Unbelievable Adventures of Italians in Russia (1974)

Невероятные приключения итальянцев в России

A dying grandmother reveals that a fortune is buried 'under the lion' in Leningrad, and half of Rome flies to the USSR to find it.

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Year
1974
Director
Eldar Ryazanov
Starring
Andrei Mironov, Ninetto Davoli, Antonia Santilli, Alighiero Noschese, Tano Cimarosa, Yevgeny Yevstigneyev
Genre
Comedy, Adventure
Running time
1 h 44 min
Language
Russian, English subtitles
Studio
Mosfilm

About the film

In a Rome hospital, an elderly Russian émigré tells her granddaughter that she hid her treasure under a lion in Leningrad. Unfortunately a doctor, a mafioso, two orderlies and a passer-by all overhear.

What follows is a Soviet-Italian chase comedy with planes landing on highways, a real lion in a flat, and stunts that still look dangerous today. Andrei Mironov plays the Soviet guide, who is not quite what he seems.

It is pure fun: big, silly and beautifully shot in Leningrad and Moscow.

Did you know?

  • It was a Soviet-Italian co-production with Dino De Laurentiis's company.
  • The lion, King, was a real pet who lived with a family in Baku.
  • Italian star Ninetto Davoli was best known for his roles in Pier Paolo Pasolini's films.

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