Why Eldar Ryazanov took two "Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!"

• Why Eldar Ryazanov took two "Twist of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!"

Did you know that the most famous New Year film, which is under the background in a few days we will all crumble Olivier - "Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!" - exists in two versions? No, plot and denouement in them are the same, there is an alternate ending. Nevertheless they differ. Intrigued? Then welcome a cat - you will learn the history of the two versions of the film and how they differ.

Do not believe it, but the story of the creation of "Twist of Fate" started again to play that Ryazanov and Braginsky wrote in 1968 for earnings. Wrote exclusively for theaters. The play should have been a minimum of scenery and very few actors - to provincial theaters it snapped. The basis for the plot took a real story that he told Nikita Theological - about a man who on December 31 after the bath looked a couple of minutes to the familiar. There they drank to the holiday. In general, the poor fellow awoke on a shelf for luggage in the train Kiev train where it was loaded for fun friends. When he came out on to the platform in Kiev, understanding nothing, he had only a bath broom, bag of dirty laundry, and 15 cents of money.

Comedy is really liked in the province - more than a hundred houses set about staging. However, this does not touch the capital's theaters. In Moscow, it has put only deaf theater. The play could have remained on the stage, if not for the sad event. In 1974, Braginsky suffered a heart attack. Literary duo broke up, and Ryazanov decided to completely switch to filming. And to make a film about the tipsy doctor. That it was necessary to alter the theatrical play in the screenplay? To minimize the dialog and increase the maximum space activities. For entertainment. It is common practice. But Ryazanov understood that in this case, will suffer the plot. In the film, it was important not to show what's going on, but as a happening. As between the protagonists of the mutual hostility gradually, through sympathy for each other, it develops into love.

Ryazanov understood: it is impossible to cut. It is necessary to remove the two-part painting. With the reduction of the threat arose coarsening and simplification of the main lyrical lines.

But the "Mosfilm" did not go down. Two series of a comedy about love affairs be far from good doctor? But who will watch it ?! State cinema has given failure. And then Ryazanov decided to turn on Radio and Television. On television serials have always loved movies. And as these two organizations strongly competed to learn that the director refused, staged in the State cinema, TV gave the green light.

Talk about how the shooting took place, were chosen actors to write songs, I will not today. Something I already told you, but something more to say on another occasion. We turn right at the end of the story.

The shooting ended May 6, 1975. Another couple of months left for the installation of two series of paintings. And another six months waiting for the premiere of the film - the story of a New Year's decided to show in the New Year. These six months have been very difficult for Ryazanov. Editors smashed film as immoral and disrespectful of the Soviet man. There were fears that the picture will be on the shelf. But January 1, 1976 saw the movie the whole country. The effect was incredible. Mountain laudatory letters and telegrams! And requests to repeat the demonstration.

In the State Film Committee on myself tearing your hair - how it was possible to give the television a successful project! And it took the unprecedented decision - after two shows of the film on television to make a rolling version of the painting.

But the film still seemed to them a very long and protracted. And Ryazanov instructed to remount the film. As a result, the rolling version turned out to be 30 minutes shorter. Excised therefrom cartoon introduction.

and titrated with the famous error.

Cut two songs ( "No one is in the house" at the beginning and "Come with me that something is going on" at the end). No dog in this version of the film in the elevator.

And companies with accordion.

Check Hippolytus on the ice of the Neva.

Nadi Travel by taxi.

Completely cut scenes Nadi mother.

And significantly slashed Lukashina dialogues with his mother.

And most importantly, badly cut dialogues of the main characters. No story about Paul and Ira, no dialogue Lukashina and Hippolytus under the tree on the street (Frankness for frankness).

But added some minor points. For example, the arrival of Gali in an empty apartment or Lukashina Nadi approach to his house after a walk in Leningrad.

But the most interesting - a sound arrangement of some moments. Particularly attentive viewers may have noticed that in some places the well-known film version Lukashina it does not always coincide with the articulation of the lips. You did not notice? Look at this passage carefully.

You see? Judging from his lips, not about the "Baikal" said Lukashin. Do you want to know about that? You are welcome! In the film version I put Ryazanov was the original voice acting.

Or here's another example of the end of the film.

Too little something. That's what really said Lukashin friends.

Even in the film version of Nadi error has been corrected, when the teacher of Russian language and literature, said that she had forgotten to "put" holiday dress.

Oh and one more thing. Since the whole scene was cut from the Nadi mother, respectively, in the film does not hit the scene with the expulsion of a train ticket. Therefore, that's the phrase ...

... I was also overdubbed.

But in the end the film is very much lost. I get what Ryazanov was afraid at the beginning of work on the painting. The film version came out a crumpled, it disturbed the rhythm. Biographies of heroes, the nature of conflicts were unresolved.