About the title
Simple Soviet engineer Shurik Timofeev invents a time machine, and after an explosion and short circuit, the furious building superintendent, along with the thief Miloslavsky (a character from other Bulgakov plays as well), ends up in the era of Ivan the Terrible. The Tsar himself lands in the year 1973, while the hapless "time travelers" — Bunsha and Georges — have to "rule" Tsarist Russia for a while. Gaidai's film is so good that "Ivan Vasilievich Changes His Profession" (together with "The Striped Voyage") has so far remained one of the rare exceptions contemporary remake-makers haven't tried to grab hold of. However, in 2014 a remake titled "Ioanna Vasilievna Changes Her Profession" was announced, but, fortunately for all fans of Soviet film classics, the project was never completed.