16 inconspicuous roles played by director Eldar Ryazanov in his own films

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Eldar Ryazanov shot many films that have long been included in the golden fund of Russian cinema. At the same time, the great director himself played small roles in most of them, putting a kind of author's signature of the Master on each of them. Often Eldar Alexandrovich played himself in his films, but sometimes he appeared in completely unexpected images. By the way, in the credits, the director usually did not even mention himself.

"Give a complaint book", 1965

In this film, Eldar Aleksandrovich played the role of the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Yunost, who let the publication about poor customer service in the Dandelion restaurant go to press. In addition, there is a song in the picture, the lyrics of which he wrote himself.

"Old robbers", 1971

In the adventures of old men who decided on a daring robbery for the sake of proving the professional suitability of a comrade, Eldar Ryazanov appears for just a few seconds as a passer-by outside the prison window, looking into the cell to the prosecutor's office investigator Nikolai Sergeevich Myachikov, played by Yuri Nikulin.

"The Incredible Adventures of Italians in Russia", 1973

During the filming of this picture, the director more than once had to redo the script and solve numerous problems directly on the set, somehow negotiate with the producers. But Eldar Ryazanov could not leave the film without his author's signature and appeared on the screen in the image of a doctor who was beating the ice from the frozen mafioso after the plane landed.

"Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!", 1975

In this comedy, Eldar Ryazanov was recognized and remembered by everyone. After all, it was the main character Yevgeny Lukashin who slept on the director's shoulder during his flight to Leningrad. Eldar Ryazanov in this role, it seems, was very patient with his too drunken neighbor.

"Office Romance", 1977

The lyrical comedy featured the song "Nature has no bad weather", the lyrics to which were written by the director himself. True, Eldar Ryazanov did not immediately admit the authorship, but presented the case as if William Blake had written them. The director can also be seen in one of the scenes on the bus, where he played a random passenger.

Garage, 1979

In the image of the sleeping head of the insect department in this film, Eldar Ryazanov, the audience remembered immediately how they remembered the phrase addressed to him: “Pull out this piece of paper, you are our happy!”.

Say a word about the poor hussar, 1980

Here the director played a good-natured pastry chef who suggested that Count Merzlyaev make an amorous inscription on a cake intended to appease young Nastenka Bubentsova. It was he who did not saturate the cake with rum, as promised.

"Station for two", 1982

In the film, Eldar Ryazanov played the role of Ivan Kuzmich, the deputy head of the station, where the hero of Oleg Basilashvili met his true love in the image of Vera Nefyodova, who was brilliantly played by Lyudmila Gurchenko. On the verses of Eldar Aleksandrovich, the song "We live without excitement" was written.

Forgotten Flute Melody, 1987

Eldar Ryazanov is not in the credits here, but it is simply impossible not to recognize him in a man with a telescope. The filming process was at the very beginning, when the director suffered a stroke and stopped hearing in one ear.

"Dear Elena Sergeevna", 1988

Eldar Ryazanov's highly social film about youth problems is probably one of the most underestimated in his work, although many viewers consider it the director's best work. He himself appeared here as a neighbor of the main character-teacher.

Promised Heaven, 1991

Eldar Aleksandrovich starred in the role of a random person in a cafe, concentrating on chewing a sausage, and Oleg Basilashvili performed a romance based on the director's verses “Lord, neither gasp nor sigh” in “Promised Heaven”.

"Hello, fools!" 1996 year

In the film, the director appeared in the guise of the director of the bookstore Nikolai Trifonovich. He dismisses Ksenia Zasypkina, played by Tatyana Drubich, from her job.

"Old Nags", 2000

73-year-old Eldar Ryazanov appeared in a film about four friends who find themselves on the sidelines of life, in the guise of a judge. Of course, it is simply impossible not to recognize him even in the judicial robes.

"Quiet Whirlpools", 2000

In the same year, when the movie "Old Nags" was released, the director released another picture, where he played an elderly radiologist.

"The key to the bedroom", 2003

At the age of 76, Eldar Ryazanov played the role of the chief of police in his own comedy film. He not only directed it, but also became the author of the script, written based on the farce of Georges Feydeau.

“Andersen. Life without love ", 2006

This was the last author's film of the great director, here he was the director, co-author of the script and the performer of the role of the owner of the coffin workshop.

One of the best directors of the twentieth century, Eldar Ryazanov, became the author of the book of memoirs "Unsummed Results", where he talks about interesting moments of filming, about the work of actors and about the most intimate.