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.

---

Plot Keywords:

post soviet russia | hare krishna | automobile | alcoholic | love hate relationship | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

---

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.

---

Connections

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

User Reviews

Hal Singer is the last male survivor of the Tulsa Massacre

Released as the Soviet Union was starting to implode, Pavel Lungin's "Taxi Blues" gives one a sense of the disillusion that would come to dominate Russia under Yeltsin.

As it turns out, the movie just became even more relevant. The protests resulting from George Floyd's murder drew attention to the Tulsa Massacre of 1921 (depicted on "Watchmen"). Here's the link to this movie: Hal Singer - who appears as himself - is the last male survivor of the massacre. He was less than two years old when a white mob razed the area known as Black Wall Street, slaughtering thousands. Now 100 years old, he is one of the few surviving links to that act of domestic terrorism.

Anyway, worth seeing.

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