Afonya1975

Afonya

Afonia

1975 · Soviet Union · 87 min

Director: Georgiy Daneliya
Screenplay: Alexander Borodyansky
Music: Mieczysław Weinberg
Cinematography: Sergei Vronsky
Production company: Mosfilm

Cast

Valentina Talyzina

Yevgeniya Simonova

Nina Maslova

Radner Muratov

Nina Ruslanova

Mikhail Svetin

What it is about

Afanasy «Afonya» Borshchov is a plumber in a Soviet city who spends more time avoiding work and drinking than fixing pipes. Between badly handled jobs, unreliable colleagues and his habit of introducing himself with foreign-sounding names to seem more interesting, his personal and working life grows more complicated. His carefree attitude brings him trouble at work and in his relationships, while he tries to find some meaning in his days.

How it was made

Afonya was produced by Mosfilm and directed by Georgi Danelia, from a screenplay by Alexander Borodyansky. It was shot in Yaroslavl. The story blends romantic comedy and drama and portrays jobs that were poorly paid on paper but in high demand in the USSR, such as plumbers and warehouse loaders, whose real income came largely from bribes. The score is by Mieczysław Weinberg and the cinematography by Sergei Vronsky. Leonid Kuravlyov plays the lead, alongside Yevgeniya Simonova, Nina Maslova and Yevgeny Leonov.

Reception and legacy

The film became the Soviet box office leader of 1975, with a total of about 62.2 million tickets sold. Its popularity owes much to its recognizable portrait of everyday Soviet life and to a protagonist whose scheming was tolerated, given how indispensable his trade was in that system. It is still cited as one of the most widely seen Soviet comedies of its decade.