Mosfilm has released newly discovered footage related to a fatal accident involving actor Yevgeny Urbansky, discovered ninety? years after the event. The studio’s press service explains that the film material emerged during an internal check of Mosfilm facilities.
According to Mosfilm, thorough audits of its office buildings uncovered a box of 70mm negatives. The label indicates the material captures moments from the film Directorial Vision, directed by Alexei Saltykov. The found footage includes a documentary-like recording of the actor Yevgeny Urbansky meeting a tragic end on the set, the studio states.
Mosfilm director Karen Shakhnazarov says he had not seen these frames before. He notes that the frames are truly unique and unfamiliar to him, even though he recalls the public reaction to Urbansky’s death from his youth. Urbansky was a prominent figure with wide appeal in Soviet cinema, and his sudden passing had a significant impact. He adds that the full details of the incident remain unclear, summarizing the event as a car turning over with little other information available at the time.
The published video shows the final moments of Urbansky life as a car with him and a colleague rolls over a dune while driving. Filming occurred in Uzbekistan. The seriously injured performer died at a hospital after being transported there. This sequence is corroborated by entries in the production log. The tragedy occurred in November 1965, with Urbansky aged 33.
During the filming of the director’s project, Urbansky’s wife, Latvian actress Dzidra Ritenbergs, was pregnant and was not informed of the accident. She gave birth to a daughter in February 1966 and only afterward learned of her husband’s death.
Rumors and speculation
News of the accident sparked multiple theories. Some alleged that Urbansky had been intoxicated at the time, while his friends insisted he treated his work with utmost seriousness and would not have appeared on set drunk.
Other theories suggested foul play to conceal another crime, potentially involving the loss of about 800 rubles from his hotel room, with a member of the crew named as a suspect. Some claims even questioned Urbansky’s presence in the car at all. Vladimir Balon, who oversaw stunts, recalled that Urbansky did ride in the car, driven by stuntman Yuri Markov. Balon described the scene with the car lifting off and overturning on the sand, and he recalls helping others reach Urbansky after the impact.
Balon states that the incident was not properly planned, noting that the crew altered the filming point several times. He suggests Urbansky might have been replaced if the crew had insisted on a controlled shot. The Mosfilm director adds that Urbansky’s presence in that particular sequence may not have been essential to the scene. He implies that the moment might have survived without the actor and that better preparation could have prevented the tragedy.
Urbansky’s career and life
Yevgeny Urbansky was born on February 27, 1932, in Moscow, to a party worker named Yakov Urbansky and a telephone operator named Polina Urbanskaya. His father faced oppression and was sent to a camp in Inta, Komi, while the rest of the family moved to Alma-Ata and later returned to join him in Komi in 1946.
Urbansky later moved back to Moscow, initially pursuing technical studies rather than cinema. He married Olga and had a daughter. In 1952 he entered the Moscow Art Theater School, graduating at 25 despite family opposition.
His rise began after graduation with a role in the film Communist by Vasily Gubanov. He joined the troupe of the Moscow Drama Theater named after Stanislavsky and quickly earned a leading part as Lopakhin in The Cherry Orchard. His career flourished with key performances in Ballad of a Soldier (1959) and Unsent Letter (1960), followed by work in Pavel Nilin’s Trial Period. Urbansky’s influence extended beyond his own performances, with some noting his impact on peers in the field and even inspiring future generations of artists.
Notably, fellow artists have reflected on Urbansky’s lasting imprint on the craft and the style of later performers. The verse and sentiment surrounding his life and work continue to be cited in discussions of Soviet cinema and theatre, highlighting the enduring resonance of his talent in the cultural memory.