The Garage (1980 film)


The Garage is a Soviet 1980 comedy film directed by Eldar Ryazanov. Based on a screenplay by Emil Braginsky.

Production

got the idea of the movie after he visited a meeting of the garage co-operative of the Mosfilm employees. Going to the meeting the director expected to spend about 30 minutes there, but it took him almost the whole day at the meeting. He returned in a state of shock. He was shocked by the way that the artists with a reputation of decent and intelligent people behaved themselves when they were faced with the fact that one of them would have to give up the garage. Even those members whose names were famous not only in the country but also worldwide resorted to insults and verbal offences in order not to be among the deprived ones. He also went through mental suffering from the fact that he did not stand up for those who lost their garages succumbing to the general sentiments.
His alter ego in the film is Professor Smirnovsky who sees the injustice of what is happening but does nothing about it.
As in all his movies, Eldar Ryazanov played an episodic role in "The Garage" as the head of the insect department who overslept the whole meeting and got the unfortunate lot in the end of the film.

Plot summary

An automotive highway is scheduled to be built through the territory of a garage cooperative. A special meeting of the cooperative takes place to reduce the number of garages. As all was already decided and arranged by the chairholder and the board, the decision is initially made until the member of the co op decide that the process was unfair. They argue with each other back and forth until late at night. Then one unexpected event happens - the meeting room's entrance has been locked by an anonymous member and the key is missing...

Cast http://2011.russiancinema.ru/index.php?e_dept_id=2&e_movie_id=1278 Энциклопедия отечественного кино