A special place among the comedies of the Soviet period is occupied by the picture "Hello, I am your aunt." Actors and the director of the project for the first time in the history of Soviet cinema turned to the comic technique of dressing a man into a woman, and also joked in the frame on very piquant topics. Which Soviet actors decided on such experiments and what famous names were part of the crew?
Film crew
The director of the immortal comedy about Donna Rose from Brazil was Victor Titov. Titov during his long career created more than one wonderful film: “Vacation at his own expense” with Igor Kostolevsky in the title role; "Quadrille", which starred Lyubov Polishchuk and Oleg Tabakov. And, of course, the comedy "Hello, I'm Your Aunt" can rightfully be considered the best film of a director.
The script for the film was also written by Titov, revising the play Charlie's Aunt by Brandon Thomas. The cinema company “Ekran” supervised the project.
Behind the camera was Georgy Rerberg, who also shot the films “Uncle Vanya” by Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky and “12 Chairs” by Mark Zakharov. The music for the eccentric comedy was written by Vladislav Kazenin, who usually worked on musical accompaniment for cartoons ("Burenushka", "Forest Tales").
In the cast of the picture “Hello, I am your aunt”, the actors selected quite famous: Alexander Kalyagin, Mikhail Kozakov and many other stars of the Soviet screen.
Short story
The actors of the film “Hello, I am Your Aunt” play an absurd but funny story for 98 minutes, in the center of which is poor fellow Babs Baberley.
Babs is an unemployed person who roams the streets. Soon after Babs cops are tied. Hiding from them, he disguises himself as a woman and breaks into Jackie Chesney's house. Just at this moment, Jackie and his friend Charlie are expecting from Brazil the aunt of the latter - Donna Rosa.
By mistake, friends take Babs for the very Brazilian billionaire. But even when the truth is revealed, Jackie and Charlie are not going to let Baberley go for free, because by all means they need to introduce Donna Rosa to her family, who should contribute to her young friends in one juicy affair.
Jackie is annoyed, but he comes up with the idea of ​​dressing Baberley with a woman and betraying Charlie for the visiting aunt. Controlling Baberley, Jackie hopes to solve a number of family issues in his favor. Only now no one is thinking at this moment about the possible consequences of such a "joke."
“Hello, I am your aunt”: actors. Photo and biography of Alexander Kalyagin
The main role in the comedy of V. Titov went to the famous Soviet actor - Alexander Kalyagin. Kalyagin at that time had already starred in 10 films, however, he had never been assigned the role of central characters. The comedy “Hello, I am your aunt”, whose actors woke up famous after the premiere, instantly brought Kalyagin to the category of the most popular domestic artists.
The character Babs Baberley performed by
Alexander Kalyagin looks extremely charming and comical. His sayings immediately flew into aphorisms: “I will kiss you. Then. If you want, "" Don Pedro, oh! It was such a man "and many other phrases. Of course, you need to pay tribute to the work of the screenwriter, but if Kalyagin did not voice this text with such irony and comicism, then many phrases could go unnoticed by the viewer.
After the main role in the comedy of V. Titov, Kalyagin got many more central roles: in the film adaptation “The Unfinished Piece for the Mechanical Piano”, in the film “Faithfully and True”, in the television series “Poor Nastya” and the comedy “Rud and Sam”.
“Hello, I am your aunt”: actors and roles. Tamara Nosova
Tamara Nosova is a well-known comic actress, whose career flourished in the 50s. last century. Then Tamara captivated the audience with her charming characters from the "Examiner" by Vladimir Petrov, "Carnival Night" by Eldar Ryazanov and the fairy tale "Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors".
In the film “Hello, I am your aunt”, most of the actors appeared in their roles, but Nosova went beyond the usual on-screen image. Never before has Tamara Makarovna played seductive beauties. But in the comedy “Hello, I'm Your Aunt”, she had the opportunity: the actress got the role of the charming Brazilian millionaire, a real aunt Charlie Wakeham. Nosova paced in the frame in a magnificent suit and favorably accepted the courtship of the men who were battled on the spot.
At that time, the screen career of the artist was already on the decline. Nosova played her last role in the cinema in 1999 in the movie almanac "Are you kidding me?"
Tatyana Vedeneeva as Ella
In the comedy “Hello, I’m Your Aunt,” the cast was not without the recognized beauty of Soviet cinema - Tatyana Vedeneeva. The girl got the role of Ella - a pupil of Donna Rosa. It is the beauty of Ella who falls in love with the main character - Babs Baberley. Babs' love is both comic and tragic at the same time, because he can never be near his object of sighing.
The role of Tatyana Vedeneeva is laconic and, one might say, episodic. But the actress was lucky in 1973, when she was invited as a student right away to the main role in the film adaptation of Shakespeare's work “Much Ado About Nothing”. Then the actress’s partners on the set were
Galina Loginova and Konstantin Raikin.
