Layla Alexander-Garrett

Kateryna KOT

The Person Who Breathes «There are two places on the planet where I want to kneel and kiss the ground — Kyiv and Greece. They are blessed places for me», — says Layla Alexander-Garrett a special guest of May capital. The interpreter of Andrei Tarkovsky during the shooting of «The Sacrifice» came on the invitation of the Educational and Cultural Centre «Master Class». She presented the book «Andrei Tarkovsky: The Collector of Dreams» (the book is published in Russian and English, in secret — Leonid Finberg — the publisher suggested the idea of publishing the book in Ukrainian as well. Sergii Masloboishchykov wants to create the cover and do the graphical line of the edition) under their program on Arsenal Book Festival. Besides the world first night of «English Breakfast» — new play by Layla Alexander-Garret — happened in cozy living room of «MK» — the first reading staging was accomplished by Sergii Masloboishchykov, actors Alla Sergiiko and Viktor Andrienko and Vadim Skurativskiy — «the honour of Ukrainian nation» — according to the Layla's words, which we share with pleasure ИC. You worked with many significant experts such as Yuri Lyubimov, Petro Todorovsky, Elem Klimov, Tengiz Abuladze, Volodymyr Grammatikov, Nicolas Roeg, Lasse Hallström... But mostly people talk about you in the context of Tarkovsky. What can you tell about other collaborations?

Lyubimov started to work with me only because he got to know: Tarkovsky used to work with her. At the beginning it was «Feast at the Time of the Plague»then «Master and Margaret» in Stockholm, then «The Ring of the Nibelung» at Covent Garden: I was telephoned from there and invited for work. And the name Tarkovsky always emerges during all conversation (in all conversations). First of all I wrote a book about him. I haven’t written a book about anyone else and I don’t want to. Also I organized a festival dedicated to Tarkovsky in London in 2007. Also in 2010 I organized festival of Sergiy Parajanov.

I love Prajanov really much and when I brought this project to the Cinematography Mecca of England — British Film Institute — I was told that Parajanov is not suitable at all. Tarkovsky Festival was held with great success but no one knows Parajanov, it will be a failure. When the festival happened in London and Bristol — the festival director wrote to me that it was the most successful commercial project within last three years. Your Parajanov said about himself: I am an Armenian who lives in Georgia and was jailed for Ukrainian chauvinism. He is also incredible person. Now I am suggested to do a lot of projects — I refuse: I am interested only in what interests me, and I do only what I want to do and that no one other will be able to do. As there was nothing about Tarkovsky and about Parajanov all the more! John Galliano after the film watching told: Now I know from whom I steal all the ideas — it’s certainly Parajanov».

Why Tarkovsky? Maybe, he is the closest to my personality. I really respect him and appre-

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preters. Lyudmila Petrushevska used to tell me: «Layla you picked up Tarkovsky from them and now all interpreters hate you». But I am not professional interpreter, I studied cinematography, Tibetan language and Buddhism and when I came and asked to help to the producer AnnaLena Wibom, she turned me down cold because Tarkovsky unambiguously wanted to work with a man. But when I came — he play for me remains as certain aeseverything intertwined somehow and afthetic mystery. It’s an original way to terwards he used to say — and it’s very gain an understanding in relations between important — that with other interpreters people who experience terrible crisis of «chemistry didn’t work» — and the whole modernity, by Eurasian people mainly. It’s Tarkovsky was in this phrase. When he difficult for me to comment the work to was already death-sick, Tarkovsky told which I have attitude to certain extent as it’s me: «When you will write a book about already touchy to talk about yourself. I am me, don’t write about me being a tyrant modest actor who performed the role under who left our rows untimely and the rest exact directions of the superfine producer and my stage colleagues. They are actors of trite typical phrases. You should write the finest level: Alla Sergiiko and my only what I personally meant to you, only favourite Viktor Andrienko. I have already to you». At that moment I had no thought told about my friend Sergii of writing a book — but he knew already.

Masloboishchykov — I will add that he is not And people who read this text told me only outstanding producer of nowadays, but that he turned them to themselves. a good engraver, scene-designer, and the Tarkovsky was such a person. When the master of easel painting. showing of the film «The Mirror» passed, Vadym Skurativsky but it wasn’t showed in central, rarely in provincial cinemas, people started to write to him, a lot of people from jails, a lot of sia, I wasn’t allowed to enter the country and women wrote to him: this film is about me. when some conflicts happened at film set this After the first night no one from his colleagues person somehow reduced tension with humour, greeted with him, they were passing by and, with warmth — and surrounded us by such a roughly speaking, nearly spitted. But people feeling as if he hugged everyone. The person from a far, from unknown, marginal corners, who went through the war, terrible war. He was who watched the film after a couple of years a little bit deaf: either from an explosion or from after the release, wrote to him to say thank you. something that fell down — he was covered by And he understood that in such a way one two-meter lump, people who were with him should do in the cinematography. He always died but he survived. And it’s a miracle. And the said that cinematography was not a profession fact that this person left us is a tragedy. Why as it was for many to find money, to wheedle the Tarkovsky? I used to work with him nearly every money out, to build, to produce, and to make a day. And after a while I got to know that he gave film and etc. It was his life. He did in what he the run around to fourteen professional interciate, love. I really worked with Klimov, and with Abuladze, and with Petro Todorovsky and I met with Rolan Bykov. And Todorovsky is a light, which left us, real light — he was incredible person. When I worked as an interpreter on «Іntergirl» in Sweden, actually the favourite of Tarkovsky, I became persona non grata in Rus-

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believed. And, maybe, he taught me this as for example with invitation to organize the festival.

