Based on M. Gorky's correspondence with M. Budberg, an assessment is made of the concept of the latest cinematic version of M. Gorky's biography as represented in the film «The Prisoner of Passion» by S. Mitin. By using the historical-functional approach to the study of the letters, we show that the content of the correspondence should be considered not only as a source of information about Maxim Gorky's personal life, but also as valuable material for creating a complete scientific biography of the writer. The film «The Prisoner of Passion» is based on a screenplay where the emphasis is made on the physiological and sociological interpretation of the facts of Gorky's personal biography, according to which the writer appears as a weak-willed person enmeshed in a web of intrigue created by the women who surrounded him. Our analysis of correspondence between M. Gorky and M. Budberg dating to 1920s shows that the writer subjects the sensual element in his own concept of man as a creator to devastating criticism, while the facts of Gorky's personal biography provide the material for conceptual insights embodied in his works, particularly in «The Life of Klim Samgin», which is dedicated to M. Budberg.
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