Ivan Vasilyevich Changes His Profession (1973)

*Ivan Vasilievich Changes Profession* (1973) — a cult Soviet sci-fi comedy directed by Leonid Gaidai, based on Mikhail Bulgakov’s play. This 93-minute Mosfilm-produced masterpiece tells the story of Shurik (Aleksandr Demyanenko), an engineer whose time machine accidentally swaps the building manager Ivan Bunsha and the thief Georges Miloslavsky (Yuri Yakovlev and Leonid Kuravlyov) into the 16th century, while Tsar Ivan the Terrible ends up in the 1970s. With a budget of around 800,000 rubles and over 60 million viewers, the film became legendary, beloved for its sparkling humor and quotes like “Leave me alone, old lady, I’m in sorrow!” The film delights with absurd situations: Georges, posing as the Tsar, gets tangled in court intrigues, while Bunsha, playing the impostor, comically commands the Streltsy, drawing laughs with the black-caviar scene. Meanwhile, Ivan the Terrible (Yakovlev in a dual role) in modern Moscow encounters tape recorders and elevators, and his meeting with Shurik’s wife Zina (Natalya Seleznyova) is pure farce. Supporting actors — Savely Kramarov as Feofan and Natalya Krachkovskaya as Ulyana — add color, while Aleksandr Zatsepin’s music and Sergey Poluyanov’s cinematography create a vivid atmosphere. KinoPoisk praises the brilliance of the dialogue, though some consider the ending a bit softened due to 1970s censorship. Released on September 17, 1973, the film became a symbol of Soviet comedy, lightly satirizing bureaucracy and drawing historical parallels that reflect the stagnation era. Its cultural impact is enormous: phrases like “Tsar, nice to meet you!” entered everyday speech, and remakes such as the 2008 musical confirm its status. For fans of *Kidnapping, Caucasian Style* or Bulgakov’s absurdity, it’s a must-watch, full of laughter, nostalgia, and temporal chaos as the Tsar and the superintendent switch places with ingenious ease.