The Dog in the Manger (Russian: Собака на сене) is a 1978 Soviet musical film directed by Jan Frid, based on Lope de Vega's play of the same name.
Tropes featured in the film:
- Adaptational Nice Guy:
- In the play, Anarda tells Diana about Marcela's secret meetings with Teodoro because she is in love with Fabio who is in love with Marcela. Here, she has no romantic feelings for Fabio and tells Diana the truth to reassure the latter that there was no strange intruder or Stalker with a Crush in the house.
- In the play, when Marcela frantically tries to ask Tristan about why Teodoro dumped her so cruelly and suddenly, Tristan coldly tells her he knows nothing and is Just Following Orders. This scene is omitted in the movie, and Tristan, despite advising Teodoro earlier to fall out of love with Marcela, is clearly very angry about the callous way it was done.
- Adaptational Romance Downgrade: Happens twice, since the Love Dodecahedron of the play involves almost everyone and would have been extremely confusing on screen.
- In the play, Anarda is in love with Fabio and therefore jealous and vindictive towards Marcela, for whom Fabio pines. In the film, she has no romantic feelings for Fabio and is probably the nearest to All-Loving Heroine among the cast.
- Tristan never gets his Last-Minute Hookup with Dorotea and has no relationship with her whatsoever.
- Adaptational Timespan Change: In the play, Diana breaks up Tristan and Marcela for the second time immediately after her second Green-Eyed Epiphany. Here, at least a few hours pass between the two events.
- Diegetic Musical: Most of the songs are actually sung In-Universe:
- "Tristan's Advice" is sung by Tristan and Teodoro, with Tristan accompanying it on the lute. Teodoro is shown rubbing his ear after a particularly high note of Tristan's.
- Ricardo sings Diana a serenade when he comes to court her.
- Tristan sings bawdy couplets at the fair, and then another set of bawdy couplets with his drinking buddies.
- Anarda sings Diana a song to convince her that The Power of Love is impossible to overcome.
- Distant Duet:
- The Quarreling Song of Federico and Ricardo, where they sing of their different approaches to love and courtship, is sung while each of them is at his home, preparing to go and meet Diana.
- "Love, Why Are You Torturing Me?" is sung by Teodoro and Diana while they are in different parts of the house.
- Easily-Overheard Conversation: Tristan eavesdrops on several scenes, including Count Ludovico's talk with his manservant — even though Tristan isn't even part of Ludovico's household.
- Everything's Better with Sparkles: Diana spends a good deal of the movie in a glittery green dress
. - Eyepatch of Power: Invoked by Tristan. He borrows an eyepatch from one of his friends and puts it on when he pretends to be a hitman.
- Last-Second Word Swap: Tristan's "Couplets of the Drinking Buddies" invoke it, as the song's verses almost end in a Precision F-Strike only to proceed with a different word merely beginning with the same letters.
- Lyrical Dissonance: Marquis Ricardo sings Diana a serenade, but the music, to put it mildly, is not what one would expect in a love song.
- Maid and Maiden: Anarda is middle-aged and tries to advise young Diana on romantic matters, though Diana isn't always listening.
- Mal Mariée: In one of Tristan's bawdy couplets, an elderly cook has a young wife and is horribly jealous of her, certain she is having an affair with the kitchen boy.
- May–December Romance:
- Attempted by Count Federico with Diana (their actors were 50 and 35 respectively, and Federico's disdain of "those young men" shows that the difference is also present In-Universe).
- The trope's mocked in turn by Marquis Ricardo in the Quarreling Song with Federico, where Ricardo announces that elderly bridegrooms are ridiculous.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Diana's unlucky suitors are bombastic Large Ham Marquis Ricardo and mild-tempered Count Federico. Most of the time, they are even dressed accordingly.
- Silver Fox: Count Federico (who, incidentally, is much older than Diana or either of his rivals) believes that male beauty is a lot more visible in wrinkles and silver hair.
