12 stulev (1971)

Two gentlemen of fortune from the times of Imperial Russia are looking for an uncountable treasure at the dawn of the Soviet Union age.

Director:

Leonid Gaidai (as Leonid Gayday)

Writers:

Ilya Ilf (novel), Yevgeni Petrov (novel)

Stars:

Archil Gomiashvili, Sergey Filippov, Mikhail Pugovkin

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Archil Gomiashvili	...	Ostap Bender
Sergey Filippov	...	Kisa Vorobyaninov
Mikhail Pugovkin	...	otets Fyodor
Glikeriya Bogdanova-Chesnokova	...	Yelena Stanislavovna Bour (as G. Bogdanova-Chesnokova)
Natalya Varley	...	Liza (as N. Varley)
Natalya Vorobyova	...	Ellochka Shchukina (as N. Vorobyova)
Nina Grebeshkova	...	Musik / Tsaritsa Tamara (as N. Grebeshova)
Natalya Krachkovskaya	...	madam Gritsatsuyeva (as N. Krachkovskaya)
Klara Rumyanova	...	matushka Katerina Alexandrovna (as K. Rumyanova)
Georgiy Vitsin	...	Mechnikov - montyor (as G. Vitsin)
Nikolay Gorlov	...	Polesov (as N. Gorlov)
Saveliy Kramarov	...	ognoglazyy shakmatist-lyubitel v Vasyukakh (as S. Kramarov)
Yuriy Nikulin	...	Dvornik Tikhon (as Yu. Nikulin)
Viktor Pavlov	...	Kolya (as V. Pavlov)
Gotlib Roninson	...	Kislyarskiy (as G. Rononson)

Storyline

A former aristocrat Ippolit Vorobyaninov leads a miserable life in Soviet Russia. His mother-in-law reveals a secret to him - she hid family diamonds in one of the twelve chairs they once had. Vorobyaninov in cooperation with a young con artist Ostap Bender start a long search for the diamonds.

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Plot Keywords:

crook | russia | aristocrat | mother in law | con artist | 

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Taglines:

Amerika Be Seated!

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Crime

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The play Ostap and Ippolit are watching in the theater is an adaptation of Nikolay Gogol's "Revisor". Later Leonid Gaidai, who directed this movie, went on to make his own adaptation of the play which became Inkognito iz Peterburga (1978).

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Goofs

On the beach, as chair remains are washed into the sea, a line running to the left bottom of the screen is obvious against white foam.

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Crazy Credits

17 minutes before the ending there is an intertitle stating: There are 00 hours, 17 minutes and 19 seconds before the end of the film.

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Connections

Version of Sju svarta be-hå (1954)

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Soundtracks

Slyshen zvon bubenzov
(uncredited)
written by Aleksandr Kusikov and Vladimir Bakaleynikov

User Reviews

The Comedy

The best comedy I have seen. The script is based on exceptionally observant novel by Ilf and Petrov and is translated to screen flawlessly. But wait, not only dialog is clever, this film is one of the best (or the best) physical comedies I know. My friend who does not speak Russian enjoyed simply watching acting by superb ensemble of actors. There is not a single false note through entire three hour run. I watch it again and again. Beautiful and smart! 10/10.

Details

Country:

Soviet Union

Language:

Russian Lithuanian German Georgian French

Release Date:

21 June 1971 (Soviet Union)

Also Known As:

Twelve Chairs

Filming Locations:

Mosfilm Studios, Moscow, Russia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mosfilm, Eksperimentalnoe Tvorcheskoe Obedinenie

Technical Specs

Runtime:

159 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1