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Beware of the Car
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Wikipedia article
'Beware of the Car' (, translit. 'Beregis Avtomobilya', English titles 'Uncommon Thief', or 'Watch out for the Automobile') is a 1966 Soviet crime comedy-drama film directed by Eldar Ryazanov,[http://www.mk.ru/culture/cinema/article/2008/03/26/48343-kak-gamlet-stal-detochkinyim.html ( )] based on a screenplay by Emil Braginsky and produced by Mosfilm. The film stars Innokenty Smoktunovsky, Oleg Yefremov, Anatoli Papanov, Andrei Mironov, and Georgiy Zhzhonov, among others.
'Beware of the Car' is recognized for being a satire of the film noir genre, which was highly unusual in Brezhnev-era society. It is credited as in launching Soviet political satire as a genre of films, typified by Ryazanov.
Plot
Yuri Detochkin (Smoktunovsky) is a humble Soviet insurance agent that steals cars from corrupt Soviet officials in a manner akin to Robin Hood, disappointed by the militsiya being unable to fight them efficiently. One of the Detochkin's victims is Dima Semitsvetov (Mironov), a retail embezzler mocked but tolerated by his colorful father-in-law Semyon Vasilyevich (Papanov), a retired Soviet Army officer.
Detochkin sells some stolen cars and anonymously transfers the money to the accounts of various orphanages. Detective Maksim Podberyozovikov (Yefremov) investigates his crimes and tries to prosecute him, but faces a serious moral problem in doing so, partly because the suspect appears to be his amateur theatre mate and friend.
Cast
* Innokenty Smoktunovsky as Yuri Detochkin
* Oleg Yefremov as Maksim Podberyozovikov
* Lyubov Dobrzhanskaya as Detochkin's mother
* Olga Aroseva as Lyuba
* Andrei Mironov as Dima Semitsvetov
* Anatoli Papanov as Semyon Vasilyevich
* Tatyana Gavrilova as Inna
* Georgiy Zhzhonov as a Militsiya officer
* Yevgeny Yevstigneyev as an acting coach
* Donatas Banionis as a priest
* Lyubov Sokolova as a judge
* Vyacheslav Nevinny as a car mechanic
* Gotlib Roninson as Yakov Mikhailovich
* Galina Volchek as a customer
* Sergey Kulagin as Philippe Cartuzov
* Yakov Lents as a tobacconist salesman
* Nikolay Parfyonov as a prosecutor
* Victoria Radunskaya as Tanya
* Boris Runge as a man with suitcases
The author's narration was read by Yury Yakovlev.
Production
The film's name is derived from traffic signs warning of locations where cars could potentially hit pedestrians or motorists, such as parking garages.In the film, Detochkin and Podberezovikov act together in an amateur theater which rehearses 'Hamlet'. This is a play from Smoktunovsky's real-life acting career: he was reputed as the "best Hamlet on the Soviet stage" and starred in a 'Hamlet' film adaptation.
The waltz[http://music70-80.narod.ru/mp/Muz/Beregis_avtomobily.mp3 Waltz - instrumental - MP3 - 3,7 MB - 128 Kbps] at [http://music70-80.narod.ru/muz-1.htm Cinema music (1938 - 1985)] website performed in the film is a distinguished melody composed by Andrey Petrov. Sergey Nikitin's repertoire includes a song named 'Glassy Gentleman' (lyrics by Yevgeny Yevtushenko), which used a waltz from the film.
All cars stolen by Detochkin are the GAZ-21 Volga, the most prestigious Soviet car model of the time. The GAZ-21 was the standard personal car for Soviet elite, an intentional satire element of the film which Ryazanov found very hard to get approved.
One scene featuring a petrol station features American vehicles, such as a 1955 Buick and a 1955 Oldsmobile. These were an extremely rare sighting for the location, since the United States had sanctions with the USSR and thus did not sell these cars within the Eastern Bloc.
Awards
The film was the leader of Soviet film distribution for 1966, having been watched by 29 million people.[https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/46089/dates/ ] on KinoPoisk Innokenty Smoktunovsky was recognized as the Best Actor of 1966.
The film won awards at the 1966 Edinburgh International Film Festival, 1966 Sydney Film Festival, 1967 Melbourne International Film Festival, and 1969 Cartagena Film Festival.
See also
* 'Gone in 60 Seconds' (1974 film), an American film that also focuses on an insurance agent that is secretly a car thief
*'Gone in 60 Seconds' (2000 film), a loose remake of the aforementioned film with different characters, including a detective that pursues the main character, who he knows personally
References
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