''Woodpeckers Don't Get Headaches'' () is a 1974 Soviet romantic drama film directed by

Dinara Asanova Dinara Kuldashevna Asanova (; 24 October 1942 – 4 April 1985) was a Kyrgyz people, Kyrgyzstani-Soviet film director and one of the most notable and acclaimed female filmmakers of the late Soviet Union. She is best known for her films ''Woodpec ...

. The film tells the story of a 14-year-old drum playing schoolboy who can't find his place in life. During his summer vacation, he also experiences first love. It was the film acting debut of Elena Tsyplakova, who later became a famous actress and film director. The motion picture was also the first in the USSR, during the filming of which the technology flashing was used to control the color of the image.. The film premiered in the USSR on November 5, 1975. The film's title reflects the well-known fact that woodpeckers don't suffer from headaches, although they chisel a tree at a rate of 12,000 hits a day. For the discovery of the reasons why a woodpecker does not have a headache, American scientists Ivan Schwab and Philip Mayu from the University of California received the

Ig Nobel Prize The Ig Nobel Prize () is a satirical prize awarded annually since 1991 to promote public engagement with scientific research. Its aim is to "honor achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think." The name of the award is a ...

in 2006 - it turned out that this is due to the special structure of the skull in woodpeckers, in which the bones have a spongy structure and protect the brain from concussion during impacts.

Plot

This film is about a young teen drummer nicknamed "The Fly", who constantly lives in the shadow of his brother, a famous basketball player. The Fly's neighbors try to take away his drumkit, but it is saved by his neighbor violinist. Eventually, another neighbor manages to throw his drumkit out the window and break it, but The Fly recovers again and forms his own band. The Fly is also in love with a girl named Ira. They are friends, but get into arguments frequently. Ira lends The Fly a pebble talisman. One day, Ira lets slip that she only became interested in The Fly because of his brother, and they get into a fight. Soon after that, Ira's father gets a new posting, and she has to move with him to another city. However, before she leaves, she has a friend deliver a letter to The Fly apologizing for what said. The Fly rushes to the train station to give Ira back the talisman and say goodbye, but it's too late. The movie ends with The Fly running after the train.

Cast

Sasha Zhezlyaev Sacha, Sasha, or Sascha may refer to: People * Sasha (name), includes list of people with the name and the variants Sascha or Sacha Musicians * Sacha (singer), born Sacha Visagie, Canadian singer and songwriter * Sasha (DJ) (born 1969), born Alex ...

as Seva 'Fly' Muhin *

Elena Tsyplakova Elena may refer to: People * Elena (given name), including a list of people and characters with this name * Raymond Elena (1931-2024), French former professional racing cyclist. * Joan Ignasi Elena (born 1968), Catalan politician * Francine Ele ...

as Ira Fedorova (as Lena Tsyplakova) * Aleksandr Bogdanov as Leva 'Baton' Bulkin (as Sasha Bogdanov) *

Ira Obolskaya Ira or IRA may refer to: *Ira (name), a Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian or Finnish language personal name * Ira (surname), a rare Estonian family name; occurs in some other languages *Iran, UNDP code IRA Law and finance *Indian Reorganization Act of 19 ...

as Kapa Tararuhina * Denis Kozlov as Misha * Andrey Nikitin as Gavrila *

Yulia Shishkina Yulia () is a female given name, the equivalent of the Latin Julia. It can be spelled Yulia, Yulya, Julia, Julja, Julija, Yuliia, Yuliya, Juliya or İulia. An alternative spelling is Ioulia/Gioulia (Greek) or Iuliia. Prononciations can differ, depen ...

as Dasha (as Olya Shishkina) *

Yekaterina Vasilyeva Yekaterina Sergeyevna Vasilyeva (; born 15 August 1945 in Moscow) is a Soviet and Russian theater and film actress. She performed in more than ninety films since 1967. Vasilyeva was married to the late director Sergei Solovyov and playwright ...

as Tatyana Petrovna * Nikolay Grinko *

Tatyana Volkova Tatiana (or Tatianna, also romanized as Tatyana, Tatjana, Tatijana, etc.) is a female name of Sabine-Roman origin that became widespread in Eastern Europe. Origin Tatiana is a feminine, diminutive derivative of the Sabine—and later Latin� ...

as MukhinaНе болит голова у дятла (1975) Full Cast & Crew
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References

External links

* {{Dinara Asanova 1974 films 1970s Soviet films 1970s Russian-language films Soviet romantic drama films 1974 romantic drama films Lenfilm films Russian-language romantic drama films