Kidnapping, Caucasian Style (1967) User Reviews

A Silly Movie with Plenty of Laughs

[RBGatHome · 8/10 · 20 July 2003]

This is a comedy that will keep a smile on your lips throughout. The actors do as fine a job as any slapstick comedians I have seen and the humor translates across generations. This is a film that is many things in one: a family film (nothing offensive here), a piece of historical culture (especially with its snide jokes about lazy, corrupt bureaucrats, which surely skated close to the censors in the old USSR -- but just as certainly resonated with the viewing public then and now), and a delightfully dated comedy complete with mid-60s music and hair.

I recommend viewing the DVD in the original Russian language, using subtitles if you do not understand Russian. The subtitles are not obtrusive, and to employ dubbing is to lose the wonderful vocal intonations and characterizations of the original actors.

This is a very good film, at least an 8 out of 10. Get a copy of the DVD and enjoy!

Exceptional comedy, for everyone

[rserrano · 8/10 · 16 August 2007]

Although CCS may not quite measure up to Gaidi's next offering, Diamond Arm, it is still a film that must be seen. Many reviewers have criticized these films as having too many "Russian inside jokes".As a non-Russian, I can't argue with this. But there is something much more universal here. Through the use of extraordinarily crisp dialog, pacing and an absolutely zany musical score, Gaidi has captured the quirky essence of humanity: the way we are fickle, selfish, lovable and blind to our own absurd behavior. These are some of the only movies that I would recommend watching with dubbed voices - it further adds to the wacky quality of the humor.

Finally, it is impossible to watch this movie and not adore Natalya Varley. She has a genuineness that grounds the whole film and makes you care about what's happening.

Captive audience

[hte-trasme · 8/10 · 9 March 2014]

He only appeared in a few films, but the idea seems to have been to make the "Shurik" character played by Aleksandr Demyanenko into a sort of Soviet version of classic recurring slapstick characters of the type of, most famously, Chaplin's "Little Tram" -- he shows up somewhere and the character remains the same but is placed in a new comedic story-line.

It works well, and this comedy benefits from being much more unifying than the previous Shurik film, "Operatsiya Y." He shows up and we're told that Shurik has arrived in the Caucasus in order to study folklore. We don't need to know anything more, but it does lead to a funny running gag, where everyone he meets forces on him way more alcohol than he can handle because he said he would be studying traditional toasts.

This movie is very funny, seeming to find just the right combination of classic old-fashioned slapstick, outright goofiness, and a good farcical plot. The story, which is based around a traditional Caucasion bride- kidnapping turning into a real kidnapping, is just enough to keep funny misunderstandings going, but not get in the way of good gags pr set pieces. There's also a lot of Central Asian local-color to be seen -- as part of the concept is taking the retiring city-boy Shurik and putting him in an interesting location -- and that's just interesting from any perspective.

Though Shurik is nominally the protagonist, a lot of the comedy show is stolen by the band of three villains (including one who has the only postwar Hitler moustache I've seen on anyone but Michael Jordan or Robert Mugabe) who channel the Three Stoges in their slapstick attempts to get things done.

Natalya Varley is a lot of fun to watch as she apparently invests her role with a superhuman amount of verve, and the two songs are both highly catchy. So on the whole this one's a winner, and just plain funny throughout.

One of the best Soviet movies

[bakadeika · 10/10 · 16 February 2005]

Ten without any doubts. An excellent example of Russian humour, the movie for all ages! I watched it many times (10 or so), but it never became boring for myself. Natalya Varley (Nina) is excellent in this film. Every film becomes funny if it is starring "the three": Nikulin Vitsin, Morgunov. But even considering this, "Kavkazskaya Plennitsa" is a piece of great play by them. I also like this film for the song: "A Song About Bears". You know, that the unofficial symbol of Russian people is the bear. Hear this song attentively. I think, that it is about Russian people.

The best decision for those, who don't speak Russian, is the movie in Russian with subtitles in your native language. But...Try to turn off the sound, I bet, that you shall easily understand the film even without it!

