In anger, the director was terrible.
Eldar Ryazanov occupies a special place among famous Soviet directors. The filmmaker, thanks to his gentle disposition, has earned himself a reputation as a good-natured man. In fact, the director was not so patient and condescending.
There is a shocking episode in his biography, having learned about which, no one else will ever consider Eldar Alexandrovich a gentle person. The director did not let anyone offend himself and his paintings.
In 1972, Ryazanov completed filming of The Old Robbers.
The fate of the tape was discussed at a meeting in Goskino, where Mark Donskoy smashed it to smithereens. Moreover, he stated that the director himself was not enthusiastic about his offspring, which he allegedly told him before the meeting. But Eldar Aleksandrovich himself was not there, and therefore he could neither confirm nor refute the words of the people’s artist.
And yet, later, the provocative statement reached the director. Ryazanov was furious when he realized that Donskoy had decided to complicate the release of his project on the big screens. To prevent this, he went straight to his offender, whom he now considered an enemy.
Having met face to face with Donskoy, Ryazanov called him an old senile, talker and liar and forced him to write a letter to the minister with a public apology, which he then personally handed over to the reception.
“The Old Robbers” safely reached the mass audience, and the director regretted that he had forced Donskoy to repent. Later, the director admitted that he should have shown generosity and pretended that nothing had happened, but “the character turned out to be stronger.”
