Thank you, dear comrade, Leonid Brezhnev

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

“- Sausage, sausage, radish, Nebuchadnezzar! Rooster of Hamburg! - You should have said so from the start.

This Vasily Alibabaevich, this bad man, threw the battery on my leg, you bastard

What a disgusting face

Everything! Keane will not be! The electricity has run out

Baby, don't you think that your place is near the bucket?

Listen! Shut up please! Arranged here a chamomile: I remember, I do not remember … Let me sleep

Well, to hell with you. Your money will be ours

Why did you run? - Everyone ran - and I ran!.

And in prison now dinner - pasta

There was another tree like this! - Christmas tree, or what? - You yourself are a Christmas tree! They say to you - IN! - Is it a sedentary monument? - What? - Well, sitting? - Who? - Well, this man is yours. - O village, eh! Wow! Who will put him in prison ?! He's pa-myat-nick

Dinner is served. Sit down to eat, please

San Sanych, give me a gold piece, please, I'll buy a kerosene stove

You don't go there - you go here. And then the head will snow - you will be completely dead …

Girl, and, girl, what is your name? - Tanya. - And me Fedya! - What a fool

Pencil? - E retired. - Yes. Table? - This table. - Yes. Young woman? - Dude. - No, in English! Well? Girl! - Oh, yeah, girl! - Yes, yes … OBEHES!"

("Gentlemen of Fortune" Film directed by A. Sedoy)

I see the reader smiled! Still would! The expressions written above represent the classics of the comedy genre of cinema, and have already become a part of our daily life. There has not yet been a case that the film distribution would have given up on this comedy, and its views are simply going through the roof. I remember the day when I first saw this film. It was in 1972 on the very eve of New Years. I watched it with my parents in the large and new cinema "Mir" with a full house. There were additional chairs, and the audience burst into laughter every minute. To say that you liked the film is to say nothing. I really wanted to go to it again, but tickets were not available: and so the premiere celebration was organized for us by our father, who was a pilot and was carrying a rental version from Moscow in his plane. The person who accompanied the cargo had already seen this film and, in gratitude to the crew for the opportunity to visit the cockpit in flight, gave everyone counter-marks for the premiere in the 8th row. To all crew members and their families - for the first time we felt like VIPs. And I was then 12 years old. The next time I will see this film will be in 1986, when I will receive a reconnaissance and sabotage group in one of the cities of Central Asia. Then, I, my warrant officer, and 14 soldiers, under my strict guidance, went to the cinema to watch a movie. Before that, we sat for about an hour in the Zeravshan cafe and drank tea with halva. To my surprise, the soldiers did not see this film and I looked forward to what pleasure awaited them. After the movie, we stepped into a stuffy Uzbek evening and walked in formation along the streets of this small town. Then I didn’t know that of the whole group, I would bring only four of them to the location, including myself. The rest will fly home like the Black Tulip.

I will enter Afghanistan twice more, with exactly the same groups. On the last call, the air orderly will bring me, and my favorite film, I will watch in the lobby of the military hospital, among the team of recovering …

Where are you now, fellow soldiers, my combat companions?

Many are sure that Gentlemen of Fortune was filmed by Georgy Danelia. In fact, the director of the film is Alexander Sery. It's just that in those years, the glory of a loser was firmly entrenched in Gray, so Danelia, a fellow student in the Higher Directing Courses, decided to help him. The point is that Gray was not a loser. A completely different story happened there. Which abruptly changed the life of Alexander - the future graduate of the Military Revolutionary Committee.

And this is what happened. In 1958, at a party in a restaurant, Gray was jealous of his beloved one of the visitors. In a bloody duel, the future director emerged victorious. His rival, a young architect, remained disabled for the rest of his life, and Sery, instead of defending his thesis from the film pavilions, migrated to a corrective labor colony. For five years. The article was appropriate and the most peasant. Men in the zone are called hard workers, roughly fulfilling the norms of development and the rules of the ITU regime. The artist (such is the director's prison nickname or drove) did not stand out during the term of serving his sentence, but he constantly received letters from his beloved. However, I had to sit out from call to call. His reward was a wedding with the one he was so jealous of..

The life of the film, shot in three months, was given by Leonid Brezhnev, who watched it at the dacha, under the comments of his son-in-law, Colonel of the Internal Service Churbanov. The latter himself served in the GUIN of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and knew the prison life very well. They say that Brezhnev laughed to tears, and after reading a review by F. Kuznetsov, deputy head of the GUITU of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs, he called the general a fool.

