The filming of the movie «It Can't Be!» took place in Astrakhan. Most of the street scenes were shot there because the local architecture in the 1970s had hardly changed since the 1920s, when the events of the film take place.

Filming Locations:

Gorbushkin's House

In the Movie

Scene where Store manager Gorbushkin is summoned to the prosecutor's investigator. Gorbushkin thinks they want to arrest him and collectivize his acquired property, so he decides to sell everything as quickly as possible and leave his wife funds for further life. The solid little house with a summer veranda was bought for 10,000 rubles (the amount was mentioned in the film itself).

In Reality

The scene was filmed in a house located on Jean Jaures Street in Astrakhan, directly opposite the Church of John Chrysostom. For this, house No. 47 was transformed: a terrace and staircase were added, and beautiful carved window frames were made.

Beer Shop of Gorbushkin's Brother-in-Law

In the Movie

Scene where Gorbushkin's brother-in-law works in his own beer bar, delighting locals with constant drinks, selling boiled crayfish and bagels. He performs the very popular and recognizable song "It's not beer that ruins people, it's water that ruins people!"

In Reality

The scene was filmed The beer bar was set up against the backdrop of the Astrakhan "Tatar Bazaar". It was a temporary kiosk installed for the filming. Specially for this scene, a barrel of beer was brought to the set. When the workday ended, the crew members happily emptied the barrel.

Prosecutor's Office

In the Movie

Scene where Gorbushkin, bewildered, begins to get ready for interrogation, preparing for the worst. Gorbushkin initially does not want to enter the building, but the law enforcement officer still leads him to the investigator's office, where he gives testimony. Meanwhile, Gorbushkin's wife (played by Nina Grebeshkova) and her enterprising brother (played by Soviet actor Vyacheslav Nevinny) actively begin to "squander" the property acquired by the main character. When Gorbushkin returns home in the evening, he sees bare walls and his wife in old woman's clothes, sitting on strange furniture with a neighbor. A week later, Gorbushkin is finally arrested.

In Reality

The scene was filmed at the Saratov State Law Academy Astrakhan branch (at that time) Astrakhan Palace of Pioneers. This was the filming location for the scene "At the Investigator's." Also, the quiet lane at the intersection with Fioletov Street was used for filming. Right on the sidewalk, on a children's playground, a set of the investigator's office was built on a high platform with a view of the Kremlin. The set had three walls, and filming was done through the missing wall.