45 years later: Unseen scenes from the film "Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears"

**45 years later: Unseen footage from the film "Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears"**

The melodrama "Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears", filmed by Vladimir Menshov based on the script by Valentin Chernykh, is 45 years old, but it still remains one of the most beloved films. In the year of its release, the film took second place after the militant "Pirates of the 20th Century". The picture was also a great success abroad, winning the Oscar and other prestigious awards.

Nevertheless, some scenes from this popular film were shortened at the request of the artistic council, and some plot lines in the script were changed during the filming.

**The Electrician with Sherlock Holmes Abilities**

One of the strangest episodes in the film is the search for Gosha (Alexey Batalov) by the husband of the main character's friend, electrician Nikolai (Boris Smorchkov).

According to the plot, Katerina, played by Vera Alentova, is depressed after Gosha leaves home. Her friends and daughter support her. Nikolai, unable to bear the tears of women, sets off in search of Gosha. In the very next frame, he finds the right person in a multi-millionaire Moscow in a matter of minutes and knocks on the door of his apartment.

The extraordinary deductive abilities of electrician Nikolai can be considered the author's artistic texture. But this is the result of the reduction of the picture. The fact is that initially there was another character in the film - a KGB officer. According to the authors' idea, he had a romantic relationship with the main character's friend Lyudmila (Irina Muravyova). Even the scene where he takes his suit from the dry cleaners and makes a meaningful look at Lyudochka has been preserved.

It is this man who, using his business connections, finds out Gosha's last name and address in a matter of minutes. In addition, he gives Nikolai instructions on how to properly structure a conversation in order to reconcile the main characters.

**The Drunk Hockey Player**

The hero of the film who suffered the most from the changes made to the script was Lyudmila's ex-husband, Sergey Gurin (Alexander Fatyushin). Once a promising hockey player, Gurin gradually turns to alcohol, losing first his fame, then his beloved woman. Only towards the end of the film does he embark on the path of recovery and begin coaching. However, according to the original idea, the fate of this hero was supposed to be much different.

In order to reduce the running time, the match against the Swedes at the Luzhniki sports complex, where Gurin was supposed to become the star of the match, was removed from the film. In fact, Lyudmila would have achieved her goal and married a famous athlete. However, to Fatyushin's great disappointment, this scene, in which her hero triumphs, was cut out of the film.

The final episode with Gurin was also reworked. Instead of appearing in a suit and trousers, the former hockey player was supposed to arrive at the Buyanovs' dacha drunk, accompanied by a bottle companion. Goskino could not allow the Soviet athlete to be so humiliated. After all, it was about a member of the national team, albeit a fake one.

**Unsung Song**

Nikolai's conversation with Gosha, who had become addicted to alcohol and withdrawn, could have been a little longer. The name of the airline that the terrorists hijacked was removed. It was about Air France, but for some reason it was decided not to mention the French carrier. Also, after cleaning the bream, the heroes were supposed to sing the song "A Young Cossack Walked Along the Don." But there were more important scenes in the already long film, so the scene of drunken singing in a communal apartment had to be abandoned.

**Soviet sovity**

In the second part of the film, Katya is not only a single mother and director of a large chemical plant, but also a deputy of the Moscow City Council. Like every official, she must communicate with the people from time to time. However, the scene of receiving voters in the deputy's chamber seemed too boring to Menshov, and he removed this scene.

Instead, the director sends his heroine to a dating club. There, the club director Olga Pavlovna (played by Liya Akhedzhakova) envies Katerina and praises a worthy groom - a responsible employee of the department, who is only 53 years old. But her attempt is in vain.

**A festival instead of a party**

Lyudochka comes to Moscow with one goal: to find herself a wealthy husband. This energetic girl pursues her goal resolutely. At one point, she manages to get an invitation for herself and Katya to a party at the Argentine embassy.

This plot line is missing from the released version of the film. Instead of the embassy, the girls go to a French film festival, and they stare not at foreign diplomats, but at Soviet stars - Yumatov, Konyukhova and Smoktunovsky.