“The authors, for the most part, undoubtedly, managed, using a sharp comedy plot, to expose and ridicule the false romance of violators of the socialist law and order, to show the inevitability of punishment for the crimes committed. At the same time, one cannot fail to notice some significant shortcomings of the script, the elimination of which, in our opinion, will increase the educational role of the film and enhance its public sound. The image of Colonel Verchenko, a representative of the "all-Union search", is puzzling. The authors endowed him with all sorts of vices: low culture, insincere, harsh, irritable, etc. Colonel Verchenko is, of course, a collective character. Therefore, his moral and business qualities should be understood as the essence of the appearance of many leading and responsible employees of the bodies charged with the fight against crime. The script is clearly oversaturated with criminal jargon. There is a serious concern that the film, shot according to this scenario, will be a propagandist of thieves' terminology, which may be supported by young people."

Looking at modern politicians and remembering the "unforgettable Leonid Ilyich", I come to the conclusion that Brezhnev was smarter than them, because despite the many shortcomings of his rule, there was order in the country.

However, back to Gray. The fact that he was a director by profession helped him survive in a maximum security colony. All amateur concerts did not take place without his participation. Naturally, a certain Bely, “looking around the zone,” drew attention to him. Unfortunately, I could not find out this surname or nickname, but it was possible to establish that this man was a serious thief. By the way, he will live to see perestroika and will die in a gangster shootout in Moscow in the "dashing 90s". They will kill him and his two "torpedoes" in a small Moscow cooperative restaurant right in the center of Moscow. I can add to the portrait of this man: Bely was a mestizo: dad was Tajik, mom was Ukrainian. I saw his photo - more Asian.

This Bely will become the customer of this film, having taken the floor from the Artist that he will shoot a prison comedy in the wild, where he will necessarily be the prototype of one of the heroes. They say that after watching the film, the viewer was satisfied and even wrote a letter to the director that, according to prison rules, it is a great honor for a man. I think that the reader has already realized who is the prototype of Bely in the film? Well, if not, then read on, it will be interesting.

The oblique name is Fedya Ermakov, Khmyrya - Gavrila Petrovich Sheremetyev. The surname of the Associate Professor - Bely, Vasily Alibabaevich - of course, Alibaba, the cloakroom attendant - Prokhorov, the professor - Maltsev, and Evgeny Ivanovich - Troshkin.

You would certainly think that the colony watcher is a recidivist thief White, who is not only a namesake, but also an authoritative character in the film? You are mistaken, reader! In fact, the beholder became the prototype of Vasily Alibabaevich Alibaba

According to the version set forth by the hero himself, Vasily Alibabaevich was imprisoned for one year for petty machinations with fuel and lubricants (“he used to dilute gasoline with donkey urine”). However, the facts set out in the film (the best sleeping place in the cell, the astrakhan hat instead of the prison cap and the "roof" made of hardened criminals (Nikola Pitersky) suggest that he was a serious person in the wild). Like Evgeny Ivanovich Troshkin, Vasily Alibabaevich loves children. He also loves his mother and his hometown of Dzhambul (“it's warm there, my mother is there”). The name Vasily, the hero will not receive immediately. At first he will be Ivan and the role was specially written for Frunzek Makrtychan. However, the latter, due to being busy, could not come and the famous Vasily Alibabaevich appeared in the film. The name will be given to him by the nickname of another character who also participates in the film, but this is not a person.

The camel on which the Assistant Professor's team rides at the beginning of the film is named Vasya. So he gave his name to this hero.

The city of Dzhambul, where Alibaba has a mother and a home, is located in the south of Kazakhstan. Previously, this city was called Aulie-Ata, and it was renamed in honor of the great Kazakh poet-akyn Dzhambul Dzhabayev. Now the city is called Taraz

By the way, the original script, written by Victoria Tokareva, was completely altered, precisely at the insistence of Gray. He also tried to insert into the film a song that was sung in his colony. It was supposed to be performed by Khmyr, in the episode when he plays "Dog Waltz". However, Danelia, the former co-author of the script with Tokareva, was indignant. The song was removed and thank God! I specifically listened to it several times - from the low-quality category. Apparently the onlooker was not particularly versed in the prison chanson.

