How and where filmed "Office Romance"? History of filming, interesting facts and description

1977 was a whole event for Soviet film-lovers, because this year, October 26, the premiere of the beloved film "Office Romance" took place on the screens of the country. The creation of the inimitable Eldar Ryazanov was so fond of the audience that even now, after so many years, it is being revised with the greatest pleasure. Just about how they filmed "Office Romance", and will be discussed.

The Tale of the Leading Cinderella

Among the many that are in Moscow thousands, the office (for details on where the film "Office Romance" was filmed, it will be possible to find out a little later) was one, no different from the others. She carried the proud name of "Statistical Institution". Here works a huge number of perfectly ordinary people with their own domestic concerns and problems. During the lunch break, employees rush to the nearest store for a scarce commodity, and after work hurry to get the child out of the kindergarten ...

As a single father, Anatoly Yefremovich Novoseltsev brings up two children and every morning at the entrance of his house (about where the "Office Romance" was filmed, which buildings served as silent "participants" of the trial, will be told separately) by sending the elder son to school, he assigns Junior in kindergarten, located literally a hundred meters from the house, and after that goes to work. Once he divorced his wife (because her husband was not able to break through the career ladder, she left Novoseltseva with the children). Due to its internal complexes and soft character (and according to some, and completely lack of character), Anatoly Efremovich in his forty years and could not find himself a companion. However, he did not try very hard to find, devoting himself entirely to children and breaking from salary to salary. And, having come to work, he once again asks a friend and colleague to "lend the twenty to payday".

A friend of Novoseltseva, Olga Ryzhova, with whom they have been friends for many years, is also in cares: she brings up children and waits for her husband from a business trip. Sometimes Novosyatsev arrives with them, as he calls them with love, obnoxious.

And so, on the most ordinary working day, when he came to the office and met Olya in the hall, Novoseltsev learned from her that the place of the department head had been vacated. It was Ryzhov who began to persuade him to go to Mymra and talked with her about appointing him to this post.

Lyudmila Prokofievna Kalugina (or, as subordinates call her by the eyes, "our Mind" and "Old Woman") - head to the bone. And her age nobody knows. Constantly dressed in some brownish-gray-stern tones and with a face that does not reflect any emotions, she never came to her work in her entire career and never left before the last employee left the workplace. Many, in jest, doubted that she was even a woman or even a man ...

However, on the same day, another old friend of Novoseltsev, Yuri Samokhvalov, who has always been distinguished by his piercing character and a slightly adventurous mentality, is appointed to the post of deputy. He even suggested a little "priudarit" for Kalugina in the home, so to speak, the situation. Just the reason was found. Samokhvalov, in honor of his new appointment, arranged a festive dinner at home, where friends, acquaintances and his new boss were invited.

Is it worth saying that nothing came of the idea? Instead of a little pampering Lyudmila Prokofyevna, Novoseltsev, unexpectedly for everyone and himself, publicly expressed to his boss everything that she thought about her.

Arriving on the next day to work, he was like in the water lowered and did not know how to go to the headmistress and apologize. However, his "frankness" had its consequences - Kalugina herself called Novoseltseva to talk. Our tranquil man managed to distinguish himself here: all his attempts to apologize led to the fact that he himself, without waiting, brought his boss to tears. Noticing, finally, what his apologies lead to, Novoseltsev with sincere surprise ("Are you crying?") And a weighty argument ("You are not in this position is not allowed") began to reassure her.

As it turned out, Lyudmila Prokofievna is only 36 years old. Her closeness and severity of character, her gait and dress style are all a consequence of the fact that her best friend once betrayed her. After that she broke all her connections with friends and went head to head with her head.

The conversation led to the beginning of a tender feeling between the heroes, which they would have to preserve, not paying attention to gossip and gossip. And Lyudmila Pokofyevna will again see in herself a beautiful woman.

In parallel, the plot develops one more line. Even in the student years between Olga Ryzhova and Yuri Samokhvalov, a novel happened. As it turned out, Olga still loves him and begins to write love letters, passing them through the secretary Vera. She was the "springboard" for gossip, but she did not expect that.

Samokhvalov decides to devote to the situation a female worker of the local committee Shura, and asks to somehow influence Ryzhov and stop the persecution on her part. Having learned about this act, Novoseltsev, not ashamed of Lyudmila Prokofievna, gave Samokhvalov a slap right at the top.

After some time, after learning from Verochka about the novel Novoseltseva and Kalugina, Samokhvalov decided to take revenge on his former friend. He told Lyudmila Prokofievna that Novoseltsev had arranged his courtship in order to advance to the post of department head.

Finale favorite film everyone knows by heart: after finding out the relationship, during which Novoseltsev several times wrote a statement of resignation and even called his beloved boss moo, everything ends in a happy happy end.

