A Man from the Boulevard des Capuchines
| A Man from the Boulevard des Capucines | |
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Original film poster
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| Directed by | Alla Surikova |
| Written by | Eduard Akopov |
| Starring |
Andrei Mironov Aleksandra Yakovleva Nikolai Karachentsov Oleg Tabakov Mikhail Boyarsky Igor Kvasha |
| Music by | Gennadi Gladkov |
| Cinematography | Grigori Belenky |
| Edited by | Inessa Brozhovskaya |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Sovexportfilm |
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Release date
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Running time
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99 min. |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Language | Russian |
A Man from the Boulevard des Capucines (Russian: Человек с бульвара Капуцинов, translit. Chelovek s bulvara Kaputsinov) is a Red Western comedy film of 1987 (Mosfilm production), with nods to silent film and the transforming power of celluloid.
It is particularly unusual in Soviet cinema for two reasons: first, it was directed by one of the few female Soviet directors of any stature, Alla Surikova, and second it was a rare post-modernist outing.
The film was the leader of Soviet distribution in 1987 and had 60 million viewers.
Mr. John First (Johnny) is a cinematographer traveling to Santa Carolina when he is stopped by a band of robbers, headed by Black Jack. Johnny is the only one who does not pull out a gun and fight during the midst of the action and is thus questioned by Black Jack as to why. He then takes the book which Johnny is so fervently looking through and ends up mistaking it for a Bible, until he notices that it contains several blank pages. Johnny explains that it is a book of World Cinema History. Black Jack quickly loses interest and rides away.
When Johnny arrives in Santa Carolina, he comes to the local bar, where a rowdy brawl is in progress. This is a quotidian occurrence, as it is how Harry, the owner of the bar, makes a living by making a few hundred a day from damage. Johnny befriends a cowboy named Billy upon entering, and, while watching the dancers, completely falls in love with one named Diana. Billy laughs at him and warns him that "the heart of Miss [Diana] Little is locked tighter than Fort Knox". When Johnny stands up and asks the crowd if anyone has a white sheet, it is but Diana who is in possession of one. What happens next shocks everyone including Diana. Johnny, in all his gentlemanly ways, comes up to Diana, and respectfully kisses her hand. To a girl used to nothing like that, Diana is so pleasantly appalled that she adds that she has two white sheets, and both of them belong to Johnny.
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Wikipedia