Watch Out for the Automobile (1966)
"Beregis avtomobilya" (original title)

The hero of the film is an insurance agent who is also a car thief. He steals cars only from various crooks and never from the good people. Then he sells those stolen cars and gives all the... See full summary »

Director:

Eldar Ryazanov

Writers:

Emil Braginskiy, Eldar Ryazanov

Stars:

Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy, Oleg Efremov, Lyubov Dobrzhanskaya

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy	...	Yury Detochkin
Oleg Efremov	...	Maxim Podberezovikov
Lyubov Dobrzhanskaya	...	Detochkin's Mother
Anatoliy Papanov	...	Sokol-Kruzhkin
Olga Aroseva	...	Lyuba
Andrey Mironov	...	Dima Semitsvetov
Georgi Zhzhyonov	...	Officer
Evgeni Evstigneev	...	Acting coach
Donatas Banionis	...	Priest
Lyubov Sokolova	...	Judge
Vyacheslav Nevinnyy	...	Car mechanic
Gotlib Roninson	...	Senior Insurer
Galina Volchek	...	Customer
Tatyana Gavrilova	...	Inga Semitsvetova
Antonina Maksimova

Storyline

The hero of the film is an insurance agent who is also a car thief. He steals cars only from various crooks and never from the good people. Then he sells those stolen cars and gives all the money to charity. His best friend is a cop who is working on this case.

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Plot Keywords:

car | long take | police | trial | trolley | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Romance

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Details

Country:

Soviet Union

Language:

Russian

Release Date:

3 February 1967 (East Germany)

Also Known As:

Watch Out for the Automobile

Filming Locations:

Moscow, Russia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mosfilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

USSR's Minister of Art & Culture, Romanov, forbade Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy to play the part of Detochkin because a couple of years before Smoktunovsky had played V.I. Lenin. And, according to Romanov, Smoktunovsky could not play someone who steals cars; in fact, he thought that a man, who once played Lenin, could not play in movies any longer. But, luckily, Romanov retired in the same month his statement was made and a new minister allowed Innokenti to continue his work.

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Goofs

In the chase sequence, motorcycle model changes from overhead valve (identified by cylinder head shape) in the initial scene, to flathead in the tow start scene. Yet, the motorcycle parked at the gas station has overhead valves, becoming flathead again when the cop takes off after the main character, remaining thus for the rest of the chase sequence (with a possible exception of the children camp scene).

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Quotes

Sokol-Kruzhkin: You live only because you've got the power of attorney! Your car is registered to your wife's name, your summer house is in my name! You've got nothing yours! You're a rag-tag!

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Crazy Credits

In the opening titles it is not written "starring" but it is written "in leading roles" (v rolyah) and "in small roles" (v malenkih rolyah)

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Connections

Referenced in O chyom eshchyo govoryat muzhchiny (2011)

User Reviews

Hero of our time (Russia 1966)

The absence of reviews here prompts me to say a few words. I saw this in a cinema in Moscow in 1966 [despite date above], a popular film there at the time. I couldn't follow all the dialogue at the time, but I recall being struck by the believability and humanity of the whole thing. Russian public were right on the side of the anti-hero, though he was no swashbuckler and the ending is dispassionate. This was still during the time of the Soviet thaw, and Moscow was heaving with American tourists. Life was better for Russians and things were looking up. The old gallant Soviet war heros had become less interesting, and the time was right for someone more complex, surfacing, perhaps, from the rich literary tradition. A perfect Geroi nasha vremeno - my theory anyway. I'd just like to see it again before giving it a rating!