"Monday Begins on Saturday. Screenplay" by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, summary

The screenplay is based on the Strugatsky brothers’ novella of the same name, written in the 1960s. The work depicts the clash of the Soviet scientific and technical intelligentsia with the world of magic and Russian folklore. The key feature of this text is its adaptation of the original book’s plot for cinema, with some plot lines modified and a more dynamic development of events.

The original story became a cult classic for several generations of readers and formed the basis for the well-known television film "The Wizards." The television film retained only a few motifs, names, and the atmosphere of the New Year’s fairy tale, departing significantly from the Strugatskys’ original satirical and sci-fi vision.

Arrival at the Iznacurnozh Museum

A young Leningrad programmer, Sasha Privalov, arrives in a small northern town. He steps off a dusty bus with two heavy suitcases. He is met by a local, Edik Pochkin. They head to Lukomorye Street to find their overnight accommodations.

Sasha is housed in the unusual museum "IZNAKURNOZH" — a hut on chicken legs. The museum’s owner, the incredibly old Naina Kievna, greets the guest with suspicion. She immediately determines Sasha’s personal information and predicts a long journey for him. In the courtyard sits a huge cat, Vasily, who can talk but suffers from severe multiple sclerosis.

A strange piece of furniture is discovered in the museum’s storage room. Edik anxiously examines the low, modern sofa and warns Sasha to stay away from the furniture. Privalov lies down on an old cot. In the middle of the night, the cot breaks. The programmer moves to the mysterious sofa and falls asleep.

Night incidents

At night, strange things begin to happen. Vasily the cat wanders around the enormous oak tree, trying to sing songs and tell stories, but he constantly forgets the words. The hut sways periodically, and a giant chicken leg crawls out from under the window, leaving furrows in the ground. The phone in the hallway starts ringing. An unknown voice persistently asks for a taxi.

Returning to the room, Sasha discovers the sofa is missing. Soon, an elegant man in a black beret — Cristóbal Jozevich Junta — enters the hut. Unable to find the sofa, he heads to the restroom and disappears. An unshaven man in a cap materializes next — Khoma Brut. He retrieves empty bottles from a cloudy mirror, complains about the missing furniture, and also vanishes.

A shiny cylinder remains on the bench — the Umclydeth magic wand. Sasha accidentally activates the device. The room flips over, and objects fall to the floor. The majestic Fyodor Simeonovich Kivrin appears out of thin air. The learned magician apologizes for the commotion, explains the principles of quantum alchemy, and persuades Sasha to stay and work at the institute.

Conflict over the translator

In the morning, a stocky fellow in a Hawaiian shirt appears in the room — Viktor Korneev. He was the one who stole the sofa the night before. A fight almost breaks out between Viktor and Sasha. Modest Matveyevich Kamnoedov, the institute administrator, enters, demanding the return of the equipment. Edik, Khoma Brut, and Professor Vybegallo appear behind him.

A heated debate on terminology erupts. Vybegallo demands the sofa for his internationally significant experiment. Edik explains that the sofa is a transmitter of universal transformations. Modest Matveyevich insists on maintaining the records. Korneev flies into a rage: the sky darkens, a fierce wind blows. The administrator remains adamant. Korneev returns the sofa.

The reason for the scandal is revealed. The sofa is needed for mathematical and magical calculations. Korneev asks Sasha to help him calculate a mathematical model. They fill mountains of paper. Edik waves his umklaidet, and all three are instantly transported to the modern building of the Research Institute of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The Daily Life of a Magic Programmer

Intensive work begins. Sasha launches the newest electronic computer, the Aldan-12. Days and nights merge. The programmer reads thick tomes on mathematical magic, writes programs, and communicates with scientists. Korneev demonstrates topological tricks with a bottle of kefir. Cristobal Junta connects his brain to the machine through a nickel-plated cap.

The institute is overflowing with duplicates — copies of employees. Regular people are short on time, so they send their clones to stand in lines, collect their salaries, and perform routine tasks. Edik teaches Sasha how to walk through walls. The training is difficult: the programmer gets stuck in the brickwork.

The computing center is operating at full capacity. Visitors are constantly arriving with requests. Sasha refuses to attend Professor Vybegalla’s grand experiment, citing his busy schedule. A call from Viktor Korneev forces him to reconsider. The friends head to the enormous hangar.

The Birth of the Ideal Consumer

Correspondents, cameramen, and NIICHAVO staff have gathered in the hangar. A familiar broadcast couch stands on a wooden platform. A giant spotted egg rests on it. Sacks of bread, buckets of milk, and cultural indoctrination equipment are scattered around. Professor Vybegallo is giving a lecture on the ideal human model.

The egg bursts. A replica of Vybegalla hatches, wearing striped pajamas. The person immediately begins devouring bread and drinking milk straight from buckets. The model rapidly grows in size. Having satisfied its material needs, the creature moves on to spiritual development: listening to a tape recorder and watching cartoons.

The ghoul surveys the crowd appraisingly. He snatches the sheepskin coat from his creator, rips Sasha’s hat off, and takes Stella’s watch. A mass robbery ensues. Sheepskin coats, cameras, and wallets are thrown into sacks. The junta orders the construction of defensive fortifications. Trucks loaded with sand and barbed wire appear.

Battle in the hangar

The ghoul’s needs grow. He demands cars. Buses, old and new Volgas, and a Cadillac roll into the hangar. The ghoul tries to seize all the vehicles. The employees use a sedative — a stream of beer from a fire hose. The monster drinks the beer and pulls the tanker over the fortifications.

The junta orders the release of the Golem. A modern, six-armed robot leaps into the arena. The ghoul charges, swinging planks and an iron bar. The robot easily dodges and delivers precise blows. The ghoul falls, but quickly changes tactics. He forces the robot to pack up the stolen goods.

It’s Korneev’s turn. Edik and Sasha carry a basket with a bottle of vintage gin. A policeman runs into the hangar with a whistle. Korneev throws the bottle straight into the monster’s fanged mouth. An explosion rings out, engulfing the hangar in smoke and flames. A blazing fireball destroys the set and fortifications. In place of the ideal consumer, only a deep crater and a huge set of dentures remains.

Temporal experiments

The Aldan-12 machine breaks down. Sasha wanders the halls of the institute, searching for Vybegalla. The professor hasn’t shown up to collect his paycheck, arousing everyone’s suspicions. Soon, Vybegalla is found in his locked office. He sits motionless at his desk, covered in a thick layer of dust and cobwebs, holding a pencil.

Kivrin and Khunta diagnose suspended animation in the external temporal field. The source of the field is located in Korneev’s laboratory. Sasha penetrates the wall and discovers an incredible scene. Viktor Korneev is moving at incredible speed among complex equipment. The professor appears stunned on the screen.

Korneev developed a method for extracting excess time from slackers. He took two weeks from Vybegalla to speed up the process of creating living water. Viktor demonstrates the result: a frozen flounder comes to life in a special vessel. Korneev plans to transform all the water on Earth into living water.

The experiment is interrupted by senior mages. Junta and Kivrin condemn the young scientist’s methods. Stealing someone else’s time is unacceptable, even for the sake of great scientific discoveries. The institute’s goal is to ensure that no one on Earth has excess time, so that everyone can live a full, passionate life. Modest Matveyevich confiscates the decommissioned sofa.

That evening, the friends are back working in Korneev’s lab. Khoma Brut is fiddling around under the table, repairing a hidden sofa. The young researchers continue their research.