The film "Office Romance" - the history of filming. How it all began

Eldar Ryazanov and Emil Braginsky (permanent co-author of the director) wrote the play "Colleagues" in 1971, in order to earn some money. It was conceived as the first part of the dilogy, the second was called "Relatives." It took only 22 days to write the original text. And in the same 1971 Novoseltsev and Kalugin "revived" on the theatrical stage (the Moscow Mayakovsky Theater and the Leningrad Theater of Comedy named after AP Akimov). The play was performed with great success throughout the Soviet Union, and it was destined to experience more than 130 productions. It is noteworthy that Peter Veliyaminov and Olga Volkova took the lead roles in the production of the Leningrad Theater (later, thanks to the role in this play, the actress received specially created for her the role of waitress Violetta).

Once Eldar Ryazanov wrote in his book ("Unsigned results") that, while attending the production of the Pskov drama theater, they, together with Emil Braginsky, could not understand what the matter was: the characters seemed to be the same as in the Play. And even the replicas seem to be similar, but still something is wrong ... It turns out that all the replicas on which they worked, so that they were conversational, as in life, pronounced in verse.

However, the starting point for the filming of the film was a television show of the Moscow tetra, which was often shown by Soviet television. But Ryazanov did not like this work very much. Somewhere the atmosphere of the play disappeared. There was no magic of turning "mole" into a tender and beautiful, loving, and most importantly, beloved woman. Then Eldar Alexandrovich decided to take on the film project himself. And the main motive was his long-standing desire to work with Alisa Freindlich, and in the role of Kalugin he saw only her. If she had suddenly refused, then Ryazanov would not have taken up the reworking of the play in the screenplay.

Scene

Another "participant" can be called a place, to be exact, a city where the "Office Romance" was filmed. This is Moscow, with all its autumn, winter and architectural locations, with its boiling and bubbling (and not so) life. Despite the fact that the shooting took place in a still warm season, unexpectedly in September the snow fell out, and, having gone with the operator to shoot beautiful snow-covered species, Ryazanov decided to leave these shots in the film.

One of the shooting sites, which later became a local landmark, where the "Office Romance" was filmed, is the street where the house where Novoseltsev lived with his children was located. This house along Chernyshevsky's lane has become so popular that local residents are already accustomed to frequent (almost every six months) shooting. It was after Ryazanov cinematographers chose this place. At the time of creation of our film there, only a hundred meters from the house where the "Office Romance" was filmed, and there was a kindergarten, to which every day before work Novoseltsev assigned his younger sham. At present this building is abandoned.

Architectural places

And here is another building where the "Office Romance" was filmed, more precisely, its front part - the Federal Agency for Marine and Personal Transport, which is located on the Kuznetsky Most. It was these doors that included all the employees of the Statistical Office. And directly their offices and reception were filmed in the pavilion of the studio "Mosfilm", where Eldar Ryazanov was allowed to build giant scenery.

Also at the studio were decorated scenery apartment Samokhvalova. But Lyudmila Prokofievna's apartment has its own, and the real address is Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street , 45. At the time of filming this house was elite.

Another important building for the plot, located in the Bolshoy Gnezdikovsky Lane, is exactly where the roof is located, where Comrade Kalugin watered flowers, and Novoseltsev calmed her down. By the way, Lyudmila Prokofievna's office was also built in the pavilion of "Mosfilm".

Lyudmila Prokofievna Freindlikh

As already stated earlier, the film "Office Romance" was removed only because the main role was performed by Alisa Freindlich. Eldar Ryazanov has long been convinced that Alisa Brunovna is a talented theater actress, and he really wanted to shoot it in his films. The first such "breakdown" was the "Hussar ballad", however, unfortunately, it did not fit the image of a teenage girl. Nothing happened with the "Zigzag luck," but only because Freundlich was expecting a child, and therefore had to refuse.

And finally, in the "Service Novel" their creative "novel" took place. Interestingly, this was, perhaps, the first film in Soviet cinema, when Ryazanov was allowed to shoot exactly those artists he wanted. As the director later said, he was amazed at how she was not afraid of herself being "disfigured" by these faceless costumes, a terrible hairdo, horn-rimmed spectacles (by the way, the operator borrowed these points from his grandfather). And after all, she was able to play flawlessly the "transformation" from the ball to a feminine, beautiful, passionate woman ...

All these "ordeals" were not in vain. On her fee from filming Alice Freindlich bought the first car in her life, and Eldar Ryazanov became a big pass for an actress in the world of cinema. And still a good friend in life.

Anatoly Efremovich Myagkov

Discovering the actor's talent on the set of "The Irony of Fate", Ryazanov initially knew who would play Novoseltseva. The creators, like himself Myagkov, understood how dangerous it is right after the success of Lukashin to the actor playing a man who is in essence very similar to the hero of the film "The Irony of Fate". But in the end, the risk was justified - Myagkov brilliantly coped with his role, and the audience had no doubt that these are two completely different people. Moreover, the director's trust in the artist was also expressed in the fact that Eldar Aleksandrovich completely refused to duplicate Myagkov in the performance of the songs, which did not happen in the "Irony of Fate".

