Thanks to Comrade Brezhnev: Cult Soviet films that reached the audience thanks to the Secretary General

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

In Soviet times, officials from cinema always tried to play it safe and often, just in case, did not allow one or another film to be shown, so as not to incur the wrath of high authorities. However, the bosses often turned out to be much more far-sighted and more liberal than their subordinates. So, many films that have gained immense popularity were released only thanks to the personally the General Secretary of the CPSU Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev.

"Prisoner of the Caucasus, Or Shurik's New Adventures" (director Leonid Gaidai, 1966)

The officials of the USSR State Committee for Cinematography absolutely did not like the film. They didn’t like jokes, they didn’t like the songs of Alexander Zatsepin. The song "" was declared immoral, the third verse: "" was removed from it altogether.

On Friday, at the "acceptance of the film," the chairman of the State Committee for Cinematography, Alexei Romanov, appeared already in a bad mood, which he did not hide. While watching this comedy, no one in the audience laughed, except the projectionists, who had to be reassured.

At the end of the film, Romanov said: “.” Some acquaintances have already begun to shy away from the filmmakers.

But what was the general amazement when on Monday morning Romanov, leaving his office, congratulated the authors and announced that their film was being released, and he was awarded the highest distribution category. What happened?

It turns out that on Friday evening, when everyone had already dispersed, Brezhnev's assistant called and asked to send "something new" for the general secretary for the weekend. The attendant said there was one comedy movie, but it had just been rejected. But, nevertheless, the film was sent to Brezhnev. The result exceeded all expectations! Brezhnev was delighted with the picture, over the weekend he viewed it five times, laughing to tears. At the weekend, he called Romanov, congratulating him on the excellent job and calling the tape "".

So fans of the picture should be glad that Brezhnev had a great sense of humor.

The Diamond Arm (directed by Leonid Gaidai, 1968)

The story with the acceptance of the next comedy by the great master was about the same as with the "Caucasian Captive". At first, the members of the commission felt that she, with her frivolous songs and jokes, violated the moral foundations of a socialist society. Brezhnev, after watching the film, again laughed heartily, not seeing anything seditious in it. Naturally, after that all the prohibitions were removed from the picture.

"Gentlemen of Fortune" (director Alexander Sery, 1971)

Most viewers do not know and do not remember the name of the director of this truly popular film. And to remember it, of course, is worth it. Georgy Danelia, whom many consider the author of the film, only wrote the script, and the idea of the picture as a whole belongs to Alexander Sery, whose fate was not easy. At one time he was convicted of a fight, and spent 4 years in prison, experiencing all the delights of camp life.

Goskino officials really did not like the thieves' jargon, often used during the film, as well as the romanticization of the images of criminals, which looked funny and not at all scary. Not counting, of course, "Assistant Professor".

And Leonid Ilyich also intervened in the fate of this film. The painting was brought to Brezhnev's dacha by his son-in-law, Colonel Churbanov, who served in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Together they watched this film, while Churbanov commented on some of its episodes. The picture amused Brezhnev and liked him very much. Unlike the officials, he did not notice anything at variance with the Soviet ideology.

And a few months after this "summer cottage viewing", the film was seen by millions of viewers. Time has put everything in its place. The success of the painting was overwhelming.

But the trick - on the poster of the 80s, there is no one of the main characters of the film - Savely Kramarov. In 1981, he emigrated to the United States, and Kramarov's name was erased from posters and cut from the credits. He is in the film, but not in the credits …

"White Sun of the Desert" (director Vladimir Motyl, 1969)

The Goskino Commission made a lot of claims to the director, making about thirty comments. To fix it all, it was necessary to completely re-shoot many scenes. Vladimir Motyl categorically refused this, and the film faced an unenviable fate - gathering dust “on the shelf”. And again, a fluke helped.

Since his youth, Leonid Ilyich was a big fan of American Westerns and in the fall of 1969 several new films were ordered from overseas for him. But for some reason, they did not come on time, and Brezhnev was offered to watch a Soviet film, also with cowboy tricks, but with Red Army men and Basmachi instead of sheriffs and cowboys. Brezhnev was delighted with the film. He really liked the episodes with the fights, he liked the song too.

Having finished watching the picture after midnight, he called Romanov: "" Romanov at first did not even understand what kind of film he was talking about. Clarified the name - he did not even look at this picture.

Early in the morning, Romanov rushed to Goskino, watched the film and gave instructions to release it after three minor amendments. In this case, Vladimir Motyl did not argue (three amendments are not twenty-seven), and the film was soon released, almost immediately winning the love of the audience.

"Pirates of the XX century" (director Boris Durov, 1979)

The film, which successfully slipped through the censorship of the State Film Agency, was slowed down by the authorities of the Central Committee of the Komsomol. The Komsomol leaders were confused by scenes of cruelty and violence, many of which used the techniques of karate, which was in a semi-legal position in our country in those years. They did not dare to release the film and sent it to the repository.

Having watched this dashing action movie in his country house one weekend, in which “ours” bravely dealt with their enemies, Brezhnev wondered why this film was not shown to people. Immediately after that, the film was removed from the shelf and sent to the rental. Thus began his triumphant march across the screens of the country. And again thanks to Brezhnev …

"Belorussky Station" (director Andrei Smirnov, 1971)

In this film, the Moscow police are not presented in the best light, and this caused the discontent of the Minister of the Interior Shchelokov. For this reason, the censors did not allow her to appear on the screen. The authors of the film, knowing the stories with a happy ending with other films, put a lot of effort and still managed to get the film shown to Brezhnev.

Leonid Ilyich was quite sentimental, and he was moved to tears by one of the best scenes of the film, when Nina Urgant sings to her fellow soldiers Bulat Okudzhava's song about the airborne battalion.

Of course, after that the film was immediately resolved, and there could be no talk of any corrections. And they tried to include the song from this film in the concert program, if Brezhnev was present.

"Kalina krasnaya" (director Vasily Shukshin, 1974)

A similar story happened with the film by Vasily Shukshin. The studio management had many complaints about him, the film was not allowed to appear on the screen.

But after watching this film by members of the Politburo (this was also practiced) during the most dramatic episode of the film - the meeting of Yegor Prokudin with his mother - Brezhnev shed a tear, the fate of the film was decided.

"Garage" (directed by Eldar Ryazanov, 1979)

In March 1980 at the House of Cinema Ryazanov presented his new work - the satirical comedy "Garage". The film was received with a bang. And Ryazanov expected that soon the whole country would plunge into "garage" passions on the screen. But it turned out that the picture was released in a very small circulation, in the capital it was not shown at all, the picture could only be seen in the Moscow region. And after the first shows, the circulation of the tape was going to be completely destroyed. But even here Leonid Ilyich made his contribution to saving the film.

The fact is that at that time a plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU was being held, at which Brezhnev, in his report, emphasized the need to mercilessly reveal and criticize shortcomings in public life. And it turned out that Garage, just as opportunely, was an operative response of Soviet filmmakers to the demand of the time, to the appeal of the party.

However, Brezhnev was by no means always loyal to the artist, as it was with his direct participation that the forced emigration of Andrei Tarkovsky took place. Then, few knew what made the legendary director leave the USSR forever.