They are not interesting for me. I don’t like this phrase but the life is short and one wants to use every day to day what you can say in particular: you want to sing in your voice, but not to join someone in singing. ИC. Cooperation with famous people requires high cultural level. What the term «the person of culture» contained at the end of the previous century and who is modern — «the person of culture»? What are the differences?

I think the feeling of responsibility. It seems like there is nothing difficult. Tarkovsky used to tell that the art existed only when it was difficult to live in the period of the most difficult conditions for survival. If to remember the plead of poets during Stalin time — it’s hardly a comparable time in hardness with the time of our life. As in the play (it goes about «English Breakfast» К.К.) — the couple «tyrant-poet», where the hero quotes Maldestam and says: «I thought: what are they — poets? Who are they?

They are buttercups. But what they are — tyrants die, but the poet is living».

Because tyrants come, they babble something, repeat themselves and pass, but the poets remain. And it seems that nowadays it’s very rare. But in reality, it’s present. When I held some meetings or lectures I see this presence.

There was, for example, an event when after the meeting came to me a young man and told: «I always wanted to be a sound technician — but I so much don’t like the sound in modern films and videos that I changed my mind. But when I read your book, I understood, how and why I wanted to work as sound technician, I understood silence. Nevertheless I will go to the sound technician courses». It’s not the praise to me, it’s the praise to Tarkovsky, because he taught me to feel and to describe in such a way, to understand what the sound means and in general what it means to see and observe. How the person looks on you, what he or she feels why he or she looks like that, what stands behind all this. It was the most observant person.

The most difficult scene passed easily. But some drop on juniper or some branch could take us the whole days, in such a way the person was demanding and responsible for his art, for his mystics. But now — as Tarkovsky said in one interview: young people who study cinematography at once want to run to advertisement in order to earn money, to get experience. It seems to them that at the beginning you can do passing through things. Tarkovsky usually said: there is no passing through film. And the person who wants at least to approach the term which is called «authore», to authorship and auteur cinematography has to understand: nothing can be passing though there. This passing through the most draws in and destroys. And now this as it seems to me absorbed the whole culture.

It’s so sad! It’s like a kind of uniform insane serial — to watch the films shot with great equipment, but so similar. Recently I had to buy a new television, because the system was changed to digital and the old one is not show-

Above: Alla Sergiyko, Layla Alexander-Garrett, Vadym Skurativsky, below: Sergiy Masloboyshchykov, Victor Andrienko

ing anymore — I can’t watch all these distorted figures in the screen — everything has turned on some flatten pancakes, people don’t have waists, all are short-legged, fat, unbodied as if they swollen — I was impressed. I tried to watch old screen through the adapter — everything is different. There is different human’s image. This is very strange. I would like to avoid this distortion. The person is talking with a dog in the play «English Breakfast», for example — because he doesn’t have anyone to talk to. The dog unites the family, because they forgot how to talk with each other. ИC. «English Breakfast» is not a play in classical meaning. It’s more like a quote. I had a feeling that I got into the conversation of smart and lonely people — and got a chance to eavesdrop on them.

Indeed, I am not a play writer. Chehov used to tell: «I am not a play write» (is laughing). You know I am fed up with modern theatre. And I just wanted simply to sit and listen. It happened in the same way with «Gaspar de la Nuit» — I just wanted to talk. And Tamara Plashenko is wonderful, famous actress whom I bravely call the best actress of present time — incredibly finely reproduces and enriched everything. Psychiatrists were present at the play and they told to me: «Every psychotherapeutist should see this play in order to understand human’s psyche». Because the play accompanies human from the beginning till the end, the human passes the maze and he is supposed to survive, he has to survive.

And when he is nearly sure that it’s impossible to survive — something is pulling him because they have to overcome suffering. Because he will become a human only when he will overcome suffering. The same Tarkovsky said: «Through the suffering, through empathize, through the understanding of the other person». Where we can pass, we pass. And we pass for everyone. It seems to me the only way to survive — is to maintain

this ability, to pass it. Here at «Master Klass» incredible things happen — Iryna Budanska keeps this place. I got here thanks to Tarkovsky. They hold a poetry evening «Father and son», I was asked to tell about «The Scarifies». And the film leitmotif was «I am a candle, I burned out at a feast.//Gather my wax in the morning» (transl.

by Nemser and Skakov) by Arsenii Tarkovsky.

And he is certainly indissoluble with his son and had a great influence on him. Andrei was very proud of the fact that somehow he can be connected with his father. That evening Maryna Tarkovska, Olexander Gordon read the Ukrainian translations of Arsenii Tarkovsky — wonderful, incredible language, by the way, I listened with delight and nearly understood everything — very beautiful language. ИC. You wished to everyone to read and watch classics at the end of the meeting at the Arsenal Book Festival. What could you wish to our reader?

I wish to watch Tarkovsky, to watch Todorovsky, to watch films by Bergman — to watch classics, watch and read. And in general look at person. Look at person who looks at you even though it’s an animal, even though it’s a dog — as in the play as it’s particularly him who united everything there. He talks about self-respect; he brings heroes to understanding of their separation with children. As we don’t often notice these speeches. As we stopped to understand youth, we don’t know them. By the way, Todorovsky said: «I don’t understand them». And simply look at each other and evaluate as everything will pass at once. This thought often arises; when I come to the airport and see all these people, sometimes eyes snatch out someone — and I look at this person and this person somehow understood me, pleasant or close — and I am looking at the person and think: «Oh, my God, I will never see this person again!» Appreciate each other! Breathe with another person.

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