Samohvalov-Basilashvili

Oleg Bsilashvili and Eldar Ryazanov are connected by an old friendship that began with a joke. Once, when he came to the BDT to see Sergei Jurassic, Ryazanov saw Basilashvili on stage. When the play ended, Eldar Alexandrovich said behind the scenes Basilashvili: "I do not understand why you do not act in my pictures?" To which he received an answer: "I do not understand this either." Ryazanov even wrote a receipt, in which he promised to shoot Oleg in every film. After this meeting, the incident was introduced literally at once - Oleg Basilashvili was to be removed in the "Irony of Fate". He was already approved for the role of Hippolytus, but shortly before the shooting began his father died, and as a result, the role went to Yuri Yakovlev.

As Ryazanov himself later admitted in his book, he gave the role of Samokhvalov to the intelligent Basilashvili, guided by the director's calculation. After all, it was important to show a scoundrel who pretends to be honest, intelligent and charming, "his own to the bone" man. The role should be precisely disgusting (in terms of character), and not funny.

Olya Ryzhova

Ryazanov became a kind of patron for Svetlana Nemoliaeva, who already managed to "light up" in the crowd on the set of "Carnival Night". Many years later she played in the play "Relatives" by Ryazanov and Braginsky. After seeing her on the stage, Ryazanov after the play invited her to appear in her films. But the first samples for Nemoliaevo turned into a failure. She auditioned for the role of Nadia in the same "Irony of Fate". But in his next film Ryazanov invited her not to sample, but immediately to the role. This was in love with Samohvalov Olya.

Inimitable Leah

And, of course, where without the secretary Verochka! This role was a real discovery of the film. Especially for Liu Akhedzhakov, the character was radically reworked. And thanks to her the image became a bit tragicomic. Always aware of office events and the latest fashion innovations, she sometimes could forget about subordination (which is only the course of the young "fashionable" fighter, which she arranged Kalugina). Akhedzhakova mercilessly fell in love with her character of the audience, which, incidentally, happens with every film in which she participates.

Interesting facts about the film "Office Romance"

You probably did not know that:

• The working title of the painting is "The Tale of the Leading Cinderella".
• The entire creative team was awarded the state prize (1978), except Alisa Freindlich, because the actress had already been awarded for a theatrical role, and at that time it was impossible to receive the award twice.
• In the building where the film "Office Romance" was filmed, there were organizations with such names as "Glavkost", "Office of External Relations", "Glavspetsherst", "Research Institute of What" and so on.
• Poems "There is no bad weather" were written by Ryazanov, but he hid it. And he sent Andrei Petrov, saying that the author was William Blake. And so that he suddenly did not check, Eldar Alexandrovich said that this is a new translation.
• Before sending his poems to the composer, Ryazanov showed them to Myagkov, but when that poem was not appreciated, Ryazanov gave him the role of the silent in his next film "Garage".
• Olga Ryzhova's scenes in the transport were shot "on location", without attracting extras.
• The house where the "Service Novel" was filmed, or rather, the roof where Kalugin is watering the flowers, is the roof of the Nirnsee house.
• The bronze horse that Novoseltsev wore is also the "star" of the films "The Diamond Arm", "The Love Formula", "The Old New Year", "Seventeen Moments of Spring" and "Shirley-Myrli".

• All the participants were so carried away by the shooting process that they sat on three series, and then the director had to cut out whole storylines. The most affected character was Lyudmila Ivanova (Shura public).
• In the first version of the script, Vera's secretary was played by Alexander Fatushin, but in the final version of the film there was only an episode with him.
• The voice with which Verochka finds out the relationship is the voice of Oleg Basilashvili.
• The scene of the romantic dinner Novoseltseva and Kalugina - completely improvisation of the actors.
• "Service romance" is included in the curriculum in China for students studying Russian.
• All the dialogue scenes were shot with the help of three cameras, and the actors did not know which camera was shooting them at the moment.
• In the modern adaptation of the play "Colleagues", Svetlana Khodchenkova, Vladimir Zelensky, Marat Basharov and Anastasia Zavorotnyuk played the main roles.
• The room where they filmed "Office romance. Our time ", is the Turkish hotel" Adam and Eve ".
• "Modernization" of the favorite film was coldly received not only by the audience, but by Ryazanov himself, who said that he "is not going to watch the parody of himself." Later, he himself regretted that he sold the rights to film his films (the same goes for "The Irony of Fate 2").

Well, how successful or unsuccessful are the screen versions - time will tell. And we, the audience, only have to not miss the next broadcast of your favorite movie, because it is more than once shown on TV. And then also walk around Moscow, remembering the places where they filmed "Office Romance" - a beloved film is not one generation.