Ladies' Choice (film)
Encyclopedia
Ladies' Choice is a Bulgarian film released in 1980.
A charming driving instructor, divorced and poor, flirts with his numerous female students all of the time. No matter of age, occupation or marital status as if all the bored women in this town court this country "Don Juan
". Finally, he loses control over the attacks of his suitors...
The film belongs to the group of the so called Bulgarian Cult Comedies Stream that burst out during the first half of the 1980s but starting from the previous decade. Amidst the notable ones can be listed: Something out of Nothing (1979), The Double
(1980), A Nameless Band
(1982), Dangerous Charm
(1984) and the sequence about The Past-Master
(1970–1983)
Naturally, the film gave one of the all time famous quotes, as usual by the well-known Rusev
and Todev
.
From a barely aged 18 girl (Puncheva) to an overage fatty Missus (Todorova), from two sisters-in-law (Kokanova/Statulova) to an unemployed young housewife (Dimitrova),from a research worker (Toncheva) to an artist's wife (Maneva). The acts are sometimes spiced by jealous husbands as the lawyer Baltiev (Rusev). The rope around the neck of the "Don Juan" tightens. Maybe the reason is in him but maybe in the women, all of whom fight for his attention. The chase is over with drama for all of them, with a thin tread of irony.
Filmed: 1980; Premiere: 15.December.1980
The film was released on DVD in 2000s.
.
The film was subsumed among the 50 golden Bulgarian films in the book by the journalist Pencho Kovachev. The book was published in 2008 by "Zahariy Stoyanov" publishing house.
There were the following publications:
A charming driving instructor, divorced and poor, flirts with his numerous female students all of the time. No matter of age, occupation or marital status as if all the bored women in this town court this country "Don Juan
Don Juan
Don Juan is a legendary, fictional libertine whose story has been told many times by many authors. El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra by Tirso de Molina is a play set in the fourteenth century that was published in Spain around 1630...
". Finally, he loses control over the attacks of his suitors...
The film belongs to the group of the so called Bulgarian Cult Comedies Stream that burst out during the first half of the 1980s but starting from the previous decade. Amidst the notable ones can be listed: Something out of Nothing (1979), The Double
The Double (film)
The Double is a 2011 spy film, starring Richard Gere and Topher Grace, released on October 28, 2011.-Plot:A retired CIA operative is paired with a young FBI agent to unravel the mystery of a senator's murder, with all signs pointing to a Soviet assassin....
(1980), A Nameless Band
Orkestar bez ime
Orkestar bez ime is a comedy movie released in Bulgaria in 1981. It was directed by Lyudmil Kirkov and written by Stanislav Stratiev. The movie describes the life of the young generation in Bulgaria in the late seventies and early eighties...
(1982), Dangerous Charm
Opasen char
Opasen char is a comedy/crime film released in Bulgaria in 1984. It was directed by Ivan Andonov and written by Svoboda Bachvarova. The story is about a highly educated and charming gentleman - the dream of every lonely lady. In fact he is a brilliant cheat, who robs naïve women...
(1984) and the sequence about The Past-Master
The Past-Master (film)
The Past-Master is a Bulgarian satirical TV comedy film released in 1970. It turned, the actor Kiril Gospodinov and his character Rangel Lelin - the past-master, into one of the Trade Marks of the Bulgarian film art...
(1970–1983)
Naturally, the film gave one of the all time famous quotes, as usual by the well-known Rusev
Georgi Rusev
Georgi Iliev Rusev was a Bulgarian theatre and film actor.Rusev created a real gallery of colorful characters for about four decades in the film industry. He became famous as a master of the so called "second plan roles".-Biography and Career:...
and Todev
Nikola Todev
-Biography and Career:Todev was born on June 13, 1928 in the town of Devin, Smolyan Province. He started acting on the stage of Smolyan theater in 1952...
.
