The Inspector-General

The mayor and his circle receive a letter warning of the imminent arrival of a government inspector. They discuss the potential consequences and begin to tighten control over the town's officialdom. The mood shifts to paranoia as everyone prepares to prove their competence.

Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky meet Khlestakov at the inn and, eager for gossip, mistake him for the inspector. They immediately begin to spread the rumor to others in town. The man himself is unaware of the deception at first.

Once the claim takes hold, officials and townspeople alike speculate about Khlestakov's importance. Flattery and rumors fill conversations, heightening the charade. The town starts treating him as a figure of power.

Khlestakov is a low-level bureaucrat from St. Petersburg traveling with his servant. He has run out of money after a card game and cannot pay for lodging or meals. Stranded, he becomes a target for the officials' hospitality.

Believing him to be an important official, the mayor arranges a tour of the town's establishments. He hopes to showcase the town's wealth and productivity by parading the supposed inspector from place to place. Khlestakov enjoys the attention and goes along with the ruse.

A lavish feast is organized to honor the supposed inspector. The tavern and officials pull out all the stops, hoping to cement his status. The town revels in the chance to show off its prosperity.

Drunk on attention, Khlestakov exaggerates his influence, claiming to be a friend of Pushkin and almost a field marshal. He uses his newfound fame to gain respect and fear from the town's leaders. The deception feeds his growing appetite for power.

Khlestakov courts the mayor's wife and daughter, leveraging his imagined importance to win affection. He borrows over 1,000 rubles from the officials, expanding the farce into personal gain. The line between playacting and real consequence blurs.

Before leaving town, he promises to marry the mayor's daughter, sealing his role in the town's fantasy. The officials react with a mix of hope and fear at the prospect of a marriage alliance. He prepares to depart with his spoils of illusion.

Shortly after the engagement promise, Khlestakov abruptly departs, abandoning the ruse and triggering confusion among the officials. They scramble to reassess their own gullibility as he disappears. The town is left with a mix of relief and embarrassment.

During the engagement celebration, the town postmaster delivers a letter from Khlestakov that reveals his true identity. The officials are stunned to realize they have been fooled. The letter upends their plans and raises questions about the inspector's imminent arrival.

A gendarme arrives to announce the actual government inspector from St. Petersburg is on his way. The town's earlier pretensions crumble as the official news arrives. Fear and panic ripple through the room.

The mayor and his officials freeze in shock and fear as the true inspector's presence becomes undeniable. The farce collapses under the weight of real authority. The film ends on this frozen, ambivalent note.