For the Matches

Tulitikkuja lainaamassa (1980)

Timing: 1:40 (100 min)

6.2/10
38

7.914/10
73234

6.7/10
1400

• In the summer of 1978, a decision was made to produce a joint film with the Finns. The 25th anniversary of the establishment of special relations between the USSR and Finland was approaching, and it needed to be marked with a new film. They decided to film it at Mosfilm. They suggested Georgiy Daneliya as the Soviet director, but he was preparing to shoot "Autumn Marathon," so he declined the offer to participate in the project. Then they turned to Leonid Gaidai.
• The idea of making a film with seven Soviet and seven Finnish actors had to be abandoned. Evgeniy Leonov was immediately cast in the lead role, and then they began searching for a partner for him on set. Auditions were organized with Donatas Banionis, Leonid Kuravlyov, and Vyacheslav Nevinniy.
• Leonid Gaidai freely deviated from the script, finding the written dialogues too drawn-out. They would have been normal for Finnish viewers, but in the USSR they would have been considered tedious. Gaidai shortened the dialogues – to the disappointment of the Finnish audience.