 In 1960 Shpalikov, still a VGIK student, was offered to write a screenplay for the new film by Marlen Khutsiev.Originally titled Ilyich's Gate, the movie was dedicated to the Khrushchev Thaw and the new generation of the Sixtiers, being inspired by the French New Wave.Ryazantzeva, Tarkovsky and Konchalovsky all played small parts in it.