On the set of the series, 50 dogs were involved. And the main four-legged actor carried gifts in the form of frogs to his mistresses.
The series is set at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. The surgeon Kira (Maria Andreeva) and her daughter Liza (Vita Kornienko) are sent to the service dog breeding school, which is on the front line. A woman meets the commander of the border school Ivan Shevtsov (Nikolai Machulsky). Little Liza finds a new friend – a dog named Dzhulbars, who becomes attached to the girl and becomes her loyal protector.
The war drama was based on the story of a real battle near the village of Legedzino, Cherkasy region. In the battle with the enemy, about 500 sentinels and 150 service dogs were killed. The mistress of the real Dzhulbars was Dina Volkats – the first and only woman who held a command position in the mine detection service. The girl herself chose a pet, having just entered the military dog breeding school. The mentors were surprised: “You couldn’t find a worse dog? On what grounds did you choose her? ” “In the eyes,” – replied Dina. And I never regretted my choice. Dzhulbars had an incredible flair for mines – during his entire service he found 7,5 explosive devices and more than 150 shells. The brave dog became a legend: he was awarded the medal “For Military Merit”, and they also say that at the Victory Parade he was carried on the tunic of Joseph Stalin, since Dzhulbars could not walk because of the last wound.
By the way, then the fighting dog starred in films: in 1946, a picture was released based on the novel by Jack London “White Fang” with the participation of Dzhulbars.
“About 50 dogs took part in our series, – director Ivan Shurkhovetsky tells “Antenna”. – Some were brought from the nurseries of St. Petersburg, someone was found at the filming location in the Crimea. There could be two dozen dogs in one frame. About 30 more waited on a safety net in case one of the animals suddenly had no mood. I had to carry everyone with me. At first, they moved in trailers. Then they began to travel with the film crew. In the hotel unfurnished rooms were rented and specially equipped for them. “
An ordinary dog, by its very nature, must guard the territory and be hostile to attacks in its direction. They were looking for the “wrong” dogs for the series.
“We were interested in dogs that were devoid of a sense of possessiveness and jealousy. That is, self-sufficient. They will not sit in the frame and wait for the owner, but they themselves will find something to do, ”says Shurkhovetskiy.
The dog who played Dzhulbars is called Gee. He is half wolf, one-quarter the Czech wolf, and one quarter the husky. The dog began acting at about ten months old.
“He has such expressive facial expressions! – the director admires. – Cynologist Alexandra Stepanova specially raised him for filming. I took Gee with me to get the dog used to the crowd. “
By the way, Ivan Shurkhovetsky, even at the casting stage, asked the actors if they were afraid of dogs. It was important that the artists find a common language with the dog.
“The difficulty is that it is almost impossible to come to an agreement with a dog. Her attention lasts 15–20 minutes. Usually remembers one or two tasks. Then she should be allowed to rest. There were also such dogs that could complete a maximum of four tasks in a row. This is already considered a circus level. Before work, the dog saw a rehearsal several times and remembered what the actors were doing. The process itself took place 50 meters from the shooting point in a narrow circle so that no one would distract her, ”the director adds.
By the way, it was a real happiness for dogs to see about 50 brothers at the same time. They united in two or three. Sometimes they ran away into the forest, distracted by pheasants, foxes or wild boars. Then they returned to the pack. Gee liked to rush to the swamp during lunch and catch frogs. Brought and left at the trailers of Masha Andreeva and Vita Kornienko. For some reason, this is how he showed signs of attention.