Milla Jovovich is often called the epitome of the American dream. The daughter of immigrants from the Soviet Union is sure: she succeeded thanks to Russian roots which formed her strong personality.
One of the most popular actresses in Hollywood, face of L'Oreal, muse of Luc Besson and Paul Anderson, a bard, an intellectual and fighter for equality. Those are all names of Kyiv born, American actress Milla Jovovich.
Galina Loginova, popular Soviet stage actress, gave birth to a daughter from Belgrade paediatrician Bogić Jovović (so initially sounded surname Jovovich). A girl born in Kyiv was named Milla Natasha. The family lived in Kyiv and in Dnepropetrovsk, where Milla went to kindergarten. Bogić persuaded his wife to leave the Soviet Union. At first, the family moved to London, and then to the United States.
In the 80s unfolds another round of the Cold War, Americans are wary to everything connected with the Soviet Union. Milla does not like to remember her school years: classmates often called her "a Communist." But that only strengthened girl’s pride for her Russian origin. "I have achieved success thanks to the huge force of will, which I have due to my origin", says Jovovich in her interviews.
Milla appears in small roles in films, and then goes to the podium. Soon exotic Slavonic model is photographed by a legendary fashion photo artist Richard Avedon. In the United States revealing photos become notoriety famous when it turns out that the model is barely 15. "I did not care what my friends say about me. I earned well and did what I liked", says the star. At age of 18, Milla Jovovich gets a role in the cult for several generations of teens movie Return to the Blue Lagoon where she stares naked.
Despite the growing popularity, for Jovovich filming and modelling were just ways to earn. What she really wanted was music. In 1994 Milla released her debut album of bard songs The Divine Comedy in which alongside with English lyrics, there are some songs in Russian and Ukrainian. Her vocal is not outstanding, but the audience was delighted by the flamboyant style of performance: Milla created the most incredible sounds with her voice and even imitated animals.
When Luc Besson holds casting for The Fifth Element, she comes there without eyebrows (they were covered with brilliant make-up), but wearing shoes with 20-centimeter high platforms. Besson finds this image too vulgar and tasteless, and refuses her a part. However, Milla is not too upset as if she already knows that this meeting is not the last.
In a couple of months she notices director near the pool of the hotel where she stays, and decides to come up: "Hello! I'm the girl that you have not given the role!" Discouraged Besson, peacefully sunbathing in the sun, has nothing to do but to say "The part is yours"... and to fall in love. The Fifth Element brings Jovovich worldwide fame. Next Besson’s picture with her playing the title role The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc ends with even greater success, but puts an end to their relationship as a couple. Her next husband is film director Paul Anderson, with who she had a daughter Ever.
Then there are the movies The Million Dollar Hotel, Ultraviolet, Resident Evil and sequels, and a huge number of quite successful film credits.
Behind the window sad eyes of old man peered at Petrograd engulfed by revolutionary fire. This fire spread on his life's work: a proud four-story building was invaded by noisy commissioners and sailors, whose presence seemed a cruel joke after regular customers. Workshop owner Carl Gustavovich Fabergé, apparently, noticed in this chaos approaching decay of his career. However, he could have a secret gleam of hope for another life of his heritage.
Independent artist originally from the Philippines, Patrick Cabral conquers the world with his unusual artwork. His creations are an innovation that combines the age-old traditions of calligraphy and cutting-edge 3D technologies. His art is a way to change the world for the better, both through aesthetics and through the fulfillment of a social mission.
The word is, Guy de Maupassant hated Eiffel Tower. The famous writer believed that it was uglifying the face of Paris without benefiting the city. Nevertheless, he could be often seen in a cozy cafe on the top of the construction. In such cases the author of “Bel Ami” used to say that “it was the only way the damned tower dropped out of his sight…”
Land-art is not simply the landscape design but also the whole direction in art which in thee 21-st century considered one of the most important when only lazy people do not speak about the ‘green technologies’ and environment. The names of stars of such an activity have sturdily come into the speech of the tutors, critics, and connoisseurs, especially they outline Patrick Dougherti.
Sometimes it happens that you look at a postcard with a picture of a city and instantly realize that this is Kyiv, or Moscow, or Rome or your native village. And it isn’t courtesy of your geography teacher but back-breaking efforts of artisans with whose hands commonly familiar architecture masterpieces were created. Today we recall Italian conqueror of marble Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
Today marks 120 years since the birth of the famous Ukrainian artist - Kateryna Bilokur. Her talent has been recognized in her lifetime, her work has been admired by Pablo Picasso, and nowadays her paintings are exhibited in museums, and Google dedicates its doodle to her. And it all started in totalitarian times...
