1 / 7
ERA
Did you know
41 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
My Friend Ivan Lapshin
1985 1h 35m RU
👍
6.7
SOLID
★6.7TMDB · 74
Drama
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
Russian provincial town in the middle of the 1930s Stalin's Great Purge. Ivan Lapshin, the head of the local police, does what he has to do. And he does it well.
“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”
Where to watch · US
Cast
Andrei Boltnev
Ivan Lapshin
Nina Ruslanova
Natasha Adasova
Andrey Mironov
Khanin
Aleksei Zharkov
Okoshkin
Aleksandr Filippenko
Zanadvorov
Yuriy Kuznetsov
Superintendent
Semyon Farada
Dzhatiev
Valeriy Filonov
Pobuzhinskiy
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Aleksei German
- Writers
- Aleksei German, Eduard Volodarskiy
- Languages
- Russian
- Countries
- Soviet Union
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts 🍿
2 / 7
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by Aleksei German, shot by Valery Fedosov. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr · trivia#02
3 / 7
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Original score by Arkadi Gagulashvili. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr · trivia#03
4 / 7
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Editor Leda Semyonova shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr · trivia#04
5 / 7
CAST
Did you know
Andrei Boltnev and Nina Ruslanova and Andrey Mironov carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr · trivia#05
6 / 7
WILD
Did you know
IMDB entry: tt0084345 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
MoodPlayr · trivia#06
7 / 7
WILD
Did you know
Only 74 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
MoodPlayr · trivia#07
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Aleksei German directs. Valery Fedosov behind the camera. Arkadi Gagulashvili scores. Leda Semyonova cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Soviet Union. Dialogue in Russian.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 141 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
- 2Directed by Aleksei German, shot by Valery Fedosov. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 3Original score by Arkadi Gagulashvili. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 4Editor Leda Semyonova shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 5Andrei Boltnev and Nina Ruslanova and Andrey Mironov carry the top of the cast.
- 6IMDB entry: tt0084345 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 7Only 74 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
The technical file
- Cinematography
- Valery Fedosov
- Original score
- Arkadi Gagulashvili
- Editing
- Leda Semyonova
- Production design
- Yuri Pugach
- Costume design
- Galina Deyeva
- Makeup / hair
- O. Telova
- Runtime
- 95 min · 1h 35m
- Status
- Released
- Original language
- RU
Also by
Aleksei German
Trailers & featurettes
Watch the pieces
Production companies
Who made it
Lenfilm
SU
Key crew
- Production DesignYuri Pugach
- Set DecorationGennadi Savelyev
- Makeup ArtistO. Telova
- SoundNikolai Astakhov
- Camera OperatorAnatoliy Rodionov
- ProducerValentina Goroschnikova
- ProducerViktor Izvekov
- Costume DesignGalina Deyeva
- EditorLeda Semyonova
- NovelYuri German
- Second Unit DirectorViktor Aristov
- Set DecorationYuriy Rotin
Release history · US
When it landed
- Premiere1987-03-24· New York New Directors & New Films Festival
- Theatrical (limited)1987-05-22· Los Angeles, California
Also known as
International titles
- Moy Drug Ivan LapshinRU
- Mijn Vriend Ivan LapsjinNL
- Min venn Ivan LapshinNO
