It tends to be quite a rare occurrence to find a film marketing itself as exactly what it intends to deliver, and avoiding any sense of unnecessary hyperbole for the sake of drawing attention to itself – and in its honesty, it actually veers towards being quite remarkable in its own right. This is the case for Unbelievable Adventures of Italians in Russia (Russian: Невероятные приключения итальянцев в России), which tells us everything we need to know about the premise, and whose peculiar title is exactly what it promises. Directed by the duo of Franco Prosperi (representing Italy) and Eldar Ryazanov (representing the Soviet Union), the former a consistently strong satirist responsible for several well-received parody films in his native country, and the latter arguably the greatest director of Soviet-era comedies, after his canonical works such as Beware of the Car and The Irony of Fate, the film follows (as the title suggests) a group of eccentric Italians who voyage to Russia in search of a supposed fortune hidden there by a recently-deceased relative, and their initial intention to split it evenly amongst the six participants quickly falls apart when each one of them finds themselves enveloped by greed, which leads to a series of misadventures that are as hilarious as they are bizarre. A terrific collision of cultures elegantly and outrageously directed by two filmmakers with a precise vision to create a chaotic and off-the-wall atmosphere, Unbelievable Adventures of Italians in Russia is a true delight, a strange but captivating comedy that blends many different ideas in its continued pursuit of something deeper and more compelling, which eventually develops into a film that is insanely off-the-wall and peculiar, but which has enough heart and soul to never be too outlandish, instead finding the sweetness amongst the sharp, acidic comedy that is otherwise prominent throughout this tremendously entertaining and oddly quite daring work of intercultural humour.

From its first moments, we can immediately tell exactly the kind of film we’ll find when venturing into Unbelievable Adventures of Italians in Russia, which is not at all revolutionary or daring in the conventional sense, but instead maintains a steady and reliable approach to its story, which is very much steeped within the traditions of the era in which it was made, as well as the conventions of the two countries at the heart of the production. The humour itself is the main attraction, and we discover that both directors are intent on showcasing their comedic prowess, crafting an engaging and captivating comedy about culture shock and the miscommunication that can come about in times of desperation. The key to creating a successful film with such a simple premise comes in the approach to the humour, since it cannot rely on a single style, and instead needs to cast as wide a net as possible into the story, doing everything it can to maintain an upbeat and eccentric tone, which certainly becomes easier as the film progresses and we begin to understand more about what the narrative was trying to convey. The core of Unbelievable Adventures of Italians in Russia is the hilarious combination of satire and slapstick, two kinds of humour that exist on opposite ends of the spectrum, but come together to form something memorable and genuinely quite captivating, which is a rare accomplishment that Ryazanov and Prosperi handle with such sensitivity and dedication. They intend to explore different corners of their respective cultures, but in a way that is lighthearted and irreverent, looking at a range of concepts that feel genuinely quite entertaining when filtered through their eccentric and off-the-wall perspective. The blend of physical comedy, in which the protagonists find themselves undergoing a range of pratfalls, and the cutting-edge satirical jabs that occur in between create a vibrant and unconventional glimpse into the lives of these characters as they navigate a range of challenges, setting the foundation for a truly inventive and original work of comedy.

Beneath the sometimes eccentric and bizarre humour, there is quite an effective story being told in  Unbelievable Adventures of Italians in Russia, which comes from the two filmmakers having decided to work together to co-direct a project that focused on exploring the best of both cultures, in what is an attempt to bring two very different countries together under the universally-resonant power of comedy. Humour is often subjective, but what we can glean from this film is the sense of wanting to expand on an unexpected partnership. Some consider this an effort to explore the relationship between the two countries, which have had a long-standing connection that underwent several changes over the years – but this would require a more in-depth analysis of their political connections, which is something that everyone involved in this film seem intent on avoiding as much as possible, instead presenting a more apolitical vision. This is ultimately more than just a romp through Europe, or a multicultural version of It’s a Mad, Mad, Max, Mad World and similar films (although it is certainly formed in the image of such films), but rather a layered and fascinating account of cultural differences between two countries that are not normally considered as having such strong connections, and where the collision of two very different national identities result in a delightfully off-the-wall, almost deranged comedy that evokes an abundance of meaningful humour through engaging with the subtle differences that exist between these characters. There is some dissent that this film is vaguely propagandic in its vision, especially since it was made at a time when the Soviet Union was in constant conflict with the Western world, and having a collaboration with Italy, often viewed as one of the epicentres of western European culture, was an attempt to amplify the softer side of the cultures. Yet, once again this requires more context than the film was able to provide, so it is often best to take its intentions at face value since there is more than enough merit in what we are presented with at the outset.

Unbelievable Adventures of Italians in Russia is not a film that intends to take itself all that seriously, but it does revolve around certain ideas that should be viewed as having connections to real-world matters. As much as we are tempted to look at the film as simply a series of bizarre misadventures amongst a group of wacky characters, some substance helps guide the narrative, and they’re not even directly related to the political connections between the two countries, but rather the social and cultural structures that both divide and unite them in unexpected and intriguing ways. Something we discover quite early in this film is that the focus is on bringing these two cultures together in a way that is captivating and entertaining, and this mainly manifests in how the two directors work together to combine their distinct styles. The film features the slightly cynical, often quite complex style of humour we often found in Ryazanov’s work, as well as those who shared similar artistic approaches, whereas Prosperi brings the chaotic and eccentric style that he was known to infuse into his films, with the result being a larger-than-life work of deranged, off-kilter humour that is as much about celebrating the two cultures as it is exploring their unique differences in a manner that elevates its fundamental ideas. The cast itself is one of the main reasons the film succeeds – the film features several notable names from both countries, with particular focus being on the titular Italians, with actors such as Ninetto Davoli (known for his work with Pier Paolo Pasolini), Antonia Santilli, Alighiero Noschese and Tano Cimarosa forming the core of the cast, alongside Andrei Mironov and Yevgeny Yevstigneyev as their Russian colleagues. Their performances were mainly dubbed by Russian actors, which may have rendered casting actual Italians slightly redundant (although it was a common practice in Italian cinema during this era, so it was oddly appropriate), but the performances are nonetheless very strong and help anchor this film, giving it a sense of direction that is desperately required to be successful, capturing the right tone and humour needed for this story.

In terms of both concept and execution, Unbelievable Adventures of Italians in Russia is a delightful film, and one that knows exactly how to handle some of the more unconventional aspects of this narrative, which are beautifully configured into something engaging and captivating, while also being outrageously funny. It may be slightly dated since several references and concepts are intrinsically tied to the era in which the film was made, but these are mostly quite marginal and barely impact the story, which contains a genuinely moving sense of humour that touches on a few universal themes. The pairing of Ryazanov and Prosperi is unexpected but still quite ingenious since both directors are doing some of their strongest and most interesting work, crafting a comedy that is as eccentric as it is captivating. Perhaps it may depend too much on the spectacle more than the story – after all, the primary focus is simply a group of people getting into increasingly precarious situations as a result of their greed-infused search for a hidden treasure – and the tendency to imply that it needed to have a moral at the end means that it couldn’t avoid turning into a slightly heavy-handed fable towards the conclusion. Yet, none of this is all that important when we are situated right at the heart of the narrative, which proves to be an eccentric, off-the-wall account of two cultures coming into contact and which begins to spiral into a lovable work of humour that doesn’t take itself too seriously and exists primarily to enthral and entertain, which is ultimately the aspect that means the most when it comes to this kind of charming comedy.