Adventures of a Dentist (Pokhozhdeniya zubnogo vracha)
Directed by Elem Klimov
Written by Aleksandr Volodin from his play
1965/USSR
Mosfilm/Trete Tvorcheskoe Obedinenie
First viewing/FilmStruck
“No, my friend, I am not drunk. I have just been to the dentist, and need not return for another six months! Is it not the most beautiful thought? –Poirot” ― Agatha Christie, One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
The mid-sixties were a great time for whimsical slavic comedies.
This one is about a newly-graduated dentist who discovers he has a magical ability to perform pain-free extractions. This brings him some fame but also troubles when no one will go to any other dentist in town.
The film runs tells a really simple story with a coming-of-age theme. I think this will blend in my mind with all the other similar Eastern European comedies of the period within a few days. On the other hand, it was a charming way to spend less than an hour.
Montage of stills
