Assa - videos, teasers and stills from filming

All videos, teasers and footage from the filming of the film "Assa"

Асса (1987)

Timing: 2:33 (153 min)

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All about film

Video 0

Photo 8

Actors and characters

What's left behind the scenes

The phrase by Bananan, “A Futurist Vladimir Mayakovsky, not born for money,” refers to a little-known and lost film featuring Mayakovsky called “Not Born for Money.”
Krymov quotes Pushkin.
The main filming took place on location in Crimea, in Yalta, with some scenes shot in Moscow.
The episode of Krymov and Bananan winter swimming was actually filmed in the summer. The ice on the water and the snow on the shore are artificial.
This was the first Soviet film whose premiere was accompanied by a grand theatrical presentation held at the MELZ Palace of Culture in Moscow.
The vinyl record featuring songs from the film, released by Melodiya in 1987, became one of the first official Soviet releases of domestic rock music.
The songs "Idu na ty", "Mochalkin Blues", and "Starik Kozlodoev", sung by Sergei Ryzhenko in the film, are performed in their original versions by Boris Grebenshchikov on the record.
The monologue of "The Major" about Gagarin is a purely improvised performance by actor Alexander Bashirov.
At the cinema, Alik and Bananan are watching the film "Quiet Street" featuring Charlie Chaplin.
The film's title was suggested by Sergei Bugayev, who played the role of Bananan.
The slogan “Assa” was introduced into the rock scene by artist Oleg Kotelnikov; this slogan was widely used within the community associated with “Kamchatka”.
Krymov and Bananan are traveling from Yalta to the Simferopol hippodrome. The events of the film take place in 1980, whereas the hippodrome in Simferopol ceased to exist in the early 1970s. The episode was filmed at the Moscow hippodrome.
The episode featuring the performance of the song “I Want Changes” was filmed in the Green Theater of Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure in Moscow. Instead of paying extras, the film crew organized a free “Kino” concert, during which the episode was filmed. Due to the filming specifics, the song was performed to a backing track. The rest of the concert was played live. The audience who came to the free concert was so outraged by the long preparation for the scene that they overturned a fire truck that was on standby for safety reasons.
Historical scenes were filmed at the Mikhailovsky Castle in Leningrad.
The working title of the film was “Hello, Boy Bananan!” Auditions were held under this title. The name of the film's main character, “Bananan,” belonged to the character in the song “Hello, Boy Bananan” (featured in the film), written and performed by Yuri Chernavsky on his rock album “Banana Islands,” which was recorded in February 1983.
The main character is named Alika – this is how the screenwriter Sergei Livnev decided to immortalize the name of his beloved, the actress Alika Smekhova, who later became his wife.
The artists of the Liliput Theatre perform excerpts from Imre Kalman's operetta "Silva".
The refusal of the "Oreanda" hotel administration to allow filming was resolved only after a telegram, sent in desperation by Sergei Solovyov to the address of General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. Reaching the addressee directly by chance, the telegram enraged him so much that the issue was immediately resolved.
The portrait of Brezhnev, past which the film's characters walk, was made specifically for the filming by a local artist. The appearance of the portrait on the embankment several years after the General Secretary's death caused the most incredible speculation among the local population.
The idea to place a palm tree on a rotating turntable near Banana came to the filmmakers after they attended a show-concert by the "Cabinet" group, the first group in the USSR to play in the ska style in the mid-1980s.
Vitya, a Black man, pretending to be a foreign artist, hums songs "Beyond the Sea" and Sting's "Moon over Bourbon Street" in the hotel lobby (although the album "The Dream of the Blue Turtles" featuring this song was released only in 1985, i.e., after the events depicted in the film). Also, a photograph of Nick Cave from the album "The Firstborn Is Dead", released only in 1985, hangs in Bananan’s room.
At the beginning of the cable car ride, it is clearly visible that the main characters boarded a red cabin. But at the end, Bananan is sitting in a blue one.
Banana's phrase 'A futurist Vladimir Mayakovsky, not born for money' refers to a little-known and lost film with Mayakovsky called 'Not Born for Money'.
The vinyl record with songs from the film, released by 'Melodya' in 1987, became one of the first official Soviet publications of domestic rock music.
The songs 'I Address You Informally,' 'Mochalkin Blues,' and 'Old Man Kozlodoyev,' sung by Sergei Ryzhenko in the film, are performed in their original versions by Boris Grebenshchikov on the record.
The monologue about Gagarin by 'Major' is a pure improvisation by actor Alexander Bashirov.
Alik and Bananan are watching the film 'The Quiet Street' featuring Charlie Chaplin in the cinema.
The slogan 'Assa' during Rock Wednesday was introduced by artist Oleg Kotelnikov; this slogan was widely used within the community associated with 'Kamchatka'.
The episode featuring the performance of the song 'I Want Changes' was filmed in the Green Theatre of the Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure in Moscow. Instead of paying extras, the film crew organized a free 'Kino' concert, during which the episode was filmed. Due to filming specifics, the song was performed to a backing track. The rest of the concert was played live. The audience who came to the free concert was so outraged by the long preparation for filming the scene that they overturned a fire truck that was on standby for safety reasons.
The working title of the film was 'Hello, Boy Bananan!' Auditions were held under this title. The name of the main character in the film 'Bananan' came from a character in the song 'Hello, Boy Bananan' (featured in the film), written and performed by Yuri Chernavsky on his rock album 'Banana Islands,' which was recorded in February 1983.
The actors of the Lilliputian Theater perform excerpts from Imre Kalman's operetta "Silva".
The refusal of the administration of the "Oreanda" hotel to allow filming was resolved only after a telegram, sent in desperation by Sergei Solovyov to the address of General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, reached its destination by chance. The telegram, reaching the addressee directly, infuriated him so much that the issue was immediately resolved.
The idea to place a palm tree on a rotating record player in Banana's scene was taken by the film's authors after they attended a show-concert by the "Cabinet" group, the first group in the USSR to play in the ska style in the mid-1980s.
Vitya, a Black man, portraying a foreign artist, hums songs "Beyond the Sea" and Sting's "Moon over Bourbon Street" in the hotel lobby (although the album "The Dream of the Blue Turtles" featuring this song was released only in 1985, that is, after the events described in the film). Also, a photograph of Nick Cave from the album "The Firstborn Is Dead," released only in 1985, hangs in Banana's room.

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