Legendary Georgian Screenwriter, Director, Puppeteer Rezo Gabriadze Dead At 84
Rezo Gabriadze in 2011
TBILISI -- Georgian theater and film luminary Rezo Gabriadze, known across the former Soviet Union as the screenwriter of several blockbuster movies from the 1960s to the '80s, has died in Tbilisi at the age of 84.
Gabriadze's relatives, friends, and colleagues say he died on June 6 after years of an unspecified illness.
One of the Soviet art world's most famous figures, Gabriadze was also known internationally for his original puppet theater productions and his founding of the popular Puppet Theater in Tbilisi.
'Let Our Tears Come Only From Cutting Onions': The Work Of Rezo Gabriadze
1/13Revaz "Rezo" Gabriadze in 1985.
The family of the legendary Georgian artist Revaz Gabriadze announced he had died in Tbilisi on June 6, aged 84.
The acclaimed Georgian artist who died on June 6 wrote some of the U.S.S.R.’s most beloved films, then turned to puppetry to evade communist censors.
2/13Gabriadze painting marionettes in 1985.
The artist was born in Kutaisi in 1936 and was best known for creating Tbilisi’s most famous puppet theater. He was also behind some of the most enduring films of the Soviet era.
The acclaimed Georgian artist who died on June 6 wrote some of the U.S.S.R.’s most beloved films, then turned to puppetry to evade communist censors.
3/13A scene from the 1977 comedy Mimino, about an unlikely friendship between a Georgian pilot and an Armenian truck driver who meet in Moscow. The classic movie has been viewed nearly 10 million times on YouTube.
Gabriadze wrote the screenplay for Mimino, as well as the cult sci-fi movie Kin-Dza-Dza! and other films. Frustrated by censorship imposed on moviemakers by the communist authorities, he founded a puppet theater in Tbilisi’s old town in 1981.
The acclaimed Georgian artist who died on June 6 wrote some of the U.S.S.R.’s most beloved films, then turned to puppetry to evade communist censors.
5/13A performance in the Gabriadze Theater in 1983.
The puppet performances, which used scruffy marionettes to tell profound stories, soon won fans around the world. The theater troupe toured extensively.
The acclaimed Georgian artist who died on June 6 wrote some of the U.S.S.R.’s most beloved films, then turned to puppetry to evade communist censors.
7/13A moment from Gabriadze’s play about the battle for Stalingrad.
The playwright later wrote about the creation of his Tbilisi theater: “My dream came true.... I am grateful to my fate, to the puppets, and my small troupe, rustling softly in dark corners of this old building.”
The acclaimed Georgian artist who died on June 6 wrote some of the U.S.S.R.’s most beloved films, then turned to puppetry to evade communist censors.
9/13St. Petersburg’s famous Chizhik-Pyzhik monument (on the pedestal in the center of this photo) was created by Gabriadze. It is one of the smallest statues in Russia and is one of the stars of the city's riverboat tours.
The acclaimed Georgian artist who died on June 6 wrote some of the U.S.S.R.’s most beloved films, then turned to puppetry to evade communist censors.
11/13Gabriadze built the “leaning tower of Tbilisi” in front of his puppet theater in 2011. It soon became one of the Georgian capital’s most popular sights.
The acclaimed Georgian artist who died on June 6 wrote some of the U.S.S.R.’s most beloved films, then turned to puppetry to evade communist censors.
13/13After an angel rings a bell at the top of the tower, mannequins emerge representing two youngsters who meet, fall in love, marry, have children, and then die.
Next to the tower, on Gabriadze’s theater, is a quote from the late artist that captures his poignant, playful style: “Let our tears come only from cutting onions.”
The acclaimed Georgian artist who died on June 6 wrote some of the U.S.S.R.’s most beloved films, then turned to puppetry to evade communist censors.
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Gabriadze wrote dozens of films, including several popular Soviet-era comedies directed by the late Georgiy Daneliya, such as Don't Grieve (1968), Mimino (1977), and the cult science-fiction comedy Kin-Dza-Dza, which was shot in the wake of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev's reforms in 1986.
Gabriadze was also known as an artist, sculptor, and illustrator. Many of his works are held in state and private collections in the United States, Germany, France, Japan, and Israel.
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