An automotive highway is scheduled to be built through the territory of a garage cooperative. A special meeting of the cooperative takes place to reduce the number of garages. As all was already decided and arranged by the chairholder and the board, the decision passes easily at the meeting. But one unexpected event happens - the meeting room's entrance has been locked by an anonymous member and the key is missing...
Acting
Liya Akhedzhakova's trembling fury as the underdog scientist.
Writing
Ryazanov's razor dialogue cuts through Soviet pretensions.
Direction
Single-location pressure cooker that never feels stagey.
Director
Eldar Ryazanov
Liya Akhedzhakova
Елена Павловна Малаева, младший научный сотрудник
Iya Savvina
Лидия Владимировна Аникеева, член правления, замдиректора НИИ
Valentin Gaft
Сидорин, председатель гаражного кооператива, ветврач
Svetlana Nemolyaeva
жена Гуськова
Georgi Burkov
Виталий Кузьмич Фетисов, мастер-золотые руки
Vyacheslav Nevinnyy
Карпухин, научный сотрудник
Andrey Myagkov
Семен Александрович Хвостов, лаборант, потерявший голос
Leonid Markov
Павел Константинович Смирновский, завлабораторией, отец Марины
Igor Kostolevskiy
сын Милосердова, археолог
Olga Ostroumova
Марина, дочь Смирновского
Anastasia Voznesenskaya
Алла Алексеевна Кушакова, директор рынка
Gleb Strizhenov
Александр Григорьевич Якубов, ветеран Великой Отечественной войны
Semyon Farada
тромбонист
Boryslav Brondukov
жених
Alla Budnitskaya
Анна Николаевна, секретарь правления
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot during Brezhnev's stagnation, the film's garage politics mirrored real Soviet housing co-op nightmares. Audiences recognized their own corrupt chairholders.
The entire film was rehearsed like theater for months before rolling—rare for Soviet cinema. Ryazanov wanted that claustrophobic live-wire tension authentic.
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