Thirty Three (film)

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Thirty Three (film)

Thirty Three is a 1965 Soviet comedy directed by Georgiy Daneliya. It satirizes life in the Khrushchev era and was banned by Soviet authorities for many years, only being allowed again during glasnost in the 1980s.

Plot
Travkin, a kind, everyday food chemist from a rural town, spends his days making new carbonated drinks and singing in a local choir. When it’s revealed that he has 33 teeth, he becomes a national celebrity. He is brought to Moscow to be studied by scientists, who speculate that the 33rd tooth might connect him to aliens from Mars. The sudden fame brings trouble: jealous rivals, flattery from some, and intrusive journalists. He shares a hotel room with a friendly diver on holiday as he tries to cope with his new life. He is chosen for a space mission to Mars via teleportation, but the ending reveals it was all a dream, and he returns to his quiet life with renewed joy.

Screening ban
The film was banned after protests from Yuri Gagarin, Alexei Leonov, and the Soviet ideologue Mikhail Suslov. One scene—a motorcade escort—was seen as a parody of a real cosmonaut event, which angered officials. Despite the ban, copies circulated and the film was watched illegally for years until the ban was lifted in the 1980s.

Cast (selected)
- Yevgeny Leonov as Ivan Travkin
- Nonna Mordyukova as Galina Pristyazhnyuk
- Lyubov Sergeyevna Sokolova as Travkin’s wife
- Viktor Avdyushko
- Saveliy Kramarov
- Inna Churikova
- Irina Skobtseva

Production details
Directed by Georgiy Daneliya. Written by Georgiy Daneliya, Valentin Yezhov, and Viktor Konetsky. Music by Andrei Petrov. Studio: Mosfilm. Release date: 22 April 1965. Running time: 77 minutes. Country: Soviet Union. Language: Russian.