Crazy Money

{{short description|1981 Soviet film}} {{use dmy dates|date=December 2025}} {{Infobox film | name = Crazy Money | image = Crazy Money poster.jpg | alt = | caption = Russian poster | native_name = {{infobox name module |language=ru |title=Бешеные деньги}} | director = Yevgeny Matveyev | based_on = {{based on|''Бешеные деньги''|Alexander Ostrovsky}} | producer = Yevgeny Matveyev | starring = Aleksandr Mikhailov | studio = Mosfilm | released = {{film date|df=yes|1981|||Soviet Union}} | runtime = 87 minutes }}

'''''Crazy Money''''' ({{langx|ru|text='''Бешеные деньги'''|italic=yes}}) is a 1981 comedy and historical film from the Soviet Union.<ref name="KinoPoisk" />

The film was directed by Yevgeny Matveyev,<ref name="2014-10-05 Rossiya Segodnya" /> produced by Yevgeny Matveyev, and composed by Evgueni Ptitchkine;<ref name="KinoPoisk" /> Aleksandr Yakovlevich Mikhailov starred.<ref name="2014-10-05 Rossiya Segodnya" /> Based on a play of the same name by Alexander Ostrovsky,<ref name="2010-04-07 Rossiya Segodnya" /> the 87-minute film<ref name="KinoPoisk" /> was put out by Mosfilm.<ref name="2014-10-03 Russkiy Mir" />

==Plot== Set in mid-19th century Moscow, the story follows Savva Gennadyevich Vasilkov, a middle-aged provincial merchant who falls in love with the beautiful Lydia Yuryevna Cheboksarova. To meet her, he enlists the help of his acquaintance Telyatev, who, along with his friend Glumov, devises a plan to prank Lydia’s mother, Nadezhda Antonovna. Nadezhda, eager to find a wealthy son-in-law, is misled into believing Vasilkov is a millionaire gold miner from Siberia.

Vasilkov begins visiting the Cheboksarov household, but his provincial manners clash with Lydia's aspirations of marrying into high society. Meanwhile, Nadezhda receives news from her husband about the urgent need to sell their last estate to settle debts. She turns to the elderly Prince Kuchumov, who is also captivated by Lydia's beauty, but he offers only empty promises. Pressured by her mother to secure a wealthy husband, Lydia initially sets her sights on Telyatev, who only seeks a casual flirtation and refuses to marry. Eventually, Lydia weds the devoted Vasilkov.

The Cheboksarovs continue their extravagant lifestyle on credit, and Vasilkov soon discovers their massive debts, which he is expected to pay. He agrees, but only if they reduce their expenses, dismiss some servants, and move to a more modest home. Lydia finds these terms humiliating but reluctantly complies. Despite their new living situation, she maintains relationships with her former admirers, Telyatev and Kuchumov, hoping for financial support. Persuaded by Kuchumov's promises, she decides to leave Vasilkov and move back to their luxurious apartment.

On the day of her departure, Vasilkov catches Lydia flirting with Kuchumov and dismisses her in despair. Triumphant, Lydia moves back into the grand mansion, expecting Kuchumov to fulfill his promises. However, Telyatev reveals that Kuchumov has squandered his fortune and, like the Cheboksarovs, is penniless. Realizing her mistake, Lydia sends her mother to plead with Vasilkov for forgiveness.

Vasilkov agrees to settle Lydia's debts but imposes a condition: she must serve as a housekeeper in his mother's household for a period as a form of penance. Only after completing this "rehabilitation" will he consider taking her to Saint Petersburg. Initially outraged, Lydia eventually accepts, recognizing her dire circumstances, and resolves to reform her ways.

==References== <references>

<ref name="2010-04-07 Rossiya Segodnya">{{cite news |date=2010-04-07 |script-title=ru:Фестиваль российского кино "Весна" пройдет в Париже |trans-title=The Spring Russian Film Festival will be held in Paris |url=https://ria.ru/20100407/218834795.html |url-status=live |language=ru |publisher=Rossiya Segodnya |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225023841/https://ria.ru/20100407/218834795.html |archive-date=2020-02-25 |access-date=2020-10-27 |quote=Фестиваль, президентом которого является глава компании Les films d'Audace, продюсер и режиссер Мирей Антуан, ставит своей целью познакомить широкую ��ранцузскую публику с российским кино. Он проходит в кинотеатре "Линкольн", расположенным в двух шагах от Елисейских полей. |location=Paris}}</ref>

<ref name="2014-10-03 Russkiy Mir">{{cite web |url=https://russkiymir.ru/news/151937/ |script-title=ru:Лучшие картины «Мосфильма» показывают в Милане |trans-title=The best pictures of "Mosfilm" are shown in Milan |last=Кустов |first=Александр |date=2014-10-03 |publisher=Russkiy Mir Foundation |language=ru |access-date=2020-10-27 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225023842/https://russkiymir.ru/news/151937/ |archive-date=2020-02-25}}</ref>

<ref name="2014-10-05 Rossiya Segodnya">{{cite news |date=2014-10-05 |script-title=ru:Александр Михайлов. Биография |trans-title=Alexander Mikhailov. Biography |url=https://ria.ru/20141005/1026788695.html |url-status=live |language=ru |publisher=Rossiya Segodnya |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225025347/https://ria.ru/20141005/1026788695.html |archive-date=2020-02-25 |access-date=2020-10-27 |quote=5 октября 2014 года исполняется 70 лет актеру театра и кино, народному артисту России Александру Яковлевичу Михайлову.}}</ref>

<ref name="KinoPoisk">{{cite web |url=https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/46097/ |publisher=KinoPoisk |language=ru |script-title=ru:Бешеные деньги |trans-title=Crazy Money |access-date=2020-10-27 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225024117/https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/46097/ |archive-date=2020-02-25 |quote=О фильме}}</ref>

</references>

==External links== * {{IMDb title|id=0082061}}

Category:1980s historical comedy films Category:1981 Russian-language films Category:1981 films Category:1981 Soviet films Category:films based on works by Alexander Ostrovsky Category:Films set in the 19th-century Russian Empire Category:Mosfilm films Category:Russian-language historical comedy films Category:Soviet films based on plays Category:Soviet historical comedy films