The game in which Khmyr won the hat against the gambling hero Anatoly Papanov looks like this: 1.e2-e4 e7-e5 2. Ng1-f3 Nb8-c6 3. Bf1-c4 Nc6-d4 4. Nf3: e5 Qd8-g5 5. Ne5: f7 Qg5: g2 6. Rh1-f1 Qg2: e4 + 7. Bc4-e2 Nd4-f3x. Apparently, Khmyr is really good at playing chess, at the level of the 2nd or even 1st category. Anyway, he knows very well a very effective and unexpected opening trap. By the way, I am a rather weak chess player, but I have played this variation several times in the game, because as I have known it since I was 30. Once I read about this opening in a newspaper. Remember, there used to be such chess columns on the last page with chess puzzles? That's when I learned it by heart. It worked almost always, the only thing was that there was no sequel, as in the film: the second game was a razor game. “Wow! Ears! . I recommend it to those who want to impress the company. Of course, variations are possible, but as a rule, the enemy is being led towards the classic variation.

By the way, Khmyr is a very real character, who served time together with the director Sery. But his name is not Gavrila Petrovich Sheremetyev, but Georgy Petrovich Sheremeta. He was serving a sentence for numerous burglaries. Was prone to suicide. I have seen this man's case. Among the various acts of disobedience to the administration of the colony, such as self-mutilation in order to avoid work, there are also swallowing of nails, opening the veins, attempts to hang oneself, as well as nailing oneself to the bunks by the scrotum. Needless to say, the type is still the same. By the way, he ended his career as a thief badly. He was stabbed to death in Togliatti when he stole the thieves' money from the common fund. It happened 2 years before the shooting of the film: Khmyr leaned back before director Sery. However, this character ended up in the film, where he found his rightful place.

The fate of the Kosoy, played by Savely Kramarov, is interesting. Fedya Ermakov is also a real person. His name is Fedor Nikolaevich Ermakov. This person is really an orphanage and his life began very hard. If we recall the famous character of Ilf and Petrov from "12 chairs" - Shura Balaganov, by the way, also a real person who lived in those days, then there are direct analogies. Both are street children. Here are just 50,000 rubles on a plate with a blue border, Shura was not helped. And the meeting of Kosoy with the pilot-cosmonaut Titov changed his life forever. The guy after serving 2 years with Gray, was released and entered to study as an English philologist. That is why there is an episode in the film about the study of the English language by Kosim and Khmyrem. Now Fedor Nikolaevich Ermakov is known as a translator of medieval English literature. For example, Bruce's poems. Unfortunately, he is already deceased. When I found out about his meeting with the cosmonaut, I involuntarily remembered the life story of the fugitive President of Ukraine Yanukovych. There, too, in the biography there was a meeting with the cosmonaut Beregov, which influenced the life of this man. But the Kosoy in real life turned out to be a more decent person than the Ukrainian president, who broke his oath and left the country and people to their fate.

"A man in a jacket" - the monument that Kosoy was looking for - is a monument to Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov, installed opposite the house on Kalanchevskaya Street, in which he was born. The monument by the sculptor Isaak Brodsky was installed in 1965, when the square was called Lermontovskaya, and the Krasnye Vorota metro station also bore his name.

As we can see, all the characters are real, having their prototypes in the human world. True, this cannot be said about San Sanych Bely, Associate Professor, a recidivist thief, whom Leonov played so superbly.

Associate Professor Bely - a fictional recidivist from the film "Gentlemen of Fortune", as well as his "copy" performed by another fictional character - the head of the kindergarten Yevgeny Ivanovich Troshkin; both are embodied on the screen by the Soviet theater and film actor Yevgeny Leonov. In the film "Gentlemen of Fortune", the artist actually played not two but three roles.

Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Bely, born in 1926, better known in criminal circles under the nickname "Associate Professor" is an ideological thief who has long lived by criminal concepts, denies state laws and general legal institutions, and deeply despises those who live by them. Smokes tobacco and drinks alcohol. Plays cards, cheats (Oblique says to Assistant Professor - "You have nine aces in your deck"). Ruthless and cunning, does not trust logic and common sense, lives by instinct, has a passion for easy money. Doesn't stop at killing a person.

Evgeny Ivanovich Troshkin is in charge of kindergarten No. 83 in the city of Moscow, a kind-hearted person, he loves children very much, while he does not have his own family, so he gives all his kindness to his wards. He is a born educator and in love with his profession, gentle and virtuous, a very decent person and law-abiding citizen. In addition, he is a participant in the Great Patriotic War, a participant in the Battle of the Kursk Bulge, and was awarded orders and medals. A non-smoking and non-drinking person, he lives very modestly and spends all his means - the salary of the head of the kindergarten and the war veteran's pension - on children.

What is Leonov's third role in the film? Yes, of course, the role of the Gray Wolf! Remember how he explains to the boy Igor how the wolf should really look?

