Let’s Remember Vladislav Galkin

And I have two reasons to do it. First, I have always admired him as a talented actor. Especially I liked him to play the role of lieutenant Tamantsev in the film “In August ’44.” Galkin has created a trustworthy image of a bold, professional “cleaner” treated with respect by his fellow operatives.

The second reason to recollect Vladislav Galkin is the desire to express my deep regret that his life and creative work has ended so early and tragically.

Tragically, because it seems to me that he died feeling absolutely lonely. There were and there are many people who sincerely loved and still love him. I mean a human solitude when there are too many admirers and friends. I say “it seems to me” because I wasn’t personally acquainted with this man and, therefore, I may be mistaken. But, however, it is namely this emotion that I feel when I think about this man.

His death was preceded by quite a few scandalous publications in newspapers which were painful and unpleasant. There was no human compassion in those articles but mockery only. He too much regretted both, the reason on the ground of which those articles were written and the articles themselves many of which were published only for the purpose to discuss the details of the difficult situation in which the actor has occurred.

I don’t want to seem superficial in my judgments but I think that his solitude has acquired the form of extraordinary self-isolation. It is like a train which is running down the slope. All people knock at the closed door of the train driver but the latter doesn’t see and hear, or doesn’t want to see and hear. The people begin to jump down from the train one by one until the train driver remains absolutely alone.

Why do people lose control and isolate themselves? Why do they lose a chance to see themselves from outside and why can’t they make themselves stop? I think that the people after all understand what happens to them. The matter is that they voluntarily destruct themselves, perhaps having lost any interest in life and themselves, having no forces to recover, and simply forgetting about themselves.

Maybe the things I am going to write now will seem strange but I would like to compare the above with the death of Michael Jackson. The death of Michael Jackson was preceded by a number of scandals and judicial proceedings, excessive use of strong drugs. He experienced pain and, I dare say, he felt lonely, not physically but humanly lonely. Here what was written in one of the articles dedicated to his death: “He was a desperate man in pain and everyone threw stones at him.” We killed Michael Jackson. Conniff Tamara (August 30, 2009). Huffington post.

It seems to me that he suffered something similar to what happened to Vladislav Galkin.

Isolation, loneliness are some kind of the “illness” of control. A man gradually becomes closed for the outer world, it becomes more and more difficult for his relatives and friends to communicate with him. All attempts made by the others to influence and help sincerely are often confronted by the aggressive unwillingness of the man to listen to anybody. The outcome is known.

But, nevertheless, though I recollect Vladislav Galkin with a sore heart I think of him with a good feeling. After all, he has been immortalized in his wonderful roles. Let me specify some films where he played:

1. “In August ‘44”
2. Kamenskaya”
3. “The Voroshilov Shooter”
4. “Dalnoboishchiki” (“The Long-Haul Truckers”)
5. “On the ulterior side of the wolves”
6. “Spetsnaz” (“SWAT”)
7. “The Diversionist”
8. “The Death of the Empire”
9. “Master and Margarita,”
10. and others, 54 roles in total.

Unfortunately, he will never play roles anymore.

Dear actors, people. Take care of yourselves and control you own lives.