130th Anniversary of the Birth of the ‘Russian Maggie Smith’
Just as British actress Maggie Smith achieved worldwide fame well past her youth, shining in iconic roles in ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Downton Abbey’, Faina Ranevskaya, too, won the nation’s affection in her mature years – largely thanks to her inimitable wit and memorable character roles. With her, even a tiny cameo transformed into an outstanding performance. And her name became a household word even during her lifetime.
From Fanny to Ranevskaya
She was born on August 27, 1896, in Taganrog to the family of a wealthy factory owner. At birth, she was given the name Fanny Girshevna Feldman. The young actress took the stage name by which she is known to the public in honor of Lyubov Ranevskaya, the heroine of Chekhov's ‘The Cherry Orchard’.
Legend has it that the young actress, who was struggling to make ends meet with irregular theater work, received a money transfer from her mother. As she was leaving the bank, the wind snatched the bills from her hands. Watching the bills fly away, she said, "It's a shame about the money, but how beautifully they fly away!" Her companion exclaimed, "But, you're Ranevskaya! Only she could say something like that!" Thus, she became Faina Ranevskaya.
Chekhov also defined the nature of her talent: to see the great in the small, to play tragedy in everyday scenes – that's what Ranevskaya was all about.
Her artistic career began in 1915 on provincial stages, with tiny, wordless roles. The revolution scattered her family across the world, but Faina remained in Russia – alone, penniless and without connections. She performed in private companies and regional theaters until she ended up in Moscow.
"Mulya, don't get on my nerves!"
Ranevskaya's paradox is that, despite the nation's love for her on-screen roles, she herself disliked cinema and was embarrassed by her work. Her movie debut came in 1934 in Mikhail Romm's ‘Pyshka’, based on Maupassant's short story. Filming took place in freezing soundstages. To better immerse herself in the role, Ranevskaya learned several of her character's lines in French, the original language. The movie made a huge impression on French writer Romain Rolland, who specifically requested that it be screened in France.
She appeared in 25 movies in her lifetime. She called each of her appearances a disgrace. Her famous line, "The money is spent, but the shame remains," became the motto of her approach to cinema.
However, it was cinema that immortalized her in the people's memory. In 1939, the comedy ‘The Foundling’ was released, in which Ranevskaya played the eccentric Lyalya. Her remark to her on-screen husband – "Mulya, don't get on my nerves!" became a meme. According to another legend, USSR General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev, upon meeting Ranevskaya at a government reception, addressed her: "Mulya, don't get on my nerves!" And she replied: "Leonid Ilyich, only little boys or hooligans talk to me that way!"
The Main Stage: The Theater
Ranevskaya's true element was the theater. On stage, she played roles that fully revealed her tragicomic talent – from satirical to deeply tragic, especially in plays by Chekhov and Gorky. Her talent was recognized at the state level: in 1937, she was awarded the title of ‘Honored Artist of the RSFSR’ and, in 1961, she became a ‘People's Artist of the USSR’. She also was a three-time ‘Stalin Prize’ laureate.
Complaints Book
Ranevskaya was famous not only for her acting, but also for her sharp tongue. Her reputation as a wit was as great as her acting talent. Ranevskaya didn't coin aphorisms – she "spoke them". Her witticisms, full of sarcasm and sadness, instantly spread throughout Moscow.
She was ruthless to those around her and to herself: "I’ve spent my whole life swimming the butterfly stroke in a toilet"; "Old age is when you're troubled not by bad dreams, but by bad reality"; "Optimism is a lack of information." Her ironic observations of people became proverbs: "It's better to be a good person who 'swears like a sailor' than a quiet, well-mannered creature."
Behind this prickly exterior, according to those close to her, hid a vulnerable soul. Ranevskaya herself, reflecting on the possibility of writing her memoirs, said: "If I were to give in to requests and start writing about myself, it would be a book of complaints."
Her aphorisms were eagerly awaited, they were seized upon, they were even composed for her and attributed to her. Even during her lifetime, she became a figure of folklore. In numerous collections – ‘Incidents. Jokes. Aphorisms’, ‘Ranevskaya Jokes’ and others – her authentic remarks appear alongside fictional ones. But even this is a popular tribute to her talent and popularity.
Loneliness
Behind the image of an unyielding, witty woman lurked a deeply lonely soul. Ranevskaya never married. Her only family were her pets.
She especially loved her dog named ‘Malchik’ (‘Boy’). She said of them, "They live like Sarah Bernhardt and I, myself, live like a dog!" This love was so strong that, after her death, a bronze figurine of Malchik was placed on the actress' tombstone.