Бриллиантовая рука (The Diamond Arm) is one of the most popular comedy films from the Soviet era. Produced by Mosfilm Studios and directed by Леонид Гайдай (Leonid Gaidai) in 1968, the film stars several famous actors, including Yuri Nikulin, Andrei Mironov, and Nina Grebeshkova.
The Premise
The film tells the story of a smuggler attempting to illegally transport jewelry from Turkey to the Soviet Union. The plan is to hide the jewels in a plaster cast on the arm of a courier. However, after a mix-up, the cast ends up on an unsuspecting, honest Soviet citizen who eventually discovers the fraud. He then reports it to the police.
Censorship
Filming was far from easy. It all began with the script being censored due to the portrayal of the police as too passive, as well as scenes involving drunkenness and prostitutes. In short, almost everything had to be rewritten.
How the Film was Saved
To preserve the original script, Leonid Gaidai used a clever trick: he added a scene of a nuclear explosion at sea at the end of the film and told the censors he was willing to cut any scene - except that one. When asked why he needed it, he replied:
“Неужели вы забыли о сложнейшей международной обстановке? Империализм размахивает ядерной дубиной!”
(Have you forgotten about the complicated international situation? The Imperialism brandishing its nuclear stick!)
The commission agreed to approve the film as long as the nuclear explosion scene was removed.
Watch the film here:
