“The actress is very real, but dressed …”: how was the style created in the cult films “Brother” and “Brother-2”?

In 1997, Alexei Balabanov’s movie “Brother” blew up video rentals and sold thousands of copies nationwide. And the main character of the film, Danila Bagrov, became a real domestic superhero, who managed to attract the attention of the Russian audience in the era of Rimbaud and the Terminator.

A simple man in a stretched sweater and with a CD player playing the songs of the beloved Nautilus fell in love with him so much that they began to call Sergei Bodrov himself Brat or Danila Bagrov. It was he who called a whole generation of young people to tell the truth, instilled love for Russian rock, taught not to judge by appearances and never abandon their own.

Today, December 27, Sergei Bodrov could have turned 51. On this occasion, we recommend that you not only take tests on the knowledge of “Brother” and “Brother-2”, but also read the material on how the style of the main characters is created in Balabanov’s iconic paintings. And there are some really interesting things. The budget for shooting the movie was disastrously modest—money was spent solely on film and equipment, and many scenes were shot in each other’s apartments or summer homes. It’s not surprising that the characters’ clothes were taken from the shelves of their own wardrobes. So today we are sorting through the archives and tell you where the favorite wardrobe items of Danila and Viktor Bagrov, party girls Kat and Marilyn, came from.

Danila Bagrov

The costume designer of Alexei Balabanov and his wife, Nadezhda Vasilyeva, went to second-hand shops and flea markets in search of the same Danila Bagrov sweater. “Those who stand on the street and wear jackets, sweaters, jeans, etc. And you stand in the cold, in the rain, look at it all and try to understand with a sixth sense what exactly Lesha wants, ”she said.

After many hours of searching, the sweater was found: “When I saw this, I immediately thought it would suit Lesha. My grandmother always knitted her such knitted sweaters, big knit, warm and cozy. And she always wore them. God forbid was to buy it, or at least offer to buy a sweater in the store. And since I always saw Lesha in Bagrovo, a person who can protect and defend himself and his loved ones, I immediately realized that you could not imagine better clothes for him.

They say that Nadezhda Vasilyeva bought something iconic (in the future) for only 35 rubles. After the release of the film about a knitted sweater, all fans of Danila Bagrov had a dream.

Victor Bagrov

Nadezhda Vasilyeva found clothes for her older brother Danila Bagrov in her wardrobe. She bought the famous green coat worn by Tatarin in Germany while working on another film. Nadezhda borrowed a black and red tie from her father. But the yellow jacket was borrowed by the brother of one of the actresses in the movie “Street of Broken Lights”.

In the second part of “Brother”, Victor’s style has changed dramatically – instead of bright accessories and jackets, leather jackets and tight-fitting suits appear. By the way, once Balabanov quarreled with his wife because of the image. In one of the scenes, Viktor Bagrov appears on the floor in a raincoat, white-toed boots, and a cowboy hat. It was this title that the director did not like.

– Too much! Give me another hat. Not a cowboy.

– I don’t! This will be it!

– Raid!

– What about the other one?

– Famine!

As a result, Nadezhda “won” the dispute, and the image of Viktor Bagrov’s gangster in a cowboy hat became a cult.

Party Girl Kat

Danila Bagrov in the first part of the film St. Informally, Kat, whom she met in St. Petersburg, could not find suitable clothes for a very long time. During the filming, the actress of the role of Maria Milyutina was pregnant. Therefore, Nadezhda Vasilyeva had to look for a coarse leather jacket several sizes larger. As a result, singer Nastya Polevaya borrowed the jacket, but the cameraman’s daughter provided the beret for filming. The rest of the clothes were found in the wardrobe of the actress. By the way, she herself did the makeup and hairstyle for her heroine in many scenes.

Banker Valentin Edgarovich Belkin

Valentin Belkin is the only character in the movie to appear in different images in each scene. And not all 14 costumes were found at flea markets, but were provided by the Crocus store. Meanwhile, Balabanov was engaged in the choice of clothes for the cunning banker. For example, for a scene shot in Leninskiye Gorky, he chose a mouse-colored shirt with patch pockets to reflect the character of the negative hero.

Marilyn

Marilyn aka Dasha is one of the brightest characters of the second part of “Sister”, and the phrase “Son, bring us vodka” is known to those who have not watched a single movie.

Nadezhda Vasilyeva also worked on her style. “Dasha should be her own. It’s like she’s the same as the rest of the whores, but hers is my fighting darling. Hence the flight suit, boots suitable for Danila – brown, heavy, ”she recalled. Marilyn Vasilyeva herself knitted a brown hat, but Balabanov did not approve of this. “You are the customers, everything has to match the color and he doesn’t care. Give me the black hat,” said the director.