Stanislav Rostotskiy

Stanislav Rostotsky was a renown Russian film director whose two films, The Dawns Here Are Quiet (1972) and White Bim Black Ear (1977) were nominated for Oscar and won other international awards.

He was born Stanislav Iosifovich Rostotsky on April 21, 1922, in Rybinsk, north of Moscow, Russia. His father, named Josef Boleslavovich Rostotsky, was a respected Medical Doctor and later became an official at State Department of Health. His mother, named Lidia Karlovna, was a homemaker. Young Rostotsky spent much of his childhood in a village in Central Russia. There he developed his special ability to uncover the beauty of wild nature, that later became a professional forte in his directing.

In 1936, at age 14, Rostotsky made his film debut as an actor in Bezhin lug (1937), albeit some parts of the film were lost, including most of Rostotsky's scenes. At that time he met the legendary director Sergei Eisenstein. Under the guidance from Eisenstein, young Rostotsky studied literature and arts, and focused on such writers as Honoré de Balzac and Émile Zola, composers Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, art of Japanese prints and Impressionist paintings by such artists as Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Edgar Degas among others. Rostotsky and Eisenstein became life-long friends. Upon Eisenstein's advise, Rostotsky did not rush into film business until he achieved a well-rounded education, he attended Moscow Institute of Philosophy and Literature.

In February 1942 Rostotsky was drafted in the Red Army. After a brief training, he served as a private with the 6th Cavalry Guards Brigade at the Ukrainian Front, fighting against the Nazi troops during the Second World War. On February 11, 1944 Rostotsky was severely wounded in action; after having his leg amputated he undergone a comprehensive six-month treatment, and had to wear a prosthesis for the rest of his life. Rostotsky was decorated with the Order of the Red Banner for his courage in battle.

In August of 1944 Rostotsky became a student of director Grigoriy Kozintsev at Leningrad Institute of Cinematography. There he studied film directing for seven years, assisted in Kozintsev's films, and graduated in 1951 as a film director. From 1952 to 2001 he worked at Gorky Film Studio in Moscow. There he made 17 films as director, including his best films, We'll Live Till Monday (1968), 'A zori zdes tikhie' (1972), and 'Belyy Bim - chernoe ukho' (1977), the latter two received Oscar nominations and international acclaim.

Stanislav Rostotsky was awarded the State Prize of the USSR twice (1970, 1975). He was designated People's Artist of the USSR, and received numerous awards and decorations for his contribution to film art. He was a Member of the Board of Union of Cinematographers, and five times Member of the Jury at Moscow International Film Festival (1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983). He also taught directing at State Institute of Cinematography in Moscow, and wrote numerous articles on film directing and film history. He also wrote memoirs about Eisenstein, Gerasimov, Moskvin, and other Russian film figures. Rostotsky was married to notable Russian actress Nina Menshikova and their son, Andrey Rostotskiy was a popular film actor.

Outside of his film profession Stanislav Rostotsky was famous for his support of recreational fishing and was known for releasing his catch alive; he was decorated with the Medal of Honor "For Development of Fishing Resouces in Russia" and also presided at several sport fishing competitions. Stanislav Rostotsky died of a heart failure on August 11, 2001, in Moscow, and was laid to rest in Vagankovskoe Cemetery in Moscow, Russia.