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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 903

Three Friends and an Invention

192764 minSoviet Union
Comedy

Synopsis

Two soap-factory workers invent a machine to improve packaging, but their employer shows little interest and a private supplier sees it as a threat. Sabotage turns the demonstration into a failure. Accompanied by a fellow worker, the inventors take their model on a difficult journey to find someone willing to judge it fairly.

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Video edition
Wikimedia Commons
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: not identified.
This copy runs
63:32
Subtitles
No subtitle track in this language

No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: not identified. No subtitle track in this language.

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · «Совкино» · Public domain

Cast

DirectorsAleksei Popov

Historical context

The comedy targets both private commercial resistance and bureaucratic indifference to useful invention. Its mismatched pair of workers draw on the screen-comedy tradition of physically contrasting partners.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film referenceWikidata — film identity and credits

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 12, 2026.

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