Director Eldar Ryazanov was an uncomfortable person – straightforward and uncompromising. The master hated manifestations of rudeness, neglect, and lost his temper because of the slightest injustice. “I am an impulsive person, and at such moments I become uncontrollable,” complained Eldar Aleksandrovich. Ryazanov did not know how to hide the insult, did not understand when it was beneficial to remain silent or assent. The cinematographer was considered a brawler and a smartass, although he only fought for justice.
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In the autumn of 1972, Eldar Ryazanov went to Jurmala, to the famous House of Creativity in Dubulti. Screenwriter Emil Braginsky secured a ticket to the writers’ reservation for the director. Ryazanov missed the start of the race – he arrived a week late. The cinematographer warned the leadership of the House of Creativity in advance that he would be late, so he did not worry regarding settling in. Meanwhile, when he finally arrived, no room was found for him. Eldar Alexandrovich was settled in a closed hall on the sixth floor. Later, Ryazanov learned that the rooms in the nine-story House of Creativity were distributed by the director depending on the position and position of the writer, while there was no difference between the apartments.
“The unwritten tradition, which was sacredly observed, said – the higher the floor, the higher the authority of the writer, or, conversely, the higher the authority, the higher the writer lives. <…> The house is located on a narrow isthmus, in the place where the Lielupe River comes closest to the Gulf of Riga. So, from the upper floors of the building offers a magnificent view of the sea and the river at the same time. Since the house was located among tall pines, the tops of the trees covered the windows up to the sixth or seventh floors. And the lower the landscape became less attractive. On the lower floors, the windows simply rested once morest the green needles of the pines, ”said Eldar Alexandrovich.
The morning following his arrival, Eldar Ryazanov wanted to take a shower to freshen up following a 40-minute run along the Gulf of Riga. The makeshift room didn’t have a bathroom, so the director had to use the sink in the maid’s restroom. With him, the filmmaker brought an electric razor, which he might not use due to the lack of sockets. The only electrical outlet available was in the hall, under the piano. To get to it, the director had to get down on all fours and crawl under the musical instrument. The lack of basic amenities infuriated Eldar Ryazanov. He grabbed a razor and ran to the director. When Ryazanov burst into the office, a meeting was being held there – all the staff of the institution were present.
“Paying no attention to anyone, I went to the outlet, unplugged the cord from the table lamp, plugged in the electric razor and began to shave as if nothing had happened. The meeting was silent. In the silence, you might clearly hear my domestic electric razor buzzing, ”recalled the filmmaker.
Ryazanov’s demarche was a success. Just a few hours following the meeting scene, he was found a cozy room on the fifth floor.
Five years later, when Eldar Ryazanov came to Dubulti once more, the vindictive director settled him on the third floor. The director did not grumble, drove to where he was ordered. Meanwhile, Ryazanov believed that he should live at least on the sixth floor. By that time, he was already a member of the Writers’ Union, a laureate of the USSR State Prize, and a People’s Artist of the RSFSR.
Photo source: Legion-media