The history of the film, roles and actors: "The Diamond Arm"

There is hardly anyone who has not watched or at least not heard of this film. Classics of the Soviet screen, the comedy of 1968 is recognized as one of the best in the history of Russian cinema. The story of the film will be told by the creators and the actors themselves. "The Diamond Arm" is the theme of our article.

The hard life of smugglers

Those who have forgotten, briefly recall the story. A respectable family man Semyon Gorbunkov goes on a cruise on a motor ship. At the same time, according to the plan of the gang of "currency traders", the Count is to descend from the liner and meet with foreign accomplices, who will impose a plaster on the jewels inside. By mistake, instead of the smuggler, the bandage is imposed by accidentally stumbling Semyon Semyonitch ...

It was with such an easy, unconstrained and understandable to each spectator that the film "The Diamond Arm" was published. Actors and roles instantly acquired the status of screen favorites, and the director of the picture Leonid Gayday once again proved that in the Soviet Union they are able to shoot comedies.

Production Difficulties

This was not Gaidai's first tape. Prior to "The Hand ..." he withdrew "Operation" Y "and" Caucasian Captive. " No one doubted that the painting would not yield to anything. The recognition was also spoken by other indicators: the film gathered an audience of more than 76 million viewers. Is this not enough?

But very few people knew with what painstaking work the shooting process was conducted. The main actors, "Diamond Arm" for which was not just a "tick" in the track record, recalled many interesting facts. So, Yuri Nikulin was one of the first who agreed to participate in the film, when the script was not yet fully approved. Moreover, the image of the man Semen Semenych was written just for him. He did not see any other candidates. The main comedian of that time, Nikulin coped without a problem with the role. The film starred his family: the wife in the role of a guide, the son - in the image of a boy walking on the water.

Fight candidates

About their personal success, many actors in the tape spoke. "Diamond Arm" for some of them literally became a real gift. At the time of filming, 27-year-old Andrei Mironov was just gaining stellar popularity. He was referred to the representatives of the "golden youth". After the brilliantly played role of Genes Kozodoev, critics noted that fate handed the actor his hand. But Mironov could not get into the picture, because his role was originally considered the candidacy of George Vicin.

In the film, and filmed little-known artists, who also gave a chance to "Diamond Arm". Actors, such as Svetlana Svetlichnaya, struggled to the last to get around on viewing their rivals. The image of the seductress Anna Sergeyevna was almost approved by Clara Luchko. The photographs sent by her convinced the artistic advice of the picture. But later the actress referred to the employment in another project, because we can say that Svetlana Svetlichna was lucky. Today it is impossible to imagine someone else in its place.

Bandit Lelik could be played by Leonid Satanovsky or Mikhail Pugovkin. But the leadership chose Anatoly Papanov. With his accent, facial expressions and incredible charisma, the chief smuggler turned out to be very memorable.

Shooting locations

According to the plot, the action takes place in a foreign town, where a cruise liner approaches. In fact, the film crew, like the actors of the film "The Diamond Arm," did not leave the borders of our country. This is the amazing ability of the domestic cinema - to look for an alternative to complex technical and production moments, without causing "suspicion" in viewers. The pharmacy, near which the hero of Yuri Nikulin falls, is in the old residential quarter of Baku. To create "overseas" visibility on the buildings appearing in the background with a backdrop, signboards with foreign logos were hanging. So, in one of the scenes you can see the inscription of the company "Phillips". In addition to Baku, part of the shooting took place in Sochi. Already in modern times, the city's street was decorated with a monument in honor of the Gorbunkov family.

"The Diamond Arm": actors and roles

A lot of stars are involved in the picture, they embodied the main images. Like many of her peers, Nina Grebeshkova began her career with the role of schoolgirls, pioneers, young girls. Her first landmark film work was the drama "The Truth of Truth". Nina Pavlovna has lived more than forty years in marriage with Leonid Gayday. It has become a tradition that in each new film the director gives the spouse a secondary, but undoubtedly, characteristic role. In "Diamond Hand" the actress played the wife of the main character, Nadezhda Ivanovna Gorbunkova.

Discoverer of Soviet erotica

Svetlana Svetlichnaya, mentioned above, moved from her native Armenia to Moscow, where she immediately went to VGIK. In the first years after his graduation, she embodied insignificant images on the screen. Comedy Gaidai was an important milestone in his career. With her help Svetlana Afanasyevna experienced real recognition, as well as other little-known actors. "Diamond Arm" opened the audience a new type of modern woman - stylish, relaxed, sexy. Soviet cinema did not remember such heroines. In addition, the famous episode with erotic content also became a kind of discovery. Despite the fact that Svetlana Svetlichnaya has a rich filmography, many consider Anna Sergeyevna her main role.

Invited stars - decoration of a picture

A nice addition to the track record for some of the stars that have already taken place was the Diamond Arm. Actors, whose photos were then on the front pages of magazines, such as Nonna Mordyukova, performed episodic but vivid images. Remember the manager, neighbor Gorbunkova with a funny name Ivy? Varvara Sergeyevna became an ornament of a comedy, and the actress for a long time appeared in "favorites" at spectators. Her first role, she played in the film "Young Guard". Behind her shoulders are versatile images of women with complex character. The most famous works of Nonna Viktorovna are tapes "Chairman", "War and Peace", "They fought for their Motherland".

Heroes of voice-over plan

Little-known actors of the film "The Diamond Arm" did not always appear on the screen, like Nikolai Romanov, who played the role of chief smuggler named Chef. For most of the film, this character remains invisible. Selection of the artist did not provide for special requirements for appearance, because they took Nikolai Yakovlevich immediately. The audience almost did not know it. Not having behind him the rich baggage of the main roles, the actor often agreed to secondary images. At the same time, his experience and professionalism give odds to any other artist - for his creative work Romanov worked in fifteen theaters, having traveled half the country. After he and his family settled in Moscow, Nikolai Romanov was accepted to the Gorky film studio.

The best parody of Soviet reality

After the premiere in the Soviet cinemas, "The Diamond Arm" was presented in a number of foreign countries. According to statistics, the overwhelming number of interviewed viewers liked the picture. She took the lead in the list of rentals in 1969, and later became one of the five best domestic films ever made.

Neutral and drier were the opinions of the art council about the film "The Diamond Arm". Actors, in their opinion, played mediocre. First of all, it was related to Nonna Mordyukova, who "is a lot, but she is not funny", and Yuri Nikulin, who has a chance to play "sharper". Such remarks did not affect the warm reception given by the audience. In general, the comedy was marked by a balanced eccentricity, with which it was impossible not to agree.

What legacy did the film leave behind it? A whole set of thin, witty phrases that have become winged. Many of them have become folklore. The main musical compositions ("Help me", "Song about the hares") are not only periodically recited, but also often performed at drinking events.

Undoubtedly, the real model for imitation is the "Diamond Hand". Actors and roles for a long time will be remembered by spectators not only past, but also modern generations, making a picture classics of the Soviet cinema.