Nobody expected popularity.
New Year’s films that were filmed in the Soviet Union are considered masterpieces. “Sorcerers” and “The Irony of Fate” are adored by millions. “Carnival Night” has remained at the peak of popularity for almost seven decades.
The song “Five Minutes,” performed by the brilliant Lyudmila Gurchenko, became the anthem of the holiday in Russia. But few people know that they didn’t even want to release Eldar Ryazanov’s comedy.
The film was shot in a hurry. They worked on it for only 5 months, which is an incredibly short time frame for the mid-fifties. There were difficulties with casting and budget overruns. At the test screening of “Carnival Night” the artistic council destroyed it.
They called her boring, gray, untalented. The higher authorities suggested that the director finish what he started and forget it like a bad dream. In order not to waste money completely in vain, the film was still shown – in the bustling days before the New Year.
The hope was that people busy preparing for the holiday would not notice the film at all. But Lenochka Krylova and the company suddenly experienced stunning success. The audience liked the simple story and became the main symbol of December.
