''How Czar Peter the Great Married Off His Moor'' (russian: Сказ про то, как царь Пётр арапа женил, ''Skaz pro to, kak tsar Pyotr arapa zhenil'') is a 1976 musical film directed by the Russian filmmaker

Alexander Mitta Alexander Naumovich Mitta (russian: Алекса́ндр Нау́мович Митта́; born 28 March 1933 in Moscow) is a Soviet and Russian film director, screenwriter and actor. Mitta's birth name was Alexander Naumovich Rabinovich (russian: ...

. The film features

Vladimir Vysotsky Vladimir Semyonovich Vysotsky ( rus, links=no, Владимир Семёнович Высоцкий, p=vlɐˈdʲimʲɪr sʲɪˈmʲɵnəvʲɪtɕ vɨˈsotskʲɪj; 25 January 1938 – 25 July 1980), was a Soviet singer-songwriter, poet, and actor ...

as the protagonist Abram Petrovich Gannibal, the African godson of Peter the Great. Also starring in the film are Aleksei Petrenko as Czar Peter, and Irina Mazurkevich as Natasha Rtishcheva. It is an adaptation of the book ''

The Moor of Peter the Great ''The Moor of Peter the Great'' (russian: Арап Петра Великого, 'The Blackamoor of Peter the Great'' or ''The Negro of Peter the Great'') is an unfinished historical novel by Alexander Pushkin. Written in 1827–1828 and first publ ...

'' by Gannibal's great-grandson

Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...

, written in 1827 and published in 1837. The music for the film was written by the composer

Alfred Schnittke Alfred Garrievich Schnittke (russian: Альфре́д Га́рриевич Шни́тке, link=no, Alfred Garriyevich Shnitke; 24 November 1934 – 3 August 1998) was a Russian composer of Jewish-German descent. Among the most performed and re ...

. In 1976, the film was the sixth most popular film in the Soviet Union, being seen 33,100,000 times.

Plot

The beginning of the film contains some animations depicting Abram's acquisition from his native land and eventually we find him in the courts of Paris. He gets himself in trouble when a French countess, whom he had romances with, bears a black child. Abram is challenged to a duel which is played out humorously in a sped up timeframe. He leaves Paris shortly thereafter to return to his home in

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

where his godfather, and czar of Russia Peter the Great enthusiastically awaits his return. Upon arriving Abram expresses he is done with love, as his lover denounces him as a savage and his son is never fated to know his father. In an attempt to help Abram, as well as tie him into the nobility of Russia, Peter announces Abram and Natasha Rtishcheva are to be wed, to the despair of the family and her current suitor. Abram, however, refuses the marriage on the grounds that he believes Natasha is in love with another. This angers the czar who in turn begins to alienate both Abram and Natasha's family from his favor. The conundrum plays out in humorous and dramatic ways and eventually resolves in a pleasant and light-hearted manner.

Cast

as Abram Petrovich Gannibal * Aleksei Petrenko as Peter the Great *The Rtishchevs: **

Ivan Ryzhov Ivan Petrovich Ryzhov (russian: Ива́н Петро́вич Рыжо́в; 25 January 1913, Zelyonaya Sloboda, Bronnitsky Uyezd, Moscow Governorate — 15 March 2004, Moscow) was a Soviet and Russian film and theater actor. People's Artist of t ...

as Gavrilo Afanasievich Rtishchev **Irina Mazurkevich as Natasha Rtishcheva ** Mikhail Kokshenov as Sergunka Rtishchev **Yevgeny Mitta as Vanechka Rtishchev *Semyon Morozov as Mishka Govorov *

Valeri Zolotukhin Valeri Sergeevich Zolotukhin (russian: link=no, Валерий Сергеевич Золотухин, 21 June 1941 – 30 March 2013) was a Soviet and Russian stage and cinema actor who performed at the Taganka Theatre which he also headed between ...

as Filka *

Mikhail Gluzsky Mikhail Andreyevich Gluzsky (russian: Михаи́л Андре́евич Глу́зский; 20 November 1918 – 15 June 2001) was a Soviet and Russian theater and film actor. He starred in the 1972 film, ''Monologue'', which was entered ...

as Jester Balakirev *

Oleg Tabakov Oleg Pavlovich Tabakov (russian: Олег Павлович Табаков; 17 August 1935 – 12 March 2018) was a Soviet and Russian actor and the Artistic Director of the Moscow Art Theatre. People's Artist of the USSR (1988). Biography Tabakov ...

as Pavel Ivanovich Yaguzhinski

References

External links

1970s historical musical films Soviet historical musical films Films based on works by Aleksandr Pushkin Films set in the 18th century Gorky Film Studio films Vladimir Vysotsky Soviet biographical drama films 1970s biographical films Films directed by Alexander Mitta Films scored by Alfred Schnittke Russian musical films Russian biographical drama films {{historic-musical-film-stub