Tamara Nosova

Historical comedy about a daydreaming clerk and how his attempts to find a wife fail until he is snared by a widow. (bfi)

Unemployed and homeless Babbs Baberley (Alexander Kalyagin) is being chased by the police who attempt to arrest him for vagrancy. Babbs finds himself in a rich house, where he encounters Charlie and Jackie. Babbs' unsuccessful attempt to disguise himself as a woman gives Charlie and Jackie an idea. (imdb)

Khlestakov is a young flamboyant crook, who is broke. He finds himself in a small Russian town, where local authorities are waiting for an undercover inspector from the capital St. Petersburg. Khlestakov is mistaken for an undercover inspector, and uses the situation for taking bribes from the local governor and flirting with both his wife and daughter. Khlestakov abuses the corruption and hypocrisy of the local authorities until, at the end, the real inspector shows up.