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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5 | In 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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7 | The 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: |
11 | |
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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FollowingContext Film / PropertyOfTheRepublic
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