The vaudeville "The Straw Hat" was written by French playwrights Eugene Labisch and Marc Michel in the mid-19th century. It was at this time that the vaudeville genre - light, musical, unobtrusive, not oppressive by philosophical reflections - became widespread in Europe and was very popular among theater-goers. The main audience of the productions at that time was a new social class - the bourgeois, who did not have a high education and taste, and spent the main time on making money, which were considered the only element of significance in society.
Plot
The play “Straw Hat” (or “Hat from Italian Straws” in literal translation from French) fits perfectly into a number of works created at that time. There is not a single good character in it, and the plot is simple and banal. The protagonist is an alien named Fadinar. He decided to improve his financial situation at the expense of the dowry, which was given to his daughter by the provincial rich man, farmer Nonakura. The groom, giving orders to the servant to prepare the estate for the planned celebration, saddled his beloved horse and went to meet the cavalcade of provincial relatives accompanying the beautiful young Elena. However, at the entrance of the wedding ceremony to the city, Fadinar leaves her in order to check whether everything is ready in the house to receive guests.
His path runs through the park, in which lovers decided to retire - Madame Bopertuy and Lieutenant Emile Tavernier. The horse of the protagonist picks up Madame's headdress cast off in a fit of passion. When it is discovered, the straw hat is almost eaten. The lady and her gentleman are occupying the house of Fadinar with a demand to compensate for the loss, because the jealous husband of Bopertuy will not forgive his wife for betrayal, which could well be guessed by the lack of a hat. From this begins the misadventures of the hero, who, being a true Frenchman, cannot allow such a confusion for the lady and agrees to the conditions set.
However, finding the exact same hat is not so simple. During the search, many unexpected meetings and events occur, and they end when, among the wedding gifts, exactly what Fadinar needs is a straw hat. The
comedy finale
in French is happy - Fadinar married the beautiful Elena and got her millions, but the fooled Monsieur Bopertuy never found out about the betrayal of his wife.
Film adaptation
Vaudeville was filmed 6 times: three times in France (in 1910, 1927 and 1940), in Germany in 1939, in Czechoslovakia in 1971 and in the Soviet Union at the Lenfilm film studio. The film was directed by Leonid Kvinikhidze. On December 31, 1974, the two-part film “The Straw Hat” was released. The actors involved in the film were popular and loved by many. Roles played: Andrei Mironov (Fadinar), Ekaterina Vasilyeva (Madame Bopertui), Igor Kvasha (Lieutenant Emil Tavernier), Lyudmila Gruchenko, Efim Kopelyan, Mikhail Kazakov, Zinovy Gerdt, Alisa Freindlikh and many, many others.
The role of Fadinar became take-off and decisive in the fate of Andrei Mironov. It was because of his participation in this picture that he was denied the role of Zhenya Lukashin (“The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath”), which was subsequently played by Andrei Myagkov. However, shots from the Straw Hat with Mironov’s participation can be seen on the television in the apartment of Nadezhda. Before the appearance of Irony , this film was the most favorite among the films watched on New Year's Eve , and the straw hat was the most popular headdress. Photos of actors in the image of vaudeville heroes were very popular, and the film itself was literally parsed into phrases. Songs performed by Andrei Mironov and Lyudmila Gurchenko are not only recognizable, but also loved, and still popular.