ИСТИНА

P. Ramlee and Leonid Utesov: parallels of creativity P.Ramlee (1929-1973) from Malaysia and Leonid Utesov (1895-1982) from Russia are both multitalented personalities and became the legends, each in his own country, primary in the entertainment field but to the great extend also in the context of national culture as a whole. Both of them are “self made men” and became top entertainers exclusively because of their talent, imagination and workmanship. Their fame, although, goes beyond the national boundaries due to the unique character of their talent and universal character of their art. P. Ramlee proved to be “the best from the best” by all his creative life. From an ordinary actor to the very noted director, composer and singer – that’s was his way. His life was short but he managed to do amazingly much. As a film actor and director, P. Ramlee created a new type of the hero: very kind and charming “little man”, who never loses the optimism and the belief in the future. The ability to combine entertainment with the critical attitude towards social injustice makes his films very relevant up till now. Being a very talented person P. Ramlee found the most important topics for Malay society and skillfully used them as a background for making vivid, pure professional entertainment films. His contribution to the national music culture is unprecedented. Very touching and sentimental melodies combined with his heartfelt voice fascinate the public up till now. The same is with Leonid Utesov who is the legend and pride of the Russian (Soviet) culture. Regardless of his lack in musical background, he became the most popular singer of his time. In a country where jazz was declared "music of the fats," he managed to not only establish, but to also preserve for many years to come, the first of the Soviet jazz. Up to the end of his life, Utesov became an irreplaceable leader and a soloist of the self-created band. He was the first performer of a wide array of songs which left the whole country singing. Unlike P.Ramlee, his involvement in the world of cinema was guite modest. But some of the movies, especially "Cheerful Guys," (1934) in which Utyosov starred in the main role, with his band, was a great success and considered among the best in the world. Due to some circumstances, mainly of political nature (the relations between Russia and Malaysia were established only in 1967), P.Ramlee is undeservedly quite unknown to the mass Russian public as well as Leonid Utesov to the public in Malaysia. The only two articles about P.Ramlee in Russia written by Dr. Victor Pogadaev appeared just at the beginning of this Millennium: in “Pocket Encyclopedia of Malaysia” (2000) and in the journal “Asia and Africa today” (2001). The name of Leonid Utesov is quite obscure for Malaysians up till now. Hopingly this paper will not only pay tribute to both P. Ramlee and Leonid Utesov but also help to promote a livelier cultural dialog between two countries.