A little later, the girl starred in such films as “Police Sergeant”, “Hello, Doctor”, “We Didn’t Pass This”. Since 2000, the actress often appears on Russian television as a host of programs.
Valentine Gaft as Brasset
The film "Hello, I'm Your Aunt," the actors and roles in which won the hearts of the audience, has become one of the most successful screen works by Valentin Gaft.
Gaft has been acting in films since 1956. The number of films with his participation cannot be counted. He collaborated with the most famous Russian and Soviet directors: with Eldar Ryazanov on the set of "Old Nags" and "Garage", with Tatyana Lioznova on the set of "Seventeen Moments of Spring", with Konstantin Bromberg in "The Enchanters", with Peter Todorovsky on the set of " Anchor, another anchor! ”
In the comedy of V. Titov, Gaft got the role of the butler of Brasset. The lackey's equanimity, as well as his propensity for alcoholism amuse the viewer throughout the film. And although the character appears in the frame not so often, his image turned out to be quite “voluminous” and integral.
Valentin Gaft is actively filming in our days, despite the fact that he was 80 years old. In 2015, the film with the participation of the actor “The Milky Way” was released, in 2011 Gaft played Mendel Gersh in a criminal film dedicated to the biography of Mishka Yaponchik.
Oleg Shklovsky as Jackie Chesney
The actors who played in the film “Hello, I Am Your Aunt,” became widely known among the Soviet audience. Not an exception and Oleg Shklovsky. Before filming in Viktor Titov’s comedy, Oleg starred in only three films: “His Island”, “The Hound of the Baskervilles” and “The Courtesy Visit”. But after the release of “Hello, I am Your Aunt”, where the actor played the sly Jackie Chesney, Shklovsky began to appear in films much more often.
In the 75th, the actor takes part in the filming of the television play “Twelfth Night,” and in the 85th he plays an episodic role in the film “Winter Evening in Gagra”. A larger role went to Shklovsky in the famous gangster comedy Deja Vu. One of the last known works of the actor is the role of George Uryadov in the long-playing soap “Do not be born beautiful”.
As for Shklovsky’s work in Titov’s comedy, his character Jackie Chesney is cunning and selfish. He is ready to pass off the unknown rogue as a billionaire, fooling his father and everyone around, if only to achieve his hidden goals. Moreover, the young man does not even care about the consequences of his tricks.
Mikhail Kozakov as Francis Chesney
Francis Chesney is one of the most colorful characters in the picture "Hello, I am your aunt." The name of the actor who played the retired colonel is Mikhail Kozakov.
Mikhail Kozakov is not only a famous Soviet actor (Eugene Grande), but also a talented director (Pokrovsky Gate). His character Francis Chesney is an elderly womanizer, who also went bankrupt. In order to continue to lead a rambling lifestyle familiar to him, Colonel Francis is ready to look after the disgusting Don Rose, whom Babs Baberley pretends to be.
The most memorable phrase of Colonel Chesney: "I am an old soldier, and I do not know words of love ...". Of course, at the end of the film, the colonel will be very disappointed when he finds out that he was courting the wrong lady, and what a "lady" it was.
Mikhail Lyubesnov as Charlie
The role of the weakly characterized and fearful Charlie - the nephew of Donna Rosa - went to actor Mikhail Lyubeznov. Unfortunately, Lyubesnov died early and there are only four films in his filmography: “Cross the Threshold” by Richard Viktorov, “A Man in His Place” by Alexei Sakharov, the eccentric comedy of Viktor Titov and the comedy drama of his own production “Adam Marries Eve”.
Other role performers
But this does not end the list of celebrities who took part in the filming of the film.
The role of the bride Charlie Annie was performed by Tatyana Vasilyeva (“The most charming and attractive”, “Waiting for a miracle”). For the actress, this was one of the first works in the movie. Since then, the popularity of Vasilyeva has grown significantly. She is the owner of the Nika, Golden Aries, and the prize of the Kinotavr festival for her work in the cinema.
Actress Galina Orlova played Annie's girlfriend and Jackie Chesney's lover - Betty. Galina Orlova is not as impressive an filmography as her colleagues: only 13 films. "Hello, I am your aunt" - the most famous of all the works of the actress.
Also in the episodes eccentric Armen Dzhigarkhanyan appeared. This time he got the role of an avid judge, who by hook or by crook is trying to seduce the "fake" millionaire performed by Alexander Kalyagin. Dzhigarkhanyan, as well as always, looks bright and interesting in the frame. And his character sprinkles aphorisms: "Bastard! Call the lady sir!", "She loves a drink. We must take advantage of this."
The filmography of Dzhigarkhanyan has more than a hundred films, but his role in the comedy of V. Titov can rightfully be considered one of the best in the piggy bank of the actor.