I couldn’t immediately explain what it was that struck me during the meeting with Pavel Lungin…some things are difficult to put into words. But it’s probably his attitude towards the world, a world in which some issues are global, while others concern just one person alone. What struck me was that he takes the same profound, attentive and sensitive approach to every kind of issue. And that’s quite amazing.
Actually, I was a bit nervous before the interview: Pavel Lungin seemed to me to be a very private person (not deliberately, out of arrogance, but just because of his depth and complexity). But my fears were unfounded – he answered my questions with sincerity and understanding. Of course, Pavel Lungin owes much of his success as a great director to his family, his parents, and the atmosphere he grew up in. The story of the Lungin family shows that if parents don’t try to shape their child into what they want, but instead let him develop his natural abilities…they may not see the divine spark, but if at least they don’t extinguish it, then that small human being will definitely grow up to become a personality. Can there be any higher reward for parents than that?
You can reflect on this and find out which saying the cartoon character Carlson borrowed from the Lungins on “Steps towards Success” at 1100 on Sunday 27th March, on Channel 5. As always, the programme will be repeated on Monday 28th March at 0015 in the evening.