''Hopelessly Lost'' () is a 1973

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 ...

adventure film The adventure film is a broad genre of film. Some early genre studies found it no different than the Western film or argued that adventure could encompass all Hollywood genres. Commonality was found among historians Brian Taves and Ian Cameron in ...

directed by

Georgiy Daneliya Georgiy Nikolozis dze Daneliya, Romanization of Georgian, : (25 August 19304 April 2019) was a Soviet and Russian film director and screenwriter. He was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1989 and a laureate of the State Prize of the Russi ...

who also adapted the script based on

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...

's 1884 novel ''

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' is a picaresque novel by American author Mark Twain that was first published in the United Kingdom in December 1884 and in the United States in February 1885. Commonly named among the Great American Novels, th ...

''. Cinematography by Vadim Yusov. It was entered into the 1974 Cannes Film Festival.

Plot

The story follows young Huck Finn and his friend, Jim, an escaped enslaved man. Huck once lived with his father, a vagrant and drunkard who soon abandoned him. Authorities then placed Huck with the kind widow Douglas, who taught him good manners and provided him with a stable life. However, Huck's father returns to town, demanding $300 for his son, and, upon being refused, kidnaps Huck and locks him in a shack by the Mississippi River, hoping for ransom. Huck secretly cuts an escape route through the wall and plans to flee. His father, upon learning that neither the widow nor anyone else intends to pay, returns from town and, in a drunken rage, mistakes Huck for a death angel and tries to stab him, forcing Huck to sleep with a rifle for protection. Fearing for his life, Huck escapes, staging his own murder to avoid pursuit. On the opposite bank of the Mississippi, he meets Jim, who has also run away from the widow. Together, they build a raft and set off for Cairo, where Jim hopes to gain freedom and buy his family's freedom. However, they accidentally pass Cairo, and Huck, conflicted over helping an enslaved person escape, briefly abandons Jim but ultimately apologizes, reuniting with him. Their journey takes a twist when two conmen—one a self-styled amateur actor and dandy claiming to be the Duke of Bridgewater, and the other a swindler calling himself Louis XVII, the "son" of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette—join them on the raft. When they stop in a town, the Duke stages Shakespearean plays in local theaters, amusing crowds before escaping with their money. In the next town, the King learns about the recent death of a preacher, Peter Wilks, whose daughters stand to inherit a fortune. If Wilks' English brothers, Harvey and the mute William, arrive, they would claim part of the inheritance. The King and the Duke pose as the brothers, with Huck as their servant. Discovering their scam to steal from orphans, Huck hides the stolen money in Peter’s coffin. However, the real Harvey and William arrive, and Huck and Jim try to escape, though the King and Duke catch up. Eventually, Huck buys tickets to Cairo to finally part ways with the conmen, but the King sells Jim for drink money. Huck devises a plan to rescue Jim, even as the townspeople cover the conmen in tar and feathers and chase them away. Compassionate despite their deception, Huck and Jim let the weeping frauds back on their raft. Huck’s final resolve is to help Jim achieve freedom, no matter the cost.

Cast

* Roman Madyanov as ''Huck'' *

Vladimir Basov Vladimir Pavlovich Basov (28 July 192317 September 1987) was a Soviet Russian actor, film director and screenwriter. He was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1983. Biography Vladimir Basov was born in the Urazovo village, Voronezh Governor ...

as ''Huck's father'' * Feliks Imokuede as ''Jim'' * Vladimir Ivashov as ''Colonel Sherborne'' * Vakhtang Kikabidze as ''Duke'' (voiced by Leonid Kanevsky) *

Yevgeny Leonov Yevgeny Pavlovich Leonov (; 2 September 1926 – 29 January 1994) was a Soviet and Russian actor who played main parts in several of the most famous Soviet films, such as '' Gentlemen of Fortune'', '' Mimino'' and '' Striped Trip''. Called "one ...

as ''King'' * Irina Popova * Ivan Ryzhov * Natalya Sayko *

Irina Skobtseva Irina Konstantinovna Skobtseva (; 22 August 1927 – 20 October 2020) was a Soviet and Russian actress and second wife of Sergei Bondarchuk. Biography Irina Konstantinovna Skobtseva was born on 22 August 1927 in Tula. Her father was a research ...

* Veriko Verulashvili

References

External links

* 1973 films 1970s adventure films Soviet adventure films 1970s Russian-language films Russian-language adventure films 1970s adventure comedy films Soviet adventure comedy films Mosfilm films Films directed by Georgiy Daneliya Films based on Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 1970s Soviet films {{1970s-adventure-film-stub

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links