Plot
The driving instructor Yakim Donev (Danailov) just divorced his wife leaving her all his modest assets. For giving the assets he is blamed by his uncle (Todev) every time when Donev visited him. The town, he lives and works in, seems to be small and boring so he enters in endless flirt relations with his female students. There is no matter of age or occupancy, of physical appearance or marital status. All the women who tries to obtain a driving license becomes his suitors. The funny situations file one after the other.From a barely aged 18 girl (Puncheva) to an overage fatty Missus (Todorova), from two sisters-in-law (Kokanova/Statulova) to an unemployed young housewife (Dimitrova),from a research worker (Toncheva) to an artist's wife (Maneva). The acts are sometimes spiced by jealous husbands as the lawyer Baltiev (Rusev). The rope around the neck of the "Don Juan" tightens. Maybe the reason is in him but maybe in the women, all of whom fight for his attention. The chase is over with drama for all of them, with a thin tread of irony.
Production
Production company:- Studio of Featured Films (SFF) - a Film Unit SREDETSSredetsSredets is a town in southeastern Bulgaria, part of Burgas Province, located in the proximity of Lake Mandrensko and the northern slopes of Strandzha. During the Ottoman rule it was known as Karabunar and later as Grudovo ....
- Director:Ivan Andonov
- Writer: Georgi Mishev
- Director of Photography: Plamen Vagenshtayn
- Music: Georgi Genkov
Filmed: 1980; Premiere: 15.December.1980
The film was released on DVD in 2000s.
Cast
- Stefan DanailovStefan DanailovStefan Lambov Danailov is a Bulgarian actor and former Minister of Culture of Bulgaria .The first film Danailov has taken part was "The Traces Remain" being a child. At that time he did not want to be an actor. However, later in 1966 he graduated VITIZ...
as Yakim Donev, the driving instructor - Georgi RusevGeorgi RusevGeorgi Iliev Rusev was a Bulgarian theatre and film actor.Rusev created a real gallery of colorful characters for about four decades in the film industry. He became famous as a master of the so called "second plan roles".-Biography and Career:...
as Baltiev, the lawyer - Nikola TodevNikola Todev-Biography and Career:Todev was born on June 13, 1928 in the town of Devin, Smolyan Province. He started acting on the stage of Smolyan theater in 1952...
as the uncle - Tsvetana ManevaTzvetana ManevaTzvetana Maneva is a Bulgarian actress. She was born in Plovdiv and her artistic career started here. The eminent Bulgarian actress made her debut in cinema in the 1960s and has appeared in more than 50 Bulgarian films.Her parents are Nadejda Maneva and Georgi Manev. Her sister is Maria...
as Pehlivanova - Nevena KokanovaNevena KokanovaNevena Kokanova was a Bulgarian film actress. She was known as the "first lady of Bulgarian cinema." Her mother was from a well-known Austrian aristocratic family, and her father was a political prisoner....
as the older sister-in-law - Mariya Statulova as the younger sister-in-law
- Mariana DimitrovaMariana DimitrovaMariana Dimitrova was a famous Bulgarian actress born on May 28, 1954 in the small village of Kozarevetz, Veliko Turnovo region. She graduated from the Bulgarian film academy. Her second husband was the prominent Bulgarian director Eduard Zahariev...
as Mima, Baltiev's wife - Doroteya Toncheva as "Number 7"
- Yordanka Kuzmanova as Daneva
- Nadya Todorova as Dimitrova
- Boryana Puncheva as Anna-Dona
- Ilka Zafirova as Stancheva
- Ivan Yanchev as Gechev, the private detective
Response
A reported 1,191,037 admissions were recorded for the film in cinemas throughout BulgariaBulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
.
The film was subsumed among the 50 golden Bulgarian films in the book by the journalist Pencho Kovachev. The book was published in 2008 by "Zahariy Stoyanov" publishing house.
There were the following publications:
- Bulgarian Film Magazine, vol.6, 1980,p. 5 - by M. Balkanska
- New Films Magazine, vol.9-1980,p. 15-18 by E. Gyurkova
- Film News Magazine, vol. 10-1980,p. 3 - by V. Delcheva
- FILM ART magazine, vol. 1,1981,p. 50-53 - by B. Mihaylov
- Film Worker magazine, vol.1-1981,p. 41-44 - by O. Saparev
- Film News Magazine, vol. 3-1981,p. 6-7 - by I. Bozhinova