Director Eldar Ryazanov was an uncomfortable, outspoken and uncompromising person. The teacher hated the manifestations of rudeness, neglect and lost patience due to the slightest injustice. “I am an impulsive person and in these moments I become uncontrollable,” Eldar Aleksandrovich complained. Ryazanov did not know how to hide the insult, he did not understand when it was advantageous to be silent or to agree. The cinematographer was considered a brawler and a cunning, although he only fought for justice.
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In the fall of 1972 Eldar Ryazanov went to Jurmala, to the famous House of Creativity in Dubulti. Screenwriter Emil Braginsky secured a scriptwriter booking ticket for the director. Ryazanov missed the start of the race: he arrived a week late. The cinematographer warned House of Creativity management ahead of time that he would be late, so he didn’t bother to settle in. Meanwhile, when he finally arrived, no free room was found for him. Eldar Alexandrovich settled in a closed room on the sixth floor. Later, Ryazanov learned that the rooms of the nine-story House of Creativity had been distributed by the director depending on the location and location of the writer, while there was no difference between the apartments.
“The unwritten tradition, which was sacredly observed, said: the higher the plane, the greater the authority of the writer, or, conversely, the greater the authority, the greater the life of the writer. The house is located on a narrow isthmus, at the point where the Lielupe River comes closest to the Gulf of Riga. Thus, from the upper floors of the building there is a magnificent view of the sea and the river at the same time. Since the house was located among tall pine trees, the treetops covered the windows up to the sixth or seventh floor. And further down, the landscape became less attractive. On the lower floors, the windows simply rested on the green needles of the pines, “said Eldar Alexandrovich.
The morning after his arrival, Eldar Ryazanov wanted to take a shower to freshen up after a 40-minute ride along the Gulf of Riga. The makeshift room did not have a bathroom, so the director had to use the sink in the maid’s bathroom. With him the director brought an electric razor, which he could not use due to a lack of sockets. The only electrical outlet available was in the hall, under the piano. To get there, the director had to get on all fours and crawl under the musical instrument. The lack of basic services infuriated Eldar Ryazanov. He grabbed a razor and ran to the manager. When Ryazanov broke into the office, a meeting was held there – all the staff of the institution were present.
“Paying no attention to anyone, I went to the electrical outlet, unplugged the cord from the table lamp, plugged in the electric razor and started shaving as if nothing had happened. The meeting was silent. In the silence, my household electric razor could clearly be heard humming, ”recalled the director.
Ryazanov’s initiative was a success. A few hours after the meeting scene, a comfortable room was found on the fifth floor.
Five years later, when Eldar Riazanov back in Dubulti, the vengeful manager made him sit on the third floor. The director didn’t complain, he went where he was ordered. Meanwhile, Ryazanov believed that he should have lived on at least the sixth floor. At that time, he was already a member of the Writers’ Union, winner of the State Prize of the USSR and popular artist of the RSFSR.
