Movie Review: Romance With a Double Bass & Roman s Kontrabasom

Romance With a Double Bass
Starring: John Cleese, Connie Booth, Graham Crowden, Desmond Jones, Freddie Jones, Jonathan Lynn, Andrew Sachs, Dennis Ramsden, John Moffatt, Terry Nelson, Kathie O'Donoghue, June Whitfield, Vivian MacKerrell
Director: Robert Young

Anton Films, UK, 1974.

Based on the short story by Anton Chekhov. 

In a lavish mansion a party is being prepared. Princess Costanza (Connie Booth) is reluctantly engaged to Count Alexei (Graham Crowden). Smychkov (John Cleese) is hired to play double bass at the betrothal ball. After having trouble entering the mansion because of strict servants, he goes swimming.

Betrothal ball is planned

Smychkov has trouble entering the mansion

Princess Costanza and her mother

Meanwhile princess is taking a nap near the river bank. He puts attaches flowers to her fishing float. When she wakes she goes to retrieve the float, but a wandering man steals her clothes. The man also steals Smychkov's clothes. 

Smychkov finds his clothes stolen

Costanza goes swimming

Also Costanza's clothes are stolen

Naked Smychkov tries to smuggle the princess to the mansion inside his double bass case. As both of them love classical music, a small romance begins between the two. In the mansion Smychkov has to get clothes for them both without alerting the servants. 

Smychkov with the princess in his double bass case

Maestro Lakeyich and the leader of the orchestra taking a break

Smychkov trying to find clothes

This short film was filmed after Monty Python Series and before Fawlty Towers. The style is a bit more risqué than in Fawlty Towers (both main characters are nude for large part of the film.) The chemistry between the main pair is good (Cleese and Booth were married then) and Cleese delivers the comedy in his characteristic deadpan style. The original story is used freely, with lots of hilarious moments added. The story's surreal end is a quite different than in the original short story. 

The DVD contains also the Russian silent 1911 version "Roman's Kontrabasom."

Rating: Very Good

Roman s Kontrabasom
Starring:  Vera Gorskaya, Nikolai Vasilyev
Director: Kai Hansen
Pathé, Russia, 1911.

Based on the short story by Anton Chekhov.

Princess Bibulova (Vera Gorskaya) goes fishing when his fiance goes away. It is a hot day and nearby a bass player (Nikolai Vasilyev) goes swimming. Two rascals play a prank and steal his clothes. Princess decides to go swimming to get a flower bunch the musician left tied to her fishing float and again the two jesters steal her clothes. 

Princess Bibulova and her fiancé

Assembling a fishing pole

Bass player goes swimming

To avoid scandal the musician hides the princess into his contra bass case in order to smuggle her to the mansion. However he then runs after the rascals. Meanwhile the musician's friends find the contra bass case  and carry it to the garden party. The startled princess jumps out. The end. 

Rascals stealing clothes

My clothes are gone!

Bass player has a plan

Running about seven and a half minutes, the film has the main points of the original story. The actors' gestures funnily convey the story (there are no text cards) and the movie has the atmosphere of a hot summer day. 

Rating: Good