Taxi Blues (1990)

A comedic love/hate relationship develops between a dour taxi driver and a hapless aspiring musician after the latter stiffs his cab fare.

Director:

Pavel Lungin

Writer:

Pavel Lungin

Stars:

Pyotr Mamonov, Pyotr Zaychenko, Vladimir Kashpur

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Pyotr Mamonov	...	Lyosha
Pyotr Zaychenko	...	Shlykov
Vladimir Kashpur	...	Old Nechiporenko
Natalya Kolyakanova	...	Christina
Hal Singer	...	Self
Elena Safonova	...	Nina, Liocha's Wife
Sergey Gazarov	...	Administrator
Evgeniy Gerchakov	...	Bald Musician in the Taxi
Dmitri Prigov	...	Writer Typing in the Train
Igor Zolotovitskiy	...	Petyunchik
Valeri Khlevinsky	...	Fat Kolya
Yelena Stepanova	...	Smart Young Girl
Vladimir Sterzhakov	...	Musician in the Taxi
Konstantin Afonsky	...	Long-Haired Mechanic
Aleksandr Buyanov	...	Passenger with Newspaper

Storyline

Ivan is old Russia: thick, dour, hard-working, often brutish; he misses Communism. He drives a taxi and one night meets Alexi, a new Russian, a musician, an alcoholic, irresponsible. Alexi stiffs Ivan for the fare, so Ivan tracks him down and a love-hate relationship ensues. When Alexi lets the bath water run over in Ivan's flat and Ivan must pay 500 rubles for repairs, he tries to force Alexi into day labor to repay him. It's hopeless. Then, suddenly, Alexi is discovered, goes on a jazz tour of America, becomes a celebrity, and returns in triumph. Ivan longs to renew the friendship, and it looks as if he may get what he wants.

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Plot Keywords:

post soviet russia | hare krishna | automobile | russia | alcoholic | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Official submission of Soviet Union for the 'Best Foreign Language Film' category of the 63th Academy Awards in 1991.

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Goofs

In the opening sequence, the guy with the blue palm tree shirt waves his hands hypnotist style in front of a woman. Her position in the seat changes between shots.

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Connections

Referenced in Evening Urgant: Daniil Medvedev/Pavel Lungin (2019)

User Reviews

Comments focus on friendship forged between taxi driver and musician.

Pavel Lungin's film Taxi Blues explores many different aspects of contemporary Russian life. Set against the cultural malting pot of Moscow, the story unfolds as two men compare and contrast their lots in life, each admiring what the other has and wishing they could have it as well.

The film begins with a taxi driver, driven by the hardships in life and accustomed to the dark side of life in Moscow. He picks up a group of musicians after a night out on the town, and after the last one has been dropped off, he is stiffed on the bill. Enraged, the taxi driver stalks the last musician out of the taxi, corners him, and steals his saxophone. In return, the musician is thus forced to perform manual labor for the taxi fare, and to get his saxophone back! The conflict in the film is evident through the two characters involved here. The taxi driver is a dark, strong-willed character, and the musician is a thin and weak soul. They see each other as complete opposite, almost as enemies. But, they somehow manage to find a friendship through their encounter. Gradually, each becomes dependant upon the other, and this is essentially the film's theme. What Lungin is attempting to convey here is that sometimes the bleakest situations in our lives can provide our best opportunities for self-improvement. Both characters are lost, but in different capacities. They are alone, frustrated, and tired, but both experience these things on different levels; the working class level, and the creative/artistic level. Through their experiences together, both men help one another to achieve something greater for themselves, and their friendship is a testament to that.

Details

Country:

Soviet Union France

Language:

Russian

Release Date:

18 January 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Taxi Blues

Filming Locations:

Russia

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,792

Company Credits

Production Co:

ASK Eurofilm, Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image Animée, La Sept Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1