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1[[quoteright:217:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dostoyanie_9626.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:217:The Soviet cinematic poster]]
3''Property of the Republic'' (Dostoyanie respubliki, ''Достояние республики'') is a 1971 Soviet detective-adventure film set during the time of civil war in Russia and starring a pleiad of famous Russian actors led by Oleg Tabakov and Andrei Mironov.
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5In 1918, after the [[UsefulNotes/RedOctober Great October Revolution]], the collection of precious art objects that belonged to the Prince Tikhvinsky’s family and was to be passed to the government, is stolen. A young detective Makar Ovchinnikov (played by [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oleg_Tabakov Oleg Tabakov]]) is charged with the job of finding it. Makar discovers that the treasure has been stolen by the former Tikhvinsky’s steward Tarakanov. Meanwhile, Tarakanov turns to a former fencing teacher of the Tikhvinskys’ family, an adventurer nicknamed Marquis (played by [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Mironov_(actor) Andrei Mironov]]), who had once helped the Prince’s family to flee from the Revolution, to assist him in conveying the collection abroad. Marquis befriends a street urchin Keshka, and they hide themselves and the collection among the members of an itinerant circus troupe, where Marquis demonstrates his ImprobableAimingSkills with a revolver. Makar joins the troupe incognito, but then the protagonists are caught in-between the rock and the hard place when the gang of bandits led by Lagutin gets their hands on both them and the Tikhvinsky’s treasure…
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7The film has gorgeous visuals (including combined animated sequences by Yuri Norstein), music by Creator/YevgenyKrylatov, and some nicely staged action scenes. It was a big hit in the USSR in the 1970s, and Andrei Mironov named the role of Marquis his favorite among all the roles he played.
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9----
10!!This film provides examples of:
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12* AlwaysChaoticEvil: Lagutin. He even lampshades it in his HannibalLecture.
13* AristocratsAreEvil: Lagutin, a former noble turned ruthless bandit.
14* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Pintoricchio’s ''Portrait of a Boy'' (''Portrait of a Boy in Blue'' in the film) was never sold to any Russian Prince, of course.
15* BittersweetEnding
16* CatchPhrase: About the Crimea: “It’s warm, there’s apples.”
17* TheCavalryArrivesLate: Well, there are still some of Lagutin’s mooks to wipe out, but the main job has already been done [[TearJerker at a high cost.]]
18* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Keshka has shades of this, daydreams about a red horse and all.
19* ChekhovsSkill: Marquis’ trick at the circus is [[ImprobableAimingSkills to shoot a target that’s behind him]]. Later, he uses this skill to [[spoiler:kill the gang leader Lagutin.]]
20* DeadpanSnarker: Marquis is the indisputable champion, even in the face of mortal danger.
21-->Lagutin orders Marquis to shoot the heads off of seven statues of Muses or face certain death.
22-->'''Marquis''': I don’t shoot at women.
23* {{Determinator}}: Makar.
24-->'''Makar''': I’ll find this collection even if devils have taken it!
25* EvilGloating: [[BigBad Lagutin]] muses about how unfair life is – he doesn’t want to live but he will, and Makar wants to but will not.
26* GunsAkimbo: Makar in one of the last scenes. Subverted: he’s out of bullets and drops the guns.
27* HeroicSacrifice: It’s not like Marquis didn’t see it coming when [[spoiler:he shot Lagutin in front of the whole gang.]]
28* IAmSong: Marquis’''Song of a Rapier'' («Песенка о шпаге»).
29* IcyBlueEyes: Lagutin
30* InnocentBlueEyes: Marquis and Makar
31* IntergenerationalFriendship: Marquis and Keshka, later Makar and Keshka.
32* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:Marquis.]] *sniff*
33* MacGuffin: The stolen Tikhvinsky’s collection.
34* MasterSwordsman: Marquis is a former fencing teacher.
35* NiceGuy: Makar
36* RedBaron: Shilovsky, known as Marquis.
37* RenaissanceMan: Closer to the end of the film it is revealed that Marquis was a Fine Arts student good enough to be sent on training to Italy, and that he worked as an aviator, a huntsman, a circus performer, a jockey, a fencing teacher. He is also a poet if we are to believe that, in-universe, the songs he sings in the film were written by him.
38* RevolversAreJustBetter: The cast is armed with revolvers and Mauser C96 pistols. TruthInTelevision, given the time.
39* SceneryPorn: The Saint-Petersburg cityscapes. Lampshaded by Marquis’ [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGaDTZeXLMg nostalgic song]] about the city’s beauty. Also, gorgeous shots of the [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Cyril-Belozersky-Monastery.jpg/1024px-Cyril-Belozersky-Monastery.jpg Kirilo-Belozersky monastery]] in the end.
40* SinisterShades: Tarakanov
41* TitleDrop: By Makar, twice.
42* WarriorPoet: Marquis
43* WickedCultured: Lagutin
44* WhatTheHellHero: When Makar calls Marquis out on his aiding the {{Jerkass}} Tarakanov in his attempts to smuggle the collection abroad.
45* WhiteShirtOfDeath: Both Makar and Marquis in the end. Subverted [[spoiler:in the case of Makar, who survives.]]

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