Much Ado About Nothing (Russian: Много шума из ничего, romanized: Mnogo shuma iz nichego) is a 1973 Soviet romantic comedy film directed by Samson Samsonov based on William Shakespeare's play of the same name.
Kinoglaz reports that the film had 15 millions spectators.
Contents
Plot
A young couple, Hero and Claudio, are set to be married in a week. As time passes, they make a wager with Don Pedro that they can bring the confirmed bachelor Benedick together with Beatrice, an old acquaintance of his. Meanwhile, the villain Don John schemes to disrupt Claudio and Hero’s wedding by accusing Hero of infidelity. The truth seems impossible to uncover, but, fortunately, all this is merely ado... much ado about nothing.
Cast
Galina Jovovich - Beatrice
Konstantin Raikin - Benedicto
Tatyana Vedeneyeva - Gero
Leonid Trushkin - Claudio
Boris Ivanov - Leonato
Alexei Samoilov - Prince
Vladimir Korenev - Juan
Alexei Dobronravov - Antonio
Erast Garin - Kissel
Pavel Pavlenko - Dogberry
Vladimir Doveyko Sr. (voiced by Vladimir Basov) - Boracchio
Mikhail Logvinov - Conrad
Tatyana Bronzova
Yury Yakovlev (uncredited)
Themes and reception
Like Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation, the film opens with the men riding into a town where the women run to greet them.
”Known for his adaptations of literature into film, Samsonov teamed up with acclaimed costume designer Ludmila Kusakova to create this Mosfilm classic."