''Crazy Money'' () is a 1981

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

and

historical History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

film. The film was

directed Direct may refer to: Mathematics * Directed set, in order theory * Direct limit of (pre), sheaves * Direct sum of modules, a construction in abstract algebra which combines several vector spaces Computing * Direct access (disambiguation), a ...

Yevgeny Matveyev Yevgeny Semyonovich Matveyev (, ; 8 March 1922 – 1 June 2003) was a Soviet Union, Soviet and Russia, Russian actor and film director who was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1974. He is best known as Nagulnov in ''Virgin Soil Upturned ( ...

, produced by

, and composed by Evgueni Ptitchkine;

Aleksandr Yakovlevich Mikhailov Aleksandr Yakovlevich Mikhailov (; born 4 October 1944) is a Soviet and Russian actor. He has appeared in 42 films since 1973. He starred in the 1981 film ''Muzhiki!'' which was entered into the 32nd Berlin International Film Festival, where it ...

starred. Based on a play of the same name by

Alexander Ostrovsky Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky (; ) was a Russian playwright, generally considered the greatest representative of the Russian realistic period. The author of 47 original plays, Ostrovsky "almost single-handedly created a Russian national repe ...

, the 87-minute film was put out by

Mosfilm Mosfilm (, ''Mosfil’m'' , initialism and portmanteau of Moscow Films) is a film studio in Moscow which is among the largest and oldest in the Russian Federation and in Europe. Founded in 1924 in the USSR as a production unit of that nation's fi ...

Plot

Set in mid-19th century Moscow, the story follows Savva Gennadyevich Vasilkov, a middle-aged provincial merchant who falls in love with the beautiful Lydia Yuryevna Cheboksarova. To meet her, he enlists the help of his acquaintance Telyatev, who, along with his friend Glumov, devises a plan to prank Lydia’s mother, Nadezhda Antonovna. Nadezhda, eager to find a wealthy son-in-law, is misled into believing Vasilkov is a millionaire gold miner from

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

. Vasilkov begins visiting the Cheboksarov household, but his provincial manners clash with Lydia's aspirations of marrying into high society. Meanwhile, Nadezhda receives news from her husband about the urgent need to sell their last estate to settle debts. She turns to the elderly Prince Kuchumov, who is also captivated by Lydia's beauty, but he offers only empty promises. Pressured by her mother to secure a wealthy husband, Lydia initially sets her sights on Telyatev, who only seeks a casual flirtation and refuses to marry. Eventually, Lydia weds the devoted Vasilkov. The Cheboksarovs continue their extravagant lifestyle on credit, and Vasilkov soon discovers their massive debts, which he is expected to pay. He agrees, but only if they reduce their expenses, dismiss some servants, and move to a more modest home. Lydia finds these terms humiliating but reluctantly complies. Despite their new living situation, she maintains relationships with her former admirers, Telyatev and Kuchumov, hoping for financial support. Persuaded by Kuchumov's promises, she decides to leave Vasilkov and move back to their luxurious apartment. On the day of her departure, Vasilkov catches Lydia flirting with Kuchumov and dismisses her in despair. Triumphant, Lydia moves back into the grand mansion, expecting Kuchumov to fulfill his promises. However, Telyatev reveals that Kuchumov has squandered his fortune and, like the Cheboksarovs, is penniless. Realizing her mistake, Lydia sends her mother to plead with Vasilkov for forgiveness. Vasilkov agrees to settle Lydia's debts but imposes a condition: she must serve as a housekeeper in his mother's household for a period as a form of penance. Only after completing this "rehabilitation" will he consider taking her to

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

. Initially outraged, Lydia eventually accepts, recognizing her dire circumstances, and resolves to reform her ways.

References

External links

* 1981 films films based on works by Alexander Ostrovsky Mosfilm films Soviet films based on plays Soviet historical comedy films {{USSR-film-stub