Irony of Fate
Film poster
Directed by	Eldar Ryazanov
Written by	Emil Braginsky Eldar Ryazanov
Starring	Andrei Myagkov Barbara Brylska Yuri Yakovlev
Cinematography	Vladimir Nakhabtsev
Editing by	Valeriya Belova
Release date(s)	1975
Running time	192 min
Language	Russian
IMDb profile

Irony of Fate (original title: Ирония судьбы, или С лёгким паром!, in transcription: Ironiya Sudby ili S Lyogkim Parom) is a Soviet comedy-drama directed by Eldar Ryazanov. The screenplay was written by Emil Braginsky and Ryazanov, and the movie was filmed in 1975 at Mosfilm. The film is traditionally shown on Russian TV every New Year's Eve and is as warmly viewed every year as the American film “It’s a Wonderful Life” is during the Christmas holidays. Many phrases from the film have become catch phrases in Russian. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 393 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (984 × 1500 pixel, file size: 1. ... The cover of Ryazanovs memoir book Unsummarized conclusions Eldar Aleksandrovich Ryazanov (Russian: ); b. ... Emil (Emmanuel) Veniaminovich Braginsky (Russian: ) (November 19, 1921 - May 26, 1998) was a Soviet/Russian writer and actor. ... The cover of Ryazanovs memoir book Unsummarized conclusions Eldar Aleksandrovich Ryazanov (Russian: ); b. ... Barbara Brylska (born June 5, 1941 in Skotniki, Poland) is a Polish actress. ... Yury Vasilyevich Yakovlev (born April 25, 1928 in Moscow) was one of the most popular and critically acclaimed Soviet film actors. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Soviet redirects here. ... Comedy has a classical meaning (comical theatre) and a popular one (the use of humour with an intent to provoke laughter in general). ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... The cover of Ryazanovs memoir book Unsummarized conclusions Eldar Aleksandrovich Ryazanov (Russian: ); b. ... Emil (Emmanuel) Veniaminovich Braginsky (Russian: ) (November 19, 1921 - May 26, 1998) was a Soviet/Russian writer and actor. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Mosfilm logo was the Statue of the Worker and Kolkhoznitsa at VDNKh Mosfilm film studio (in Cyrillic, Мосфи́льм) is often described as the largest and oldest in Russia and in Europe. ... The New Year is an event that happens when a culture celebrates the end of one year and the beginning of the next year. ... A catch phrase is a phrase or expression that is popularized, usually through repeated use, by a real person or fictional character. ...

The term "Irony of Fate" refers to gods toying with the lives of mortals. The second title, "S lyokhkim parom!" (literally something like "Here's to your light steam!") is an idiomatic expression used to compliment somebody who has just come out of the shower, the banya, or the bathtub ("lyokhkij par" translates to "light steam"). Irony, from the Greek εἴρων (iron), is a literary or rhetorical device made of iron, in which there is a gap or incongruity between what a speaker or a writer says, and what is generally understood (either at the time, or in the later context of history). ... A banya (Russian баня), is a Russian steam bath, similar to a Finnish sauna. ...

A large part of the plot revolves around what some perceive as the soullessness of Brezhnev era architecture. Leonid Brezhnev. ...

The score to the film was composed by Mikael Tariverdiyev. Mikael Tariverdiyev August 15, 1931 in Tblisi, Georgia - June 24, 1996 in Sochi, Russia )was a critically acclaimed Georgian film score composer and musician who worked extensively in the Cinema of Russia. ...

The story

Some friends meet at a banya in Moscow to celebrate New Year's Eve (Russian: Новогодняя Ночь, Novogodnyaya Noch). All of them get very drunk, and two of them, including the main character, Zhenya (Andrei Myagkov), pass out. The others forget which of their unconscious friends was meant to be catching a plane to Leningrad, and so Zhenya is put on the plane by accident instead of his friend. He wakes up at Leningrad airport, believing he is still in Moscow. He gets into a taxi and gives the driver his address. It turns out that there exists a street in Leningrad with the same name, and a building which looks exactly like Zhenya's. The key fits in the door of the apartment, and even the layout of the apartment is the same. Zhenya is too drunk to notice any differences, and goes to sleep. Later, Nadya (Barbara Brylska), who lives in the apartment, comes home and finds a man she has never met before asleep in her bed. To make things worse, Nadya's fiance, Ippolit (Yuri Yakovlev), arrives before Nadya can convince Zhenya to wake up and leave. Zhenya desperately tries to get back to Moscow in time to spend New Year's Eve with his own fiancee, and Nadya wants to get him out as fast as possible, but unfortunately there are no flights to Moscow for some time. The plot starts out as a comedy, but later becomes more dramatic as it explores the developing relationship between Nadya and Zhenya, as well as their relationships with their fiancees. Initially, Nadya and Zhenya dislike each other intensely, but they eventually fall in love during the course of the movie. A sauna on Lake Vättern, in Karlsborg Municipality, Sweden. ... Location Position of Moscow in Europe Government Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Geographical characteristics Area  - City 1,081 km² Population  - City (2007)    - Density 10,469,000   9684. ... The quality of this article or section may be compromised by peacock terms. You can help Wikipedia by removing peacock terms. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and... Yury Vasilyevich Yakovlev (born April 25, 1928 in Moscow) was one of the most popular and critically acclaimed Soviet film actors. ...

VHS cover

An important note about the coincidence with the addresses: many street names are/were common to Soviet and now Russian cities (for example, Red October Street, Leninskaya, etc.). Many houses look identical, and even apartments look very much the same from the inside. Thus, e.g. nobody has to ask for directions to the toilet, because the toilet is always next to the kitchen, and knives are always in the same drawer in the same cupboard that was built in all apartments of a certain type. The fact that the key matches as well is probably a joke by the filmmakers, though many Soviet locks look very much the same. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

See also

• Microdistrict

Microdistrict, or microraion (Russian: ; Chinese: 小区; Pinyin: Xiǎoqū), is a residential compound—a primary structural element of the residential area construction used in the Soviet Union, other former Warsaw pact countries, and the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ...

External links

• Irony of Fate at the Internet Movie Database
• review at The New York Times
• Screenshots
• Trailer and Screenshots

Cinema of Russia Cinema of the Russian Empire (Pre 1917)  • Cinema of the Soviet Union (1917-1990)

Actorsʥ Animationʥ Directorsʥ Films A-Zʥ Chronology of filmsʥ Cinematographersʥ Composersʥ Editorsʥ Producersʥ Screenwritersʥ The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about motion pictures, actors, movie stars, TV shows, TV stars, production crew personnel, movie pictures, cast, crew as well as video games. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Russian Empire (1896-1917) The first films seen in Russia were via the Lumiere Brothers, in Moscow and St. ... The first films seen in the Russian Empire were via the Lumi̬re brothers, in Moscow and St. ... Soviet Cinema should not be used as a synonym for Russian Cinema. Although Russian language films predominated, several of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union contributed films reflecting elements of their pre-Soviet culture, language and history, although sometimes censored by the Central Government. ... 72 meters (2005) 9th Company (2005) Adventures of a Dentist (1965) The Adventures of Buratino (1959) Aelita (1924) Afghan Breakdown (1991) Afonya (1975) The Age of Innocence (1977) Alexander Nevsky (1938) Alexander Popov (1949) Alices Birthday (2007) The Alive and the Dead (1964) The Amphibian Man (Chelovek-Amfibiya) (1961...