Screenplay by Alexey Kruchenykh, written in 1928. Once a week, "Then" screens an episode for the web series "The Birth and death of Lef". [1]
How is this book illustrated? Match what its main character was - " LEF " (Left front of arts). In the constructivist program-shell of the 1920s, all cultural trends were mixed: futurism, Suprematism, Leninism, Dada and others. This is an homage to the culture of the early twentieth century. [2]
Alexey Kruchenykh: "I, of course, take into account that "the Birth and death of Lef" is not a script in the full sense of the word: it is divided not into frames, but rather into episodes, it has more inscriptions than is usually supposed, parts are short, and so on. But it is not intended for production, but for reading»[1]
(Yellow - text from the image)
Alexey Kruchenykh. LEF's birth and death. Scenario-sketch. 1928
Part 1. The Birth Of Lef. 1909-1913 years.
(On the picture: Life is wonderful! Drunkards of Paradise. Przewalski's Horse. Judges ' Cage. A and E. the Story of the stone age. Easy. Slap. Bobaobi. Piaao. A. Vaaome. How rosy!)
A hand appears out of the darkness, striking the confused face of a Philistine, then a large book with a large inscription - " a Slap in the face to public taste." Next - another book - "The cage of judges".
(On the picture: Burlyukov fools
To the Kanatchikov dacha
And Kruchenykh to boot)
Raging citizen. The Inscription: "Ha! Stillborn. Yellow jacket. Brawlers!" The crowd falls on the stillborn, shouting. The inscription: "Boatmen fools and twisted to boot. To the Kanatchikov dacha."
(On the picture: Dyr-bul-schyl. Bo ba obi)
A four-year-old child in a yellow sweatshirt with the inscription: "Futurism" is flounders, smile, grow in front of an astonished crowd. Peeps (inscription): "Bo-Ba-Obi". Then growls (inscription): "Dyr-bul-schyl".
The crowd is subdued. Twisted faces pass through each other, trams run between the eyes, the roofs of the houses lean over, stretch out the window to see what was happening. A futuristic picture.
Stop it! Not allow
A grown-up child walks solemnly through the city. Inscription: "Stop it! Not allow". Behind him the wild rush of the pursuers. Mayakovsky, Burlyuk and Khlebnikov raise the baby high above the crowd.
Angry faces of the crowd. Inscription: "He was born and will live."
Part 2. Nanny pinches
The child is futurism, surrounded by a crowd. Nanny - Korney Chukovsky comes out of the crowd in a cocoanut and apron. Holding a pacifier with the inscription: "rosehip". He tries to take the child in his arms, but the child resists.
(On the picture: Printing house)
Inscription: "A monument is must putten up to the liberator of the word - for Velimir Khlebnikov." A huge monument is shown in the dark. Velimir is bestial, harsh, and magnificent.
(On the picture: Dyr-bul-schyl Dyr-bul-schyl Dyr-bul... Bo ba obi.Bo ba obi. Bo ba obi... A-A-A-A...)
The child breaks away from the nanny. She strokes and pinches him. Inscription: "Calm down, baby." The child leans into the nurse's ear and yells. She's scared.
(On the picture: GON-E BYU)
Chukovsky unfolds the inscription: "Kruchenykh - our entire epoch. It is grandiose and menacing." a figure of twists with a club and a trumpet, from which fly the abstruse words: "wa-ma-gon-e-byu".
Lef is out of diapers
The inscription: "Lef is out of diapers." Tretyakov appears in short trousers and Mayakovsky, wrapped up to the waist in a cloud. Inscription: "Cloud in pants."
(On the picture: Edition. Accepting ads. Light advertising. Left! Left! Left!(commands for the formation step))
Inscription: "Throw out the perfumery fornication of Balmont and the Northerner." Mayakovsky, Burlyuk, Tretyakov, and others are chasing old poets. They run away, dropping powder, cologne, lyre, and so on.
The faces of the townspeople were distorted with anger. Inscription: "Cheeky boys. We won't allow it! Protect the king of poets from bullies." The crowd tries to put a trembling Severyanin on the throne of literature.
Smeyunchiki (From the verb " laugh")
(On the picture: Alive)
From under the feet of the roof, from everywhere jump out small, colorful, cheerful children. Behind them, in the distance, is the monumental figure of Khlebnikov. Inscription: "Smeyunchiki"...Smeyunchiki surround futurists. Roundelay.
(On the picture: Alive! Alive! Alive!)
The ominously grim crowd shouts: "He's dying. He's dead." Smeyunchiki sing: "Alive! Alive! Alive!"
Part 3. Revolution in life and word. 1917 - 1921.
The revolutionary capital. Armed patrols roam the city. Inscription: "Run! Run!" A northerner holding a bottle of Cologne in one hand and a large railway ticket with the inscription: "Paris" - runs away, absurdly stumbling. Balmont, with a long ode in his hands, sings sweetly before the Commissioner in a leather jacket. The latter takes money from his pocket and gives it to Balmont, who bows low, then smiles maliciously to The side. Inscription: "Now over the border in lovely France." Balmont rides off on a scorpion.
