March 30, 1970
It's coming out in cinemas "White Sun of the Desert" — a legendary film.
Gulchatay, open your face, will you? I don't take bribes. I feel sorry for the country.
The decision to make Soviet westerns was made in the mid-60s, after the sudden success of The Elusive Avengers.
To work on the new genre, they created the "Experimental Creative Film Studio," which did not consult with Goskino and selected its own personnel.
But his grenades are of the wrong system!
Screenwriter Valentin Yezhov heard the story of the Basmachi fighter who abandoned his harem in the middle of the desert by chance. They decided to base the plot on this.
Mr appointed me beloved wife!
Renowned directors called the idea "spiritless." Thus, the young Vladimir Motyl appeared on the set. He retained the classic Western setup: the imperturbable and taciturn sheriff, Comrade Sukhov (Anatoly Kuznetsov), and his nemesis, the bloodthirsty Indian Abdullah (Kakhi Kavsadze).
East is a delicate matter
The main scenes were filmed in Dagestan. Many of the actors were amateurs: Petrukha was played by a factory mechanic. The bandit who utters the line "Customs gives the go-ahead" is a crime boss: the director hired him to guard the property after the film crew was robbed.
Discipline was poor: the actors would go to restaurants and fight after hours. Vereshchagin's bleeding face during the fight on the barge wasn't makeup: the day before filming, Pavel Luspekaev, who played him, got into a fight with local hooligans.
The people were accommodating, one might say, warm-hearted, with a spark
Management forced Motyl to reshoot key scenes and change the plot. The film's release owes its success to Brezhnev, who loved Westerns and was delighted with the new film.
Any questions? No questions.
In its first year, the film took second place at the box office, behind the epic film "Liberation," with 50 million views. It immediately became a cult classic, and the song "Your Honor," like many of its quotes, became popular.
That's right! Did you give me that caviar again?! I can't eat that damn thing every day. I wish I could at least get some bread!
