The Process of Writing the Script for “Heroes of Shipka” (1954) by S. D. Vasilev

Abstract

The article examines the process of preparing the screenplay for S. D. Vasiliev's film “Heroes of Shipka”. The author addresses the issue of representing historical facts in artistic works during the Soviet period. Focusing on the screenplay preparation, the author explores how the director tackled the challenge of balancing artistic and historical elements, using the film about the events of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 as a case study. For many years Vasiliev had been developing a plan to shoot the film about the events of the Eastern Crisis of 1875–1878. “Heroes of Shipka” became the first film for the director after the death of G. N. Vasiliev, with whom he had collaborated for many years in a creative partnership. The screenplay prepared by A. A. Perventsev required numerous revisions, particularly regarding the depiction of historical events. The film's screenplay underwent a discussion process at the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of USSR, during which domestic Slavists provided their feedback. Some of these comments were not taken into account during the film's production. As a director, S. D. Vasiliev operated on the principles of artistic authenticity, believing that dramatic truth in an artistic work takes precedence over historical accuracy. The author notes that this approach was particularly evident during the filming process, when the director sacrificed scenes from the Constantinople Conference of 1876–1877 in favor of scenes that revealed the relationships between the film's key characters. Despite this, the author highlights that the film's director, S. D. Vasiliev, undertook significant work in preparing the historical material and made an effort to maintain a balance between the artistic and historical aspects of the film.

Received 21 February 2025

Revised 10 April 2025

Accepted 1 May 2025

For citation: Nikiforov, D. I., 2025. The Process of Writing the Script for “Heroes of Shipka” (1954) by S. D. Vasilev. Slavic World in the Third Millennium, 20 (1–2), pp. 71-84. https://doi.org/10.31168/2412-6446.2025.20.1-2.04