Ask a Russian

[red_elk]

I think I should watch Kukushka.

Just in case, all movies which I post here, I saw and recommend to watch. Unless I say otherwise in the post.

Another "DDT" song - "Dead City. Christmas". Dedicated to the First Chechen War and assault on Grozny which happened 31.12.1994
Didn't find Russian text, but there is a video with English subs

One of my classmates was sent to that war as a conscript. I could be too.

 

[Takhisis]

Chechen War? I might have suggested watching ‘Жажда’ here before.

Also one called, um… ‘Весель част’ or something similar. It's a… weird film, to put it mildly.

 

[red_elk]

Chechen War? I might have suggested watching ‘Жажда’ here before.

Also one called, um… ‘Весель част’ or something similar. It's a… weird film, to put it mildly.

Didn't watch any of these.
But I feel we need to switch to something less negative.

"We'll live till Monday" (1968) - Soviet drama film directed by Stanislav Rostotsky. I found a good review which can describe it better than I.

One of the most interesting of this genre, and likely one that is the least familiar to American audiences, is the 1968 Soviet production of We’ll Live Till Monday, directed by Stanislav Rostotsky (1922-2001). It won the Golden Prize in the 6th Moscow International Film Festival in 1969 and a USSR State Prize in 1970.

When the film opens, two characters present us with a study in contrasts. One is a veteran educator, now a shadow of his former self. He appears to have lost the spark in his heart and the twinkle in his eye that had made him a beloved figure among both students and colleagues. The other is his young protégée, who is seen taking her first turn at the front of the classroom, attempting to negotiate the group dynamics that make such a profession so challenging.

We’ll Live Till Monday burrows deep into the various facets of the school-as-workplace. The morale of the educators, the generation gap, the interaction with parents, and the relationship between teachers and administrators are all explored.

One of the best moments in this film (which is marvelously shot in black and white) occurs when the school principal is just about to exit the office but gets waylaid by the angst-ridden protagonist. Realizing there is no escape from the complaints of agonizing ennui that plagues the teacher, the principal throws down his hat and coat, and invites his comrade to wax nostalgic about the unpleasant memories of a derailed romance that have sunk the veteran educator into his funk. The teacher at last tries the principal’s patience when he requests a leave. The exasperated principal tries to restore a sense of duty to his old colleague and barks in reply, “Take your leave! Go nurse your honor while we stay here and build!”

Journalist and playwright Mike Davidow was one of the great commentators on the Soviet experiment. For years he chronicled his observations of Soviet society in the pages of the People’s World and its predecessors. Mike saw We’ll Live Till Monday on its original release in the USSR and had this to say: “It is an honest portrayal that also deals frankly with the complex human problems that are involved in molding the communist man and woman. Its artistic strength lies in its profound, probing integrity.” No one could have said it better.

http://www.peoplesworld.org/article/movies-you-might-have-missed-we-ll-live-till-monday/

The film is available on youtube with English subtitles and in good quality.

Spoiler :

 

[Takhisis]

Весель част (again, I think it's spelled like that) is not about the Chechen wars.

 

[red_elk]

Весель част

Do you know an English name for that? No, if it's in Russian, you spelled it a bit wrong.
First word means most likely something funny or joyful, but word's ending dropped.
And for the second, there are many similarly sounding words (час, часть, часто...) all with different meanings.

There is a tragicomedy "Весельчаки" (2009), but I'm not sure this is what you meant.

 

[Smellincoffee]

Do people in Russia blame Americans for D.C's breathtakingly stupid hostility toward Russia?

 

[red_elk]

I think there is general understanding that American people are all different and that international relations depend more on government policies.
From my experience, people who are familiar with Russian culture, history, or visited it, tend to perceive Russia better than those who are less familiar with it.
Other people rely on the information which is provided by their government and media, or follow stereotypes which can also be good or bad.

 

[REDY]

What are your favorite Soviet and possibly Russian products ads?

 

[dusters]

Mozhes mi pamogatj c kakoii recursi dlja literati v ruskom jazike? Ja ha4u pisatj pisme na kakoi-to poeti. Sovsem horosho budet esli oni budet iz Sankt Peterburge.

Can you please help me with finding resources about writers in Russian? I would like to become pen friends with some poet. It would be awesome if she/he would be from Saint Petersburg.

 

[red_elk]

What are your favorite Soviet and possibly Russian products ads?

Hard to say. In USSR there were almost no ads at all, except for weird posters like "Keep your money in Sberbank" or "Fly with Aeroflot", while these were the only bank and air company available. They started to appear only during Perestroika time.

And I rarely watch TV, so can't remember particularly interesting product ads. The one off the top of my head is the beer ad with David Duchovny which I stumbled upon on youtube:

Can you please help me with finding resources about writers in Russian? I would like to become pen friends with some poet. It would be awesome if she/he would be from Saint Petersburg.

You mean, like forums of Russian writers and poets?
If you are ok if it's in Russian, there are many of them - for instance http://pisatel.forumbb.ru/

 

[dusters]

Thanks. Well, I teach basic Russian grammar myself, so I'm quite good at Russian, but I wish I could read Pushkin i Tolstoj freely. I'm getting there.

 

[red_elk]

Pushkin is the best of course. Although he may be quite difficult to understand for non-native speakers.

About classics and poetry - another film recommendation.
"A Cruel Romance" (1984), drama film directed by Eldar Ryazanov. It's a screen adaptation of Alexander Ostrovsky's classic play "Without a Dowry" written in 1878.

This particular romance is based on a poem written by Marina Tsvetaeva. There are also romances on Bella Akhmadulina and Rudyard Kipling poems.

 

[Takhisis]

Do you know an English name for that? No, if it's in Russian, you spelled it a bit wrong.
First word means most likely something funny or joyful, but word's ending dropped.
And for the second, there are many similarly sounding words (час, часть, часто...) all with different meanings.

There is a tragicomedy "Весельчаки" (2