Three Fat Men (Russian: Три толстяка, romanized: Tri tolstyaka) is a 1966 Soviet children's fantasy film directed by Aleksey Batalov and Iosif Shapiro based on the eponymous novel by Yury Olesha.
Contents
Plot
The story is set in an unnamed, fantastical city ruled by the Three Fat Men, who mercilessly exploit the people. A traveling caravan of performers, including the clown Augustus, the acrobat Tibul, and the young girl Suok, arrives in the city just as a miners' uprising erupts. Tibul joins the rebels, but their revolt is crushed by the forces of General Karaska. During the bombardment from the palace, a mishap damages the mechanical doll of the heir, Tutti—a lifelike toy resembling a young girl. Meanwhile, the rebel leader Prospero is captured and brought to the palace as part of a victory celebration.
While evading soldiers, Tibul seeks refuge in the home of the renowned scientist Dr. Gaspard Arneri, who helps him disguise himself. That same night, Dr. Arneri is summoned to the palace to repair the damaged doll and is sent home with it under heavy guard. However, the rebels ambush the carriage, mistaking the doctor for a high-ranking official, and the horses bolt with the carriage and the doll. Searching for the lost doll, Dr. Arneri stumbles upon Augustus’s caravan and reunites with Tibul. It is discovered that Suok bears an uncanny resemblance to the doll, and Tibul devises a plan: Suok will impersonate the doll to infiltrate the palace. Suok, posing as the repaired doll, is delivered to Tutti’s chambers, where the lonely boy discovers her secret but chooses not to expose her. Suok retrieves the key to the royal prison and frees Prospero, but her deception is revealed when the real doll is found elsewhere. Suok and Dr. Arneri are arrested and sentenced to execution.
As the execution looms, Tibul and the rebels infiltrate the palace through an underground passage, sparking a second uprising that overthrows the Three Fat Men. Tutti, defending Suok, is injured and learns that he has a real heart, not a mechanical one as he had been told. Suok and Dr. Arneri are freed, and the performers give a grand concert in the city square to celebrate the rebellion’s victory. In the end, the performers depart in their caravan, with Tutti joining them for a new life on the road.
Cast
Lina Braknytė as Suok (in some scenes voiced by Alisa Freindlich)
Pyotr Artemyev as Tutti
Aleksey Batalov as Tibul
Valentin Nikulin as Gaspar
Aleksandr Orlov as August
Rina Zelyonaya as Ganimed
Roman Filippov as Prospero
Sergei Kulagin as Fat Man #1
Yevgeny Morgunov as Fat Man #2
Boris Khristoforov as Fat Man #3
Pavel Luspekayev as Gen. Karaska (half-voiced by Grigory Gai)
Boris Ardov as Capt. Bonaventura
Nikolai Valyano as Chancellor (voiced by Nikolay Trofimov)
Nikolai Kornoukhov as balloon seller
Viktor Sergachyov as Razdvatris
Andrei Kostrichkin as Fat Men's courtier
Aleksei Smirnov as Fat Men's confectioner
Irina Zarubina as Razdvatris' accompanist (uncredited)
Valeri Zolotukhin as regiment officer (uncredited)