Farce of the Highest Order

[Cinemafou · 10/10 · 21 October 2009]

Perhaps you have seen "Divorce Italian Style", a classic example of delightful farce. With this Ruski gem, the laughs come even faster. It is set in the Caucasian mountains, and the spectacular scenery is a bonus. A trio of buffoons who often appeared together star in this film along with the "hero". A very beautiful young woman figures into the silly plot, and she becomes the kidnap victim. Complete nonsense ensues, and it is priceless. At times it looks like potential source material for Benny Hill. One of the buffoons stars as the "hero" in other excellent comedies and was a gifted circus clown (I forget his name, drat!). In this film the non-stop antics and gags, although clearly done on a very low budget, nonetheless work very well with a cast that is obviously having a jolly good time. Available with subtitles.

Soviet cinema goes completely - and delightfully - bonkers

[lee_eisenberg · 10/10 · 21 October 2015]

We think of Soviet cinema as very serious, but it turns out that there were in fact comedies in there. A hilarious example is Leonid Gayday's "Kavkazskaya plennitsa, ili Novye priklyuchenia Shurika" ("Kidnapping, Caucasian Style" in English). I interpreted it as a look at the challenges of trying to install the Soviet Union's centralized economy when there were these different cultures throughout the USSR, but it's the kind of zany slapstick that you'd think came from Hollywood (think "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World"). It appears that both the Eastern and Western Blocs had a penchant for over-the-top wackiness in the '60s.

I understand that this movie is a sequel to an earlier Gayday movie featuring Aleksandr Demyanenko as Shurik. If this one is any indication, then the original must be a laugh riot. You gotta love the antics of the Coward, Fool and Pro, and Nina is a real hottie. This must have been one fun movie to make, and I'm sure that you'll love it.

Probably the best Soviet comedy.

[ybelov-2 · 10/10 · 20 December 2003]

Probably the best Soviet comedy, loved by all Russians, be they now capitalists, communists, nationalists or whatever. Star actors of our cinema. Many lines have become sayings in Russian. The Caucasus of the Soviet times, gone forever... 10/10.

Great Comedy! A must see for everyone (who speaks Russian)

[_Sergey_ · 8/10 · 3 July 1999]

One of the best Russian (Former Soviet Union) comedies. Very light, funny and smart. I have watched it many times and had lots of good laugh. There is virtually no Russian who has not watched this good old classic comedy.

Excellent USSR movie!!!

[gunchap · 10/10 · 2 December 2005]

I't is one of the best motion pictures from that time(1950-1970). This movie represents very much of that time like the traditions, cheating, and the stealing, and not to forget the unforgettable atmosphere of these movies. watching this movie you can see how was the living in the USSR union. I found funny the scene where Shurik was riding on the donkey(at the end of the movie) on an asphalted road, the funny thing is that, that so good roads were hard to find in the USSR. i think that the crew who where searching the places where to film the movie where exhausted searching in the caucasus such a good road.

I would say that everyone who wants to see how lived the people in the USSR, should watch this movie. p.s. sorry for my poor English skills. :)

Silly but enjoyable

[SMalamud · 7/10 · 17 September 1999]

Not the best of Gaidai's creations, but still pretty good. Demyanenko was never much of an actor but he has exactly the kind of goodhearted-idiot look about himself to make his Shurik one of the favorite characters in Russian cinematography. Nikulin, Morgunov and Vitsin are back as the Keystone Kops-like trio of bumbling villains and they are quite funny, as always. Secondary characters of this musical comedy set in the Caucasus mountains are the exotic and colorful locals who are hysterical with their offbeat drinking toasts and fancy manner of speech. Once again, non-Russians won't get most of the ethnic humor (which is the best part of the movie - those toasts have become real classics), but the rest is just slapstick comedy, quite old by now, but I guess it was OK for the 60's. Very good music, especially Nina's "Polar Bears" song.

A really nice, good comedy.

