Yuri Detochkin - Robin Hood of the Soviet era

The legendary meter of Soviet cinema Eldar Ryazanov presented to his audience not one remarkable film. But, probably, one of the most beloved is the legendary comedy "Beware of the car".

Plot

In this picture Ryazanov tells the story of an unremarkable employee of the State Insurance Agency named Yuri Detochkin.

Despite the apparent dullness, he manages to live a double life. Day diligently working in the service, and at night steals cars. Soon his work was seriously interested in the police and the investigation commissioned the investigator Maxim Podberezovikov. Seeking a clever hijacker, the investigator does not even suspect that he is very close. After all, in his spare time, Maxim and Yuri play in the amateur theater. And in it recently decided to stage Shakespeare's play "Hamlet" and the main roles went to Detochkin and Podberezovikov. Working together over the performance, the hijacker and the investigator become friends. After some time, the investigator begins to suspect Detochkin and he manages to find evidence of his guilt. However, before arresting his friend, he decides to talk with him heart to heart. During the conversation, it turns out that Yuri hijacked cars only from swindlers, and the proceeds from their sale sent money to orphanages. Pitying his friend, Podberezovikov dismissed him and, hiding all the evidence, refused to conduct the case, but soon Detochkin was still under arrest. He is tried and sent to prison, but taking into account his noble deeds, the term is given less than is required in such cases. The film ends with Yuri returning home after the prison.

Who is Yuri Detochkin: the story of the appearance of the character

The idea to make a film about modern Robin Hood appeared in Ryazanov when he heard a legend about an unknown hijacker stealing cars from people living on money from bribes, unfair deals and other "unearned income". Interested in this story, the director made inquiries to the police, but this story did not find any real confirmation. However, Ryazanov still decided to make a film based on it. After writing the script with Emil Braginsky, he created an amazing character called Yuri Detochkin (photo from the film below).
The authors of the script almost from the very beginning decided to abandon the traditional image of the brave hero, who does not care about anything and who easily steals cars. Instead, they tried to make their Yuri Detochkin evoke twofold feelings: both convictions and sorrows. On the one hand, he is a criminal who systematically violates the law and deceives everyone, even his relatives. But on the other hand, this is a sincere, vulnerable person, incredibly resourceful and with a keen sense of justice. Every day, when faced with people using their position for personal enrichment, and suffering from such subjects themselves, at some point Yuri Detochkin decides to rebuff social injustice and by his own forces "punish" these bloodsuckers.

In the middle of the sixties, when the film "Beware of the car" was filmed, there was an unspoken tradition that the main positive hero should be an exemplary family man and serve as an example for imitation. However, Ryazanov and Braginsky decided to make their character more realistic and complex, as, as everyone knows, in most cases people actively enjoying the public good, rarely have strong families and children. In this connection, Detochkin's family became his mother and beloved woman in the film.

Yuri Detochkin: the actor who played it - Innokenty Smoktunovsky

At first the script of the film and the image of the protagonist were purposefully written under the popular actor of cinema and circus of Yuri Nikulin, which is why the hero was called Yuri (there are legends that it was Nikulin who gave Ryazanov the idea of this film). However, the circumstances developed in such a way that Nikulin could not take part in the filming, so he had to look for a replacement. Among the contenders for the role of a noble hijacker was Oleg Efremov, who later played in the film investigator and best friend Detochkin. As a result, the role was given to Innokenty Smoktunovsky. It was thanks to him that the image of the main character turned out to be so sincere and multilayered. Yuri Detochkin caused the spectator a whole range of feelings: empathy, empathy, pity, condemnation, fear, shame and many others. Thanks to the skill of this actor, his hero from the gallant cowboy, as was said in urban legends, turned into an ordinary tired intelligent man with an unsettled personal life, who can not adapt and get out.

Interestingly, to participate in the film, Innokenty at the insistence of the director surrendered to the rights and, although in many scenes involved understudy, the actor quite confidently felt behind the wheel.

It is worth saying that Innokenty Smoktunovsky a few years before this project played Hamlet in the television movie of the same name. So his Prince of Denmark in an amateur performance in the TV movie "Beware of the car" caused an easy "deja vu" effect from the audience.

Noteworthy facts about the TV movie "Beware of the car"

The name "Beware of the car" was given to the film later, the working title of this project was "Kicked the car" at first.

In addition to Smoktunovsky, the rights also had to pass to the actress Olga Aroseeva, who played the beloved protagonist. True, she had to drive a trolley.

Investigator Podberezovikov initially had to play Yuri Yakovlev, but, in the end, the role went to Efremov. To show how much his character loves the theater, in his office hung a portrait of Stanislavsky, instead of traditional portraits of the leaders.

The long-suffering car, which Yuri Detochkin tried to steal for so long, appeared in several other films. He was the "taxi to Dubrovka" in the "Diamond Arm" and a taxi in the television movie "Three Poplars at Plyushchikha" (it is noteworthy that in this picture the role of the driver was played by Oleg Efremov).

The protagonist of the painting gained such popularity that he was even put up a monument in Samara. Here Yury Detochkin (photo below) is depicted at the moment of his return after serving time in prison. Also, the name Detetnik is Moscow hijack museum, which opened at the beginning of two thousand.

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the release of the picture "Beware of the car". During this long period, much has changed in the lives of its viewers. That's only the problems that were raised in the film, remain all the same close. And today, many people secretly dream of the noble Robin Hood or Yuri Detochkin, who will come and punish the thieves and bribe-takers, and also return the stolen to honest people.