By the way, the picture turned out to be for Leonov of things. He was robbed several times, both in public transport and in his apartment. But the most interesting thing happened with the monument to the Associate Professor

The monument to Yevgeny Leonov in the guise of Troshkin - "Assistant Professor" was erected opposite the Mosfilm film studio and was undoubtedly a tourist attraction, especially for children. In 2015, the monument was stolen and cut into scrap metal. The perpetrators were detained. They turned out to be Moscow unemployed guest workers. Do you know who was the ringleader in this gang? When I read about it, I could not say a word in amazement. The foreman's last name was Squint! So don't believe in providence!

The filming took place in Moscow and the Moscow region, and the scene of the meeting of the false assistant professor with Khmyr and Kosy was filmed in the Kattakurgan pre-trial detention center of the Samarkand region of Uzbekistan.

It remains to tell about this place. But I will not describe the prison life and customs of the local pre-trial detention center. I'll just give a commentary letter to the photo placed in the thumbnail splash screen. I will not indicate the author, this is an employee of the penitentiary institution.

My city! Kattakurgan. Samarkand region!

All the "prison" episodes of the film "Gentlemen of Fortune", starting with the entry of the prison car into the prison gate from the street, were filmed in the Kattakurgan prison, and the posted amateur photos were taken between filming at that time, and I want to see a "piece" of Kattakurgan - in particular, a car entering the Kattakurgan prison And the second from the left, the head of the prison - Nasyrov Izzat Rakhmatovich. Our beloved uncle. By the way, he was offered to play the role of "the head of the prison" in the film, but he refused, the status did not allow."

In the bedside table of the kindergarten, in addition to 20 rubles, there was also the book "Man and Wine".

I was able to identify the author of the book. As it turned out, there is not an author, but a whole group of authors. It was published under the auspices of the Knowledge Society and was reprinted during the years of Gorbachev's perestroika and "dry law". But the number of authors has more than doubled. Apparently the fee was substantial, for the fighters against drunkenness, since they threw shoals on the new edition of the brochure. I tried to read this literature in both editions. Full skinny! But there is a feeling of returning to history. Long forgotten brands of wines, but prices are prices !!! Especially surprising in the price tags of a penny. Did we live so well?

However, it will not be true if I do not tell where the magnificent four actors lived and where they celebrated the New Year. This is quite appropriate in terms of the approach of this holiday. The dacha shown in the film belonged to the artist Etush. Remember such a responsible employee on the personal "Volga" from the movie "Prisoner of the Caucasus". They say Vladimir took substantial money for the provision of a summer residence. It's one thing to play a Caucasian, and another thing to rent a dacha.

What happened to the director of the film? After "Gentlemen of Fortune" Alexander Sery made the film "You - to me, I - to you!" based on the script by Grigory Gorin. But even during the filming of "Gentlemen" he was diagnosed with a serious illness - leukemia. “The disease progressed, he got worse and worse, and he shot himself - so as not to torture loved ones and not to suffer himself,” wrote Georgy Danelia in his book. As I was told in the UIN archives, prisoner Alexander Seryi was sick with this disease while still in the colony.

The helmet of Alexander the Great, because of which serious passions flare up in the film, was made in the prop shop of Mosfilm. After filming, the director of the picture, Alexander Demidova, took it as a souvenir. “Once he was asked to draw by an artist friend of mine,” she admitted. - When the woman died suddenly, it turned out that the helmet had been given to someone else. No matter how I tried to find traces of the "protagonist" of "Gentlemen of Fortune", nothing worked. In general, the golden helmet of Alexander the Great disappeared again”.

But the virtual operational-investigative group of the Qatar Commissioner, created by him from retired detectives from more than 100 countries of the world, found traces of the helmet on the social networks of the Internet. He will appear in the United States and even star in one "historical" Hollywood movie. How did he get there? It was brought by Savely Kramarov, who emigrated to the USA.. By the way, for this, his name was cut from the subtitles. According to our information, the fake helmet was "vtyuhan" by him to an American producer for a very decent amount. They say the American, who saw this film, mistook it not for a comedy, but for a historical detective story, especially since Kramarov convinced him of this. We are truly different people! What a Russian laughs at is perceived by an American as a historical tragedy. It is said that he even tried to create an American version of the film. But the deception was revealed and the Pindos decided to sue. The New York court ruled that the deal is legal - the helmet is historical, because he starred in two films, which means that it already belongs to the cultural heritage of mankind. I agree with the court's decision. I don’t know on whose head he was sitting in American cinema, but the final scene of our film, where ram's horns adorn Vasily Alibabaevich’s hat, is worth a lot