‘On some unknown stars, we are destined for amazing meetings.’
On a scientific expedition into the mountains, an anthropologist falls down a crevasse and bumps his head. He wakes up tied to a caveman at the mercy of a tribe of cannibals…
Goofy Soviet absurdist comedy from director Eldar Ryazanov with a strong element of the fantastical. Stars Sergey Yurskiy, Yuriy Yakovlev, and Anatoliy Papanov are the ones looking for laughs.
A scientific expedition in the mountains is about to head home to Moscow. Despite being ridiculed by his colleagues led by Anatoliy Krokhalyov (Papanov), young anthropologist Vladimir Porazhayev (Yakovlev) still believes in the existence of a lost tribe called the Topi living wild in the snows. Determined to prove his theory, he sets off alone but immediately falls, striking his head at the bottom of a deep fissure in the ice. He awakes tied to tribesman Chudak (Sergey Yurskiy), who has also displeased the leader of the Topi (Papanov, who plays multiple roles in the film). Yakovlev quells the cannibal’s intentions by predicting the sudden arrival of a new star in the sky, using his knowledge of the flight path of a passing satellite.
The experience turns Yakovlev and Yurskiy into fast friends, and they leave for Moscow. On arrival, Yakovlev discovers that Papanov has reported him dead, and the news is splashed all over the front pages of the city’s newspapers. He speeds off to see Lena (Lyudmila Gurchenko), the pretty young woman who is the object of both men’s romantic intentions. While he is gone, Yurskiy begins exploring the city, and his super strength and athletic abilities soon turn him into a public sensation. Entering a running event at the Olympic Stadium, he sprints into an early lead and still has time to dally with the lovely Olya (Ninel Myshkova) in the crowd and win the race. Meanwhile, Yakovlev is busy setting up a scientific conference to showcase his new find.
It’s perhaps tempting to regard all Soviet cinema as glum, po-faced drama filled with party messages and propaganda. Science fiction projects were always cerebral, meditating on the human condition or the course of the future. However, Ryazanov’s film is entirely different, being a silly, knockabout slice of general fun and populist entertainment. Its science fiction credentials are consequently very slim, the main action being a dream that Yakovlev has after falling down the mountain. There is no attempt to pass the events off as anything else. The director even pulls a leaf out of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1939) playbook by going from a black and white opening into full colour when Yakovlev’s vision begins.
Another nod to the MGM classic is to have Papanov play multiple roles in various examples of exaggerated makeup, always acting as an obstacle to the various plans of our two heroes. The actor pulls this off with some skill, finding shades of character in a series of roles that are little more than slight variations on a common theme. Yurskiy also throws himself into the ‘caveman out of water’ role with some enthusiasm, keeping the energy high as he attempts to navigate his new world. He does play the part in what can only really be described as ‘brown face’, but it’s difficult to be too concerned about the issue, given that an actor from a lost Neanderthal tribe was not robbed of an opportunity to further his acting career by ethnically inaccurate casting. The part doesn’t call for a lot of nuance, but Yurskiy’s clowning passes muster, and he delivers the physical comedy with some style.
The humour is simple and broad, with Yurskiy in a succession of social situations he doesn’t understand. After his sporting triumph at the stadium, he subsequently finds himself mistaken for the new CEO of a multi-national company, where his new managerial style causes some confusion. Then he attends the theatre hoping to see Myshkova and mistakes the play for real life. The story is one of scientists feuding over an immortality serum, and Yurskiy ends up jumping on stage to intervene. Of course, the crowd applauds wildly, assuming his participation is part of the show. Finally, he breaks out into a song and dance number in front of Yakovlev’s high-ranking colleagues at the scientific conference. It’s all relentlessly silly, and if there is any political or ideological subtext, I’m afraid I missed it completely. Instead, it’s a good-natured, amiable romp with 81 minutes of material that seems as deep and meaningful as your average paddling pool.
The production shows a few apparent signs of a limited budget, mainly in some of the studio backdrops of the exterior scenes. However, it’s just possible this was a stylistic choice, given that what’s on screen is supposed to be a dream. This contention is supported by the closing scenes where Yakovlev is suddenly chosen to be a cosmonaut in an interplanetary space flight, and everyone collects in the square to watch the rocket launch. It could be a lot more convincing, but the sequence is presented with some visual flair. Earlier in the film, when Yurskiy is at the multinational corporation’s headquarters, there’s also some striking cinematography utilising bright, primary colours.
Perhaps the film’s funniest moment was likely a happy accident that Ryazanov was happy to retain. Already exasperated by Yakovlev’s devotion to his work, the angry Gurchenko throws a book at him as he leaves her apartment. The object hits the pompous Papanov in the face as he enters a moment later. The two actors carry on bravely with the short scene, but Papanov is clearly holding in a laugh, and Gurchenko can’t help but dissolve into a fit of giggles. It’s a nice, spontaneous moment that is not so out of place as it breaks character with the rest of the proceedings. Instead, it fits in quite well with all the general silliness and the fun vibe.
Ryazanov graduated from the Soviet State Institute of Cinematography as a film director at the age of 23. He began his career in documentaries before landing a job five years later with the Mosfilm Studios. His first feature, ‘Carnival in Moscow/Karnavalnaya noch’ (1956), starred Gurchenko with Igor Ilyinsky and was an immediate success. It was the first of many comedies he directed throughout his long career. ‘Watch Out for the Automobile/Beregis avtomobilya’ (1966) proved particularly popular, but it’s just one of a string of highly-regarded films he delivered over the next 40 years. Made for television film ‘Irony of Fate/Ironiya sidby, ili S lyogkim parom!’ (1975) has become such a cult film that it is shown as part of the New Year’s Eve celebrations each year in the former Soviet Union.
Lightweight but sometimes amusing comedy.