KOCHETKOVMOSFILM Studio
Creative Association of TV Films
The film is made to the order of
GOSTELERADIO
Andrei MYAGKOV
Barbara BRYLSKA
Yuri YAKOVLEV
in Eldar RYAZANOV's film
THE IRONY OF FATE
OR SAUNA BLUES
A totally untypical story,
that could have happened
only and solely on New Year's eve.
Screenplay:
Emil BRAGINSKY
Eldar RYAZANOV
D.O.P.
Vladimir NAKHABTSEV
Production designer
Alexander BORISOV
Music:
Mikhael TARIVERDIEV
Songs to poems by
Marina TSVETAEVA
Boris PASTERNAK
Bella AKHMADULINA
Vladimir KIRSHON
Yevgeny YEVTUSHENKO
Mikhail LVOVSKY
Alexander ARONOV
Also starring
Lyubov DOBRZHANSKAYA
Olga NAUMENKO
Lia AKHEDZHAKOVA
Valentina TALYZINA
Alexande SHIRVINDT
Georgy BURKOV
Alexander BELYAVSKY
Lyubov SOKOLOVA
Gotlib RONINSON
Moscow suburban villages:
Troparevo, Chertanovo,
Medvedkovo
and of course Cheremushki
didn't think,
that they will be immortalized
on the same gruesome day,
that they will be wiped off
the face of the Earth.
The village Cheremushki gave
its name to a new neighborhood,
That grew in the South-Western
part of the capital.
Nearly every Soviet city nowadays
has its own Cheremushki
neighborhood.
In bygone days when someone
found himself in a strange city,
he felt lost and lonely.
Everything around was strange:
houses, streets and life itself.
But it's all different now.
A person comes to a strange city,
but feels at home there.
To think what lengths of absurdity
our ancestors went to,
when they designed different
architectural projects!
Nowadays in every city you will find
a standard movie theatre "Rocket",
where you can see
a standard film.
- Do you sell oranges?
- Over there.
Everyone come to the fair!
Christmas decorations, fireworks
and presents for everyone.
Here, my friends!
Names of the streets are
not too inventive either.
What city doesn't have
a 1st Sadovaya or a 2nd Zagorodnaya,
a 3rd Factory St., a Park St.,
an Industrial St.,
or a 3rd Constructors St.?
Sounds romantic, doesn't it?
Staircases that all look the same
are all painted with a standard
pleasant color.
Standard apartments furnished
with standard furniture,
standard locks cut into
blind featureless doors.
Zhenya, darling,
I have an unusual proposition.
Oh, is that so?
I'm scared already.
Zhenya, let's see
in the New Year together.
Well of course.
Isn't that how we planned it?
No.
You don't understand.
Let it be just you and me.
What do you mean "just you and me"?
I don't understand.
Let's not go to the Katanyans.
But that's impossible, Galya.
We've already made arrangements.
They are my friends.
And you've already made your crab salad.
You know I love crabs!
That's great.
We'll eat them together.
Where will we eat them?
You are so slow!
We will stay here, at your place.
Right here?
But what about the Katanyans?
Oleg invites me to celebrate
at the Ostankino TV
tower restaurant.
Give me the top.
- It rotates.
- Who?
The restaurant.
Well if you want to rotate,
then please do.
I want to see in the
New Year with you.
Really? Let's do it then!
- You are so stupid!
- And who else shall we invite?
That's the point. No one.
What do you mean, no one?
And what about my mother?
Your mother will go someplace.
She'll cook everything,
lay the table, I'll help her.
You got a terrific mom.
Wonderful idea! How come
I didn't think about it myself?
One of the two has to be more
clever than the other.
- It will be you.
- Zhenya, stop it!
And what about the Katanyans?
I don't understand...
Oleg invited me to see
in the New Year
at a monastery in Suzdal.
To hell with Oleg!
To hell with the monastery!
I don't want to go anywhere.
I want to be with you.
With me?
Excuse me, I'm looking
for the 3rd Constructors St.
It's over there,
behind those tall buildings.
- You'll see a church there.
- Thank you.
We will see in the New Year together.
Just you and me.
I'll have one too many...
and become brave and bold...
And