Ildar Abdrazakov filmed in the "Elki 1914" with a real cane of Feodor Chaliapin

UFA, 19 December 2014. /Bashinform News Agency, Leila Aralbaeva/. A preview of New-Year comedy by Timur Bekmambetov "Elki 1914" was held in the cinema centre "Kinomax" of Planeta shopping mall. The action in the film takes place exactly one hundred years ago on Christmas Day. The film was presented to the Ufa audience by actors Konstantin Habensky, 13-year-old Sophia Hilkova and 7-year-old Daniel Izotov, director and creative producer Olga Harina and opera singer, double winner of "Grammy" Ildar Abdrazakov.

“I am happy that I don’t only play Barin (meaning Feodor Chaliapin, of course), but also sing. And we sing a duet with Sonia. The costumes were original - each cufflink, each button was in its place. And even the cane was of Feodor Chaliapin. It was brought to me saying "be careful, please". I took it, and my hands were shaking”, Ildar Abdrazakov said.

The event was also attended by the opera singer Barbara Frittoli and the teacher of Ildar Abdrazakov Milyausha Murtazina.

Music for the film was written by composer Yuri Poteenko, the soundtrack was recorded with a symphony orchestra of 70 musicians headed by the renowned conductor Sergei Skripka. The soundtrack also contributes to recreating the atmosphere of the early twentieth century in Russia.

The New-Year comedy "Elki 1914" is a continuation of the most popular Russian film franchise and it goes in a wide release on December 25. The structure of the film includes six novels, which are set in the cities and towns of Russia, noble estates and peasant huts, balls and harsh fronts of the World War I. The lead roles of the central novel of the film were played by the permanent members of the franchise - Ivan Urgant and Sergei Svetlakov. Another feature of the fourth part of the film - the voiceover of "Elki 1914" Konstantin Habensky appeared on the screen - he played an officer of the royal army. Also Maria Poroshina, Victor Verzhbitsky, Arthur Smolyaninov, Alexander Domogarov Jr., Anna Khil'kevich, Catherine Spitz, Vladimir Gostyukhin, Emmanuel Vitorgan, Albert Filozov, Alexander Nazarov, Nina Dvorzhetskaya are also involved in the film constituting a unique cast of the project.