Passes Merezhkovsky, hand in hand with Gippius, disavowing, and spewing curses: "Antichrist. Coming ham. Devil's spawn." Then he smiles slyly. The inscription: "And we are going to Europe" - run away.
Inscription: "The so-called coming ham." Appears a young man in the prozo-clothes with the inscription "Comfut". In his hand - a revolutionary constructivist poster. He is surrounded by Meyerhold, theater revolutionaries and young people.
The critic appears-the monster oblo, ozorno and Laya. A combination of a donkey, a lion, and something else with horns. In the hand of the grabber. Inscription: "Not allow. Here I will horn you." Jumps on the Comfut with a grab. He dodges and chuckles.
Inscription: "Left March". Komsomol members walk in orderly rows to the singing of the left March. Behind him, workers and peasants.
(On the picture: I say nervous calm down!)
Inscription: "At school". The teacher holds a book with the inscription "Mayakovsky" and says to the students. They listen with tension and attention.
(On the picture: Telegraph. Futurism wins!)
The inscription: "Futurism wins". Street: a wall plastered with revolutionary posters of the a futuristic. Influx. Stage of the Meyerhold theater. Constructive statement. Influx. Page of the newspaper. It has poems with futuristic covers.
Part 4. Lef's second birth
(On the picture(Describes the situation on the train): Ticket for 3 persons. "Kavkaz-Moscow". Reserved seat.
Shower. Water. Shine. Splash.
Heels. It Smells like a broom. Knees. Pity the old man. The cloth slides. Tears are falling.
Crane. Hot. Bathhouses. Linen. Baths.Couples. Bellies hanging. Wive. Husband).
Inscription: "1922". A speeding train. Then the inside of the car. Sit: Kruchenykh, Terentyev, Zdanevich. Inscription: - "from the Caucasus to Moscow".
Geographical map. From the letters DVR grows Aseev with a bomb in his hand, Tretyakov and Neznamov. They are walking towards Moscow.
Inscription: "All in the center.".. Crossing the Volga, on the arm of Stenka Razin, Vasily Kamensky goes into the distance.
(On the picture: 1923. № 1. This is for us. Comrades in Lef! Lef. Responsible editor V. Mayakovsky. We need to review ours... Tretiakov. What is Lef fighting for? Dedicated to her and me. A. About what is it-about this?)
Inscription: "in Moscow". Large bright room. At the table sit Mayakovsky, Khlebnikov, Aseev, Pasternak and other futurists. Animated conversation. The paper on the table begins to move, rises, and over the table stands a magazine book with the inscription: "Lef №1. State-owned enterprise".
Mesheryakamba. Not allow. U-Lu-Lu. Not print.
(On the picture: "President of the globe").
Khlebnikov dies in horror. Around it there are the letters, folding in the inscription: "President of the globe".
(On the picture: Who is Lef warning?)
The newspaper "Izvestia", magazine "Red virgin soil," etc. Inscription: "We won't let U-Lu-Lu." Moscow critics break into Giz's room and attack Lef. A thin man in a black jacket tries to stop them. They push him away, he shies away. Inscription: "Mesheryakamba. Not allow. U-Lu-Lu. Not print".
(On the picture: Lef. And on the black was established red/clear).
Inscription: "He is dead, but his word lives." The Lefs come with a banner. Behind them, Komsomol members and workers. Spooky and Bezymensky are trailing behind.
To be continued...
The script remained unshielded. In 2017, the script was published by the project "Then" in the form of titles with photomontage sheets. In 2019, the Nekrasov Library animated this scenario as part of the exhibition " LEF. Experience creating the art of the day". [2]
Source:
3. Kruchenykh, A. E. Birth and death of Lef/ A. E. Kruchenykh / edited by V. V. Mayakovsky. - Moscow: Gosizdat, 1927-1928. - 1928
Video:
Сценарий Алексея Крученых, написанный в 1928 году. Раз в неделю «Тогда» экранизирует эпизод для web-сериала «Рождение и смерть Лефа». [1]
Как проиллюстрирована эта книга? Под стать тому, каким был ее главный герой — «ЛЕФ» (Левый фронт искусств). В конструктивистской программе-оболочке 1920-х смешались все культурные течения: футуризм, супрематизм, линиизм, дада и другие. Это — оммаж культуре начала ХХ века. [2]
Алексей Крученых: «Я, понятно, учитываю, что «Рождение и смерть Лефа» не является сценарием в полном смысле этого слова: он делится не на кадры, а скорее на эпизоды, в нем больше надписей, чем полагается обычно, части коротки и проч. Но ведь он рассчитан не на постановку, а на чтение»[1]
Сценарий остался неэкранизированным. Проект «Тогда» попытался представить, как бы могло выглядеть кинопроизводство «фильмы», и проиллюстрировал эти сценарные наброски. [2]