[dumitru · 10/10 · 3 February 2004]

It's one of the best films I've ever seen. A really nice, good, old comedy. It's a real 10. Same good as "Operatziya Y"

A fact that not many people are aware of:

[AlienByChoice · 11 March 2002]

The opening scene was supposed to be: Morgunov appears besides a wall and writes a big "X" (pronounced 'h') on it. He then walks away and Nikulin steps into the frame and adds Y (pronounced 'u'), thus creating the beginning of a famous Russian curse... He then runs away, Vitzin approaches the wall and adds "DOZHESTVENNYI FILM", making it a phrase with a meaning similiar to "motion picture" in English. This scene was censored by the Communist Party officials. The film itself has a tremendously stupid plot, making it even funnier. 8/10

Broad comedy antics from Russia

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 15 February 2017]

KIDNAPPING, CAUCASIAN STYLE is another film featuring Aleksandr Demyanenko's geeky lead character Shurik. The whole plot of this one sees Shurik chasing the girl of his dreams, only to find out that she's involved with some local gangsters, so various comedy scenes ensue. You know the type of humour you'll see here: mistaken identities, slapstick, random interludes with donkeys, athletics, and the like. The acting is exaggerated and the actors mug through a lot of their scenes, but the direction is energetic and the soundtrack a good one that fits the action well. The comedy is quite silly but it did get me laughing a few times. It's perhaps not the funniest Russian comedy I've watched, but it provides an hour and a half of undemanding fun regardless.

Awesome

[chubarova · 10/10 · 9 January 2021]

This film is another example of great Soviet comedies. The plot, although it is a comedy, but at the same time it has an adventure part, which concerns the rescue of a girl from captivity. The humor is absolutely not vulgar and is suitable for all ages. Acting is better than all praise.

"Caucasian Prisoner Girl" Captivated Me

[pmoculp · 8/10 · 5 December 2020]

This film follows a Russian academic known as Shurik who is played by Alexander Demyanenko, whom is on a mission to record the fleeting folklore of the Caucus and ends up having to rescue a woman who's the victim of a Caucasian kidnapping plot. Produced in April 1, 1967 and directed by Leonid Gaidai, this film features a satirical portrayal of the antiquated tradition of bridal kidnapping within Caucasian cultures. As a novice in watching foreign films, "Caucasian Prisoner Girl" was an absolute treat to watch, with humor that can be appreciated regardless of the clinical filter that are subtitles. I would highly encourage anyone who likes film to give this movie a try.

Starting off with some critiques, this movie unfortunately doesn't do much in the way of character development. The main male character, while likeable, is gullible and naïve, without any real underlining values or motivations other than decency and a goal of rescuing a friendly acquaintance, Nina, played by Natalya Varley. This latter character and female main character, Nina, also could have been better developed. She does, however, brilliantly portray the "New Russian Woman", who is shown to be confident, capable, autonomous, and intelligent. While this film, like any, could have improved on areas, one doesn't have time to dwell on the short-comings due to the constant humor, drama, and action that's delivered on screen. Particularly funny in this movie is The Fool, a henchman in the bridal kidnapping played by Yuri Nikulin who along with his two accomplices, play out a hysterical string of failed attempts to deliver their captive to a local strongman bureaucrat.

This movie is a great time for any general audience, as it is a comedy, with much of the hilarity conveyed through physical scenes that don't rely on nuanced linguistic references like other foreign films. As mentioned before, bridal kidnappings were an antiquated custom at the time of this production, and so while this story shines some lights onto the "backwardness" of Caucasian society, it also downplays them by making it the center of a comedy, perpetrated clearly by the antagonist. Furthermore, Shurik portrays the "New Russian Man" here, which is a more nuanced and curious man, yet still courageous and moral when called to be. Shurik's early focus of the film is to find and record Caucasian folklore, and so this leading character signals that Caucasian folklore is something to be valued and respected. While some people might be turned off by the prospect of reading subtitles, you hardly notice them while enjoying scene after scene, and thus I would rate this movie 4 out of 5 stars.

Great!

[bikmanarik · 10/10 · 20 July 2022]

One of the best Russian comedies ever. The movie belongs to the classical golden era of Russian comedy. If you speak Russian- must watch this one.

Of the best comedies ever made in the world!

Everyone who grew during the Soviet period knows this film.

It is a kind of a movie that passes from generation to generation. Unfortunately, they do not make films like that anymore...

I cannot understand all the acclaim

[guisreis · 6/10 · 17 April 2021]

Highly overrated Soviet fantastic realism slapstick comedy. There are indeed a few nice gags, but the movie is mostly unfunny. Anyway, Natalya Varley's quite charming presence must be highlighted.