The Inspector-General | |
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Russian: Ревизор | |
Directed by | Vladimir Petrov |
Written by |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | Yuri Yekelchik |
Music by | Nikolai Timofeyev |
Release date |
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Country | Soviet Union |
The Inspector-General (Russian: Ревизор) is a 1952 Soviet crime comedy film directed by Vladimir Petrov.[1][2][3]
The film is based on the play The Government Inspector by Nikolay Gogol.
The film closely follows the original text of Nikolai Gogol's satirical play The Government Inspector small provincial town, Mayor Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky (played by Yuri Tolubeev) informs his circle of local officials about a letter warning them of the imminent arrival of a government inspector traveling incognito. Two landowners, Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky, while dining at an inn, encounter a man named Khlestakov and mistakenly identify him as the inspector. They quickly convince others of their assumption.
The supposed inspector, Ivan Alexandrovich Khlestakov (played by Igor Gorbachev), is actually a low-level bureaucrat from St. Petersburg traveling to Saratov with his servant Osip (played by Alexei Gribov). Stranded in the town after losing his money in a card game, Khlestakov is unable to pay for his lodging or food. The mayor, believing Khlestakov to be an important official, invites him to tour the town's establishments, hosts a lavish feast in his honor, and later welcomes him into his home.
Drunk on the attention, Khlestakov realizes he has been mistaken for someone else. Embellishing his importance, he claims to be a friend of Alexander Pushkin and almost a field marshal. Taking advantage of his newfound status, Khlestakov begins courting both the mayor's wife and daughter and borrows over 1,000 rubles from the officials. He eventually promises to marry the mayor's daughter before abruptly leaving town. During a celebration for the engagement, the town's postmaster delivers a letter from Khlestakov, which reveals his true identity. As the officials are reeling from this revelation, a gendarme announces the arrival of the actual government inspector from St. Petersburg. The film concludes with the mayor and his officials frozen in shock and fear.