Last Year's Snow Was Falling

Infobox Film
name = Last Year's Snow Was Falling
image_size =
caption =
director = Aleksandr Tatarskiy
producer = Aleksandr Tatarskiy
writer = Sergey Ivanov
narrator =
starring = voice cast only (Stanislav Sadalskiy)
music = Grigory Gladkov
cinematography =
editing =
distributor = Studio Ekran
released = 1983
runtime = 19 min 45 sec
country = flagicon|USSR USSR
language = Russian
budget =
gross =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0219233

"Last Year's Snow Was Falling" ( _ru. Падал прошлогодний снег; translit. "Padal proshlogodniy sneg") is a 1983 Soviet clay-animated film directed by Aleksandr Tatarskiy (T/O Ekran studio).

The film reached a cult status after its first appearance on Central TV. The aphoristic remarks of the characters, full of absurd humor, turned into colloquial proverbs.

For this work Tatarskiy received the Silver Cooker award at the 1983 Varna International Film Festival.

Loosely based on some folk fairy tales.

Plot summary

The surreal misadventures of a lazy drunkard with speech impediment trying to get a New Year tree on a short notice.

Finally, when he returned home for the third time, he got it, but it was too late - when the spring came and he ought to return it back.

Censorship

The absurd style of narration raised censors' suspicions that the film "contains encoded messages to foreign intelligence". Also they said to Tatarskiy that he is disrespectful to the Russian man ("you have just one character in the film and he is an idiot").

Some phrases that later became colloquial ("Who is here, for example, the last for a Tsar position? Nobody? Then I'll be the first!") were defended by Tatarskiy and Ivanov with scandals. Despite their attempts the film was sent "for revision". It was cut anew and redubbed.

Interesting facts

* Sadalsky did not appear in the credits. Shortly before the final cut, the actor was arrested inside the Cosmos Hotel with a foreign citizen. The information against Sadalsky was reported to Gosteleradio director S. Lapin who ordered the removal of Sadalsky's name from the credits as a penalty for forbidden relations with foreigners.

Quotes

* That's my size!
* That's not quite enough!!!
* I don't understand nothing!..
* If I'm such a merchant (cupets') out here, then why do I need that ill-famed wife?! That's not quite enough!!!
* Noble animal!.. Fur! Meat!.. I'll roast some cracklings!..
* We, the boyars, are hard-working people! That is really our boyar's lot...
* Oh, how I do love and respect such treasure!..
* Oh, what a fine doormat!.. it was...
* Oh, really, those fairy tales!.. Oh, really, those fairy-tellers!..
* Auntie, let me go! I know the "magic" word - "Please!"
* Many fir-trees and many yous! But no sense - that's not quite enough!!!
* Who wants a hare, hare-runhare?
* How'd you like that heel-dance?!
* When I'll be a Tsar, I'll get a pianina. What the life is without a pianina?
* Who is here, for example, the last for a Tsar position? Nobody? Then I'll be the first!
* Such a pleasant flexibility formed in the body!..
* For the third time he went to get the fir-tree and finally obtained it... But it was spring already and he returned it back...
* There's lot of idiots here, but a small number of hares, I see.
* Once upon a time there lived an eagle-man. Well-shaped, well-done - just like I in time of my youth.
* Don't foul [the well] ! Forgot the proverb? Well, nothing, you will remember it now!
* When acorn is ripe it will be eaten by every pig!

External links

* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0219233/ Padal proshlogodniy sneg] on IMDB
* [http://www.animator.ru/db/?ver=eng&p=show_film&fid=4741 Padal proshlogodniy sneg] on Animator.ru