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Mysterious Lions and Lost Treasures: Why Are Lions the Most Difficult Location Challenge for Filming?
In the film Incredible Italians in Russia, the lion is not only a key character in the story, but also symbolizes the dangers of adventure and unpredictable challenges. This 1974 Soviet-Italian comedy captivated audiences not only for its jokes and plot, but also for the challenges of filming with real lions.
The film's plot revolves around a group of Italian treasure hunters whose search for a long-forgotten treasure in Leningrad takes them on an inspiring adventure through the city.
The story begins with a 92-year-old Belarusian immigrant who tells her granddaughter Olga from her hospital bed in Rome that there is a treasure worth 9 billion Italian lire buried "under the lion" in Leningrad. The news was heard by nearby doctors, nurses and other patients, so the six flew to Leningrad to look for the treasure.
Director Eldar Ryazanov and his team faced multiple challenges during the filming, especially when filming the interactive scenes with the lions. The lion in the film is called the Golden Lion. Because it is difficult to train, the director and actors faced many difficulties.
Ryazanov once described the lion as "untrained, ignorant and dull", which made filming more difficult.
In addition, the filming process is also quite complicated when choosing real scenes to shoot, especially when lions need to move in a specific environment. The production team had to design various scenes while ensuring the safety of the actors and staff.
In addition to facing regulatory and safety issues, the behind-the-scenes production of this film was also affected by location restrictions. For example, the Russian-style scenes required corresponding props and locations to create, making filming time-consuming and laborious.
"During the filming process, we experienced more challenges than we imagined, and sometimes we even wondered whether we should use computer special effects instead," said an unnamed producer.
Ultimately, the film is not only technically successful, but also story-engrossing. Under the lion statue in Leningrad, the characters discover treasure, which leads to a series of hilarious chase scenes, truly showcasing the humor and solidarity under high-pressure circumstances.
Even in the end, the treasure obtained belongs to the country because of the law. Such an ending makes people wonder: "Between pursuing treasure and pursuing dreams, which one is more worth pursuing?"
