film, Operation Y and Shurik's Other Adventures, which featured some of the same characters (Shurik, and the trio of the Fool, the Coward, and the Pro). According to one of the writers, Yakov Kostyukovsky, Gaidai had decided that the trio had reached the height of their popularity and did not want to feature them again. Kostyukovsky and co-writer Slobodsky convinced Gaidai to film Kidnapping, Caucasian Style. Censorship The censors of Goskino had decided to prevent the film's release but Leonid Brezhnev, who was sworn in as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union less than a year before, saw the film and expressed his fondness for Gaidai's work. Due to Brezhnev's appreciation, the censors reconsidered their initial decision and the movie was officially released. Reception The film topped the Soviet box office in 1967 with 76.54 million viewers. Remake In 2014, the film was remade as Kidnapping, Caucasian Style!. The remake was criticized for how closely it resembled Gaidai's version and it is considered by some to be one of the worst films of all time. Soundtracks "Pesenka o medvedyakh" ("Song about bears") The song was recorded by Aida Vedishcheva (Vais), with Varley lip-synching during the performance of the song in the film. Varley accompanies her performance with a brief display of the "twist", conveying — in concert with the fast-paced melody — the light-hearted and optimistic theme of the song. "Yesli b' ya byl sultan" ("If I were a sultan") The song was performed by Nikulin, with Vitsyn and Morgunov featured in the chorus. It is a comical song about the polygamy practiced in Middle Eastern cultures, with Varley dancing in a style partly reminiscent of the Old Tbilisi dance theme during its performance. Popular quotes Many popular sayings have entered the Russian language from the film. 'My great grandfather always said: "I desire to buy a house, but I don't have the means to do it. I have the means to purchase a goat, but I don't desire it." So let us drink to our desires always meeting our possibilities.' References Notes Sources External links (official upload by Mosflim) Kidnapping, Caucasian style at official Mosfilm site with English subtitles Mosfilm films 1960s Russian-language films 1967 films 1967 comedy-drama films 1967 musical comedy films Russian comedy-drama films Russian musical comedy films Films about kidnapping Films directed by Leonid Gaidai Films scored by Aleksandr Zatsepin Films