Can you remember the most unusual dish that you had ever a chance to try? You decide what kind of food it was: something exotic; those insects that we can hardly imagine as an ingredient; strange drink with a bitter taste; an unexpected combination of bitter and sour... Everyone has his or her own unforgettable experience in this regard.
About Picasso as a distinctive artist, graphic artist and sculptor, we know to some extent everything. Meanwhile, his other incarnations are pushed into the background. Ilya Ehrenburgh once very concisely described Pablo Picasso’s relations with his era: “20th century found in him its own dynamite expert, its own philosopher and its own poet”.
In our “Know us” column, we usually talk about outstanding Ukrainians who have achieved significant success in one area or another. However, our today's hero - Eugène Deslaw or Yevgeny Slabchenko is very difficult to fit into some kind of framework. As he reached heights in several areas at once, being not only the most real Renaissance Man of the 20th century, but also a patriot of his Ukraine.
Cinematography is probably the most "technological" art form that mankind has ever come up with – no matter how much talent, imagination and energy creators of a movie have, almost every stage of creation process one way or another comes to technologies; and without them ideas will remain just ideas.
In today continuation of our rubrics about the famous Ukrainians who have changed the world here and now, we would like to tell about incredibly dynamic Chrystia Freeland. She is journalist, writer and currently known as the successful politician. Having ethnic belonging to Ukraine, she fluently speaks the national language representing a wonderful example of a strong will.
In the childhood a famous Frenchman from Ukraine was a blue-eyed dreamer. Once all his dreams came true. Whatever he wanted, everything was easy, as if luck was following him. HBe was singing in the choir, he made his best at artistic talent - and, finally, he succeeded in ballet.
Peter Høeg is Danish writer and philosopher. Sometimes he is called as anchoret because he comes to society events quite rarely, only to represent his new books. The indoor life led to numerous legends that penetrate the image of Peter Høeg on his motherland. In this interview Peter Høeg told OUTLOOK how new novels are created, what hides behind the evident asceticism, and shared his view of life and person.
Oleg Borschevskiy is a famous film director, screenwriter and music video director. Among his works, there are music videos for such stars as Potap and Nastia, music bands NeAngely, Boombox, NIKITA, singers Maria Burmaka, Tonia Matvienko and many others. In a nice conversation, he recalled the most interesting places on the world map, which he visited and shared his personal disappointments.
Their song, Sho Z-Pod Duba, is featured in the Fargo series and the commercial with David Beckham, Thai schoolgirls teach Koliskov in a music lesson, and their concerts are eagerly awaited around the world. Continuing a series of inspirational stories about talented Ukrainians in the “Know Ours” column, Outlook tells about the most original, controversial and popular Ukrainian team “DakhaBrakha” abroad.
The music as long as the eternity or, in other words, Continuous music is the genre which causes loud arguments in professional circles. Lubomyr Melnyk, Canadian composer of Ukrainian origination sees in his ‘child’ Continuous music continuation of classic traditions. Which rules his scripts follow will OUTLOOK tell in the following material of the rubrics ‘Look at us!’
Behind the famous landing of Neil Armstrong and his team of the Moon in 1969 there wasn’t just an abstract triumph of the power of human brain but also a large group of highly-skilled engineers solving complicated tasks. Among them there was one specially standing out with his bold and unusual approach – a native of Ukraine Michael Yarymovych, one of supervisors of the “Moon program”. It is about him that we proudly tell about today within the framework of our column Ours Make the Grade.
Ukrainian IT specialists annually prove that they are, if not the best, then certainly among the best on the planet working on the most diverse and complex projects. At the same time, they are not only highly professional employees, they are also excellent managers who create the world of the present time.
On the 26-th of October it will be going a desirable premier of documental and biographic movie ‘Dancer’ on the price of success paid by the artist of ballet Serhii Polunin. Being originated from Kherson, he accidentally appeared in the Royal Theater in London where he became an overnight success but then went off the grid to get even more love of the spectators. Today OUTLOOK continues the cycle of materials about successful Ukrainians.
On July 14, 1918 in a Swedish town called Uppsala a man was born to create over 50 movies and direct several dozens of plays that raised the ante in art to an almost inaccessible level. Even today while watching his film created as much as half a century ago you realize that there is nothing they’ve lost – it’s more like they’ve gained.
