"Ryaba the Hen" (Kurochka Ryaba) is a 1994 Russian-French tragicomedy directed by Andrey Konchalovsky. A sequel to Asya's Happiness (The Story of Asya Klyachina, Who Loved but Did Not Marry) (1967), it moves the action to Russia in the 1990s, with Inna Churikova in the lead role. Filming took place in the selo of Bezvodnoye in Kstovsky District, Nizhny Novgorod Region, the same place where the first film was shot.[1]

About the film

The screenplay was written by Konchalovsky together with Viktor Merezhko.[1] Thirty years have passed since the events of The Story of Asya Klyachina. Asya Klyachina, an eccentric village woman raised on the ideals of developed socialism, earns her living by selling eggs and moonshine. Her hen lays a golden egg, and passions begin to boil in the village around it. Next to Asya's crumbling farm thrives that of her neighbor, the farmer Chirkunov, a prosperous island of capitalism amid sleepy poverty. Chirkunov is fond of Asya, but people with such different views of life struggle to find a common language.[1][2]

For the lead role Konchalovsky originally invited Iya Savvina, who had played Asya in the first film, but she read the script, found it insulting to the Russian people, and refused. Her place was taken by Inna Churikova.[2] Alongside professional actors, the film features residents of the village where it was shot.[2]

The cast includes: Inna Churikova (Asya Klyachina), Viktor Mikhaylov (Vasily Nikitich), Gennady Nazarov (Seryozha), Aleksandr Surin (Stepan, Asya's husband), Gennady Egorychev (Chirkunov), Mikhail Kononov (Father Nikodim), Lyubov Sokolova (Maria), Mikhail Kislov (Grishka), and Aleksandr Chislov (the secretary).[1] The cinematographer was Evgeny Guslinsky, the composer Boris Bazurov, and the production designers Leonid and Andrey Platov. The producers were Jacques Ouaknine, Sergey Bayev, and Nicolas Garaud.[1] Production companies: Mosfilm, Canal+, and the Centre National de la Cinématographie (France); the budget was $2,700,000.[3]

Filming in Nizhny Novgorod Region

Filming took place in the selo (a larger village) of Bezvodnoye in Kstovsky District, Nizhny Novgorod Region — the very same place where "The Story of Asya Klyachina" was filmed in 1967.[1] The villagers are thanked in the credits; many of them played minor roles.[2]

Release and Reception

The film premiered in Moscow in November 1994; the French premiere took place on February 8, 1995, in Paris.[1] The film was entered in the main competition of the 1994 Cannes Film Festival.[2] It received two Nika Award nominations and won the Kinoshok prize "for fidelity to its theme and for the movement of artistic consciousness."[2]

Sources

  1. stuki-druki.com — The film "Ryaba My Chicken" (1994) — plot, cast and roles, stills from the film
  2. ivi.ru — The film Ryaba My Chicken (1994): description, synopsis, interesting facts, and more about the film
  3. kino.mail.ru — Ryaba My Chicken, 1994 film — stills, trailers, watch online, cast, photos and videos, reviews
  4. film.ru — Ryaba My Chicken (1994) — Film.ru