''The Blonde Around the Corner'' () is a 1984 Soviet

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...

directed by

Vladimir Bortko Vladimir Vladimirovich Bortko (; born 7 May 1946) is a Russian film director, screenwriter, producer and politician. He was a member of the State Duma between 2011 and 2021, and was awarded the title of People's Artist of Russia. Biography Bort ...

. It tells the story of an astrophysicist who begins to work at a grocery store where he falls in love with a saleswoman. The film became Bortko's breakthrough.

Plot

Former astrophysicist Nikolai Gavrilovich ( Andrey Mironov) who spent fifteen years in a fruitless search for extraterrestrial life, neither aspiring or succeeding to acquire material wealth in life, by fate gets the post of a porter at a local self-service supermarket, where he falls in love with Nadezhda (

Tatyana Dogileva Tatyana Anatoliyevna Dogileva (; born 27 February 1957) is a Soviet and Russian film and stage actress, Meritorious Artist of Russia (1989), and People's Artist of Russia (2000). Biography Early life and education Dogileva was born on February ...

), a cute blonde salesgirl of the gastronomic department, whom as it turned out, he saw every morning at the bus stop. She is also fond of him. It is immediately obvious that the businesslike and living below her means Nadezhda is the antithesis of Nikolai — she is practical, penetrating, knows all the "right people" (and she herself is such — due to her access to coveted food products). But at the same time she is a hopeless romantic and listens to Nikolai's stories about his scientific quests. Charming Nadezhda as a salesperson is a genuine authority on the "real" life, to which she seeks to involve Nikolai, and sincerely does not understand his stubborn opposition towards her efforts. But she has decided everything and has all planned out. However, unable to cope with his new status and in such an atmosphere, Nikolai runs away from his own wedding. After receiving a positive confirmation concerning his line of research, he returns to his old job and is leaving for a research trip to the Far North ... Nadezhda promises to get a radio telescope which is required for her beau's work, but is very difficult to obtain, and goes along with him.

Cast

as Nadezhda, shopgirl * Andrey Mironov as Nikolay Gavrilovich Poryvaev, scientist-astronomer *

Mark Prudkin Mark Isaakovich Prudkin (; 13 September 1898 – 24 September 1994) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor. People's Artist of the USSR (1961). Hero of Socialist Labour (1989). Laureate of three Stalin Prizes (1946, 1947, 1949). Biograp ...

as Gavrila Maksimovich, Nikolay's father *

Yevgeniya Khanayeva Yevgeniya Nikandrovna Khanayeva (2 January 19218 November 1987) was a Soviet and Russian film and stage actress. People's Artist of the USSR (1987). Biography She was born in Bogorodsk to a famous opera singer, . Selected filmography * ''Mo ...

as Tatyana Vasilyevna, Nikolay's mother * Yelena Solovey as Regina, Nikolay's former bride * Anatoly Slivnikov as Gena 'Crocodile', Nadezhda's brother * Baadur Tsuladze as Rashid Rashidovich, head of meat department store *

Anatoly Ravikovich Anatoly Yuryevich Ravikovich (; December 24, 1936 – April 8, 2012) was a Soviet and Russian actor. He graduated from the Ostrovsky Leningrad Theatre Institute (later LGITMiK) in 1958, and started to work at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur drama thea ...

as store clerk *

Aleksei Zharkov Aleksei Dmitrievich Zharkov (; 27 March 1948 – 5 June 2016) was a Soviet and Russian film and theater actor. He was a People's Artist of Russia (1994). Biography Aleksei Dmitrievich Zharkov was born on March 27, 1948, in Moscow. In 1960, the d ...

as store clerk (voice by

Yevgeny Kindinov Yevgeny Arsenievich Kindinov (, born 24 May 1945 in Moscow) is a Russian theatre and film actor. He spent his entire professional career at the Moscow Art Theatre, and, after the theater was split in 1987, at the Chekhov Moscow Art Theatre. He is ...

) *

Pavel Kadochnikov Pavel Petrovich Kadochnikov (; – 2 May 1988) was a Soviet and Russian actor, film director, screenwriter and pedagogue. He was named People's Artist of the USSR in 1979 and Hero of Socialist Labour in 1985. Biography Pavel Kadochnikov was ...

as Ogurtsov, scientist-astronomer, Nikolay's chief (voice by

Igor Efimov Igor Markovich Yefimov or Igor Efimov (Russian: И́горь Ма́ркович Ефи́мов; August 8, 1937 – August 12, 2020) was an American philosopher, historian, writer and publisher of Russian origin. Some of his works were published und ...

)

References

External links

1984 romantic comedy films 1984 films Films directed by Vladimir Bortko 1980s Soviet films 1980s Russian-language films Soviet romantic comedy films Russian-language romantic comedy films {{1980s-romantic-comedy-film-stub