The Big Exchange (Russian: Менялы) is a 1992 Russian-American comedy film directed by Georgiy Shengeliya.[1][2][3]
| The Big Exchange | |
|---|---|
| Russian: Менялы | |
| Directed by | Georgiy Shengeliya |
| Written by | Aleksey Timm |
| Produced by | |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Yakov Poselsky |
| Edited by | Vera Ostrinskaya |
| Music by | Georgi Movsesyan |
| Countries | Russia United States |
| Language | Russian |
The plot centers on the 1961 monetary reform in the Soviet Union, which involved denomination of all currency 10:1; conspicuously, the copper kopecks (1/100 of a ruble) were excluded from the exchange due to the expense of re-minting them, effectively becoming 10 times as valuable. The protagonists of the movie are tasked by a Soviet government functionary (who is also a secret millionaire) to enact a get-rich scheme which involves them touring the country and exchanging the old paper banknotes, soon to be on their way out, for small copper coins. The film then deals with their misadventures on the road.[4]