin introduces the mini-series “Chernobyl” with these words, quoting Voice of America.
“Now this story is even more important for all of us than it was before, because now the global war against the truth continues. And the story of Chernobyl tells what happens if the truth is ignored. Sooner or later you will have to pay for it. And it’s not the authorities who are paying the price, but ordinary people,” says Mazin.
The idea to film the history of Chernobyl appeared 5 years ago. Producers sought to show that the accident at a nuclear power plant is a global problem and its scale could have been significantly greater if it were not for the liquidators.
“Europe was then on the verge of complete disaster, and it was only through the sacrifice of many people that it was averted,” says Jane Featherstone, president of Sister Pictures.
Mazeyn wanted to show the strength of mind, courage and the will of people who rushed into an emergency nuclear reactor.
“They came face to face with him. - They flew over him, swam under him, dug tunnels inside, - says the scriptwriter. - Many of them gave their lives for the sake of others. All of Europe is indebted to the liquidators. ”
On the subject: “Lift everyone!” - dispatchers talks in the first minutes after the Chernobyl explosion
The scenario is based on real events that have occurred since the accident for two years after it. The creators tried to recreate as accurately as possible all the costumes and scenery of that time.
“We hope that viewers from Ukraine and Belarus will feel - we understood them correctly,” says Mazin. - Clothes, hairstyles, traditions, culture, everything is true. Thus, we show our respect. ”
How was the series created?
Craig Mazin told BBC News Ukraine in writing about the sources he used to write the script.
“I conducted a very thorough research using all possible sources, in particular eyewitness accounts, documentaries, scientific reports, books written by Soviet and Western scientists, and interviews,” said Mazin.
“As a writer, I felt a great responsibility not only to the people from the former Soviet Union, but also directly to the people of Ukraine,” adds the scriptwriter.
“Since our series aims to commemorate all the victims and those who died as a result of the Chernobyl disaster, we worked very hard to reproduce all the cultural details as accurately as possible,” says Mazin.
To this end, he constantly consulted with former residents of Pripyat and people from Ukraine.
“My main consultant was born in Kremenchug and lived in Kyiv in 1986, when the fatal Chernobyl accident occurred. I also communicated directly with former liquidators and former residents of Pripyat,” says the screenwriter.
Mezin was also advised by longtime friend Dora Khomyak, a Ukrainian-American who is the development director of Together, an American non-governmental organization that helps Ukrainians.
How was the shooting?
Mazin explains that the choice fell on Lithuania, because there, as in many former Soviet republics, there are many buildings and locations where the spirit of that time is still preserved.
“However, the most important thing for us was access to the Ignalina nuclear power plant with RBMK-type reactors, which was the “sister” of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The opportunity to film inside in close proximity to this nuclear power plant was extremely important in order to properly tell the story of Chernobyl,” said Mazin.
On the subject: CNN told about the most mysterious sights of the Chernobyl zone
The Ignalina NPP ceased operation in the 2009 year, because it used reactors that were structurally similar to reactors used at the Chernobyl NPP.
One of the residential areas of Vilnius “played” the role of Pripyat. However, as Lithuanian media reported, director Juhan Renk, during filming, complained about plastic windows in houses, which, of course, did not exist in the Soviet city.
Several final episodes were shot in the summer of 2018, in Kiev.
Craig Mazin told BBC News Ukraine that during the creation of the series, he visited the exclusion zone, in particular, he was at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and in Pripyat.
“We also shot a lot of material there for the series, most of which is shown at the very end so people can understand what happened to this area,” says the writer.
According to him, in Kiev, the crew of the series filmed a number of important episodes with the participation of leading actors, for which Ukrainian film crews were involved.
Who are the main characters?
The creators of the series note that Chernobyl is not a disaster film, but above all a story about people. That is why the Chernobyl accident itself occurs at the very beginning of the series.
“The explosion is the least interesting part of the film,” Mazin told Variety. According to him, everything in the series is shown through the prism of human perception, so he deliberately tried not to make the film similar in structure to a conventional disaster film.
“This is the untold story of people sacrificing their lives to prevent a catastrophe that could have left much of Europe uninhabitable,” co-star Jared Harris, known for The Crown and Mad Men, told Sky.
Harris portrays Valery Legasov, a leading Soviet nuclear physicist. He was one of the first to realize the scale of the unprecedented catastrophe that occurred at nuclear power plants.
"He's the one who understands how bad this can all end... He's the smartest person in the room who no one listens to," Harris says of his character.
“But he also faces a problem that no one has faced before, so there is no plan for a solution. He uses all his knowledge to try to intervene before the situation gets out of control and reaches unprecedented proportions,” says Harris.
Dozens of scientists worked with Legasov to help clarify and publish information about what happened. Their embodiment in the series was Ulyana Khomyuk, a Soviet nuclear physicist, played by the British Emily Watson (“Breaking the Waves,” “Hillary and Jackie,” “The Life and Death of Peter Sellers”).
“I’m really excited to be part of this project,” says Watson. “It’s for this kind of work that they become actors.” It was a wonderful experience."
And Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård (“Dogville”, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”) played another main character - Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR Boris Shcherbina. He was appointed head of the government commission to eliminate the consequences of the Chernobyl accident.
“Chernobyl is a warning”
The creator of the series says that it is no coincidence that “Chernobyl” is being released right now.
“The world must know the full story of the Chernobyl disaster, which led to such terrible consequences. The world also needs to know the names and faces of the people who acted so heroically in the fight against an invisible, deadly enemy,” says Craig Mazin.
“If we forget about the terrible pages of history, they can repeat themselves,” he adds.
Mazin has Ukrainian roots. He says it helped him to feel the depth of the tragedy.
“I want the viewer to ask himself after watching: what can it cost to ignore the truth? - says Mazin. “I want the viewer to feel all the experiences that the people living there have experienced and continue to experience.”
The series "Chernobyl" consists of five episodes. Each of them will air on Mondays at 22:00 US East Coast time.
The first official movie trailer:
Second trailer:
Read also on ForumDaily:
“Lift everyone!” - dispatchers talks in the first minutes after the Chernobyl explosion
CNN told about the most mysterious sights of the Chernobyl zone
Not only Beirut: 11 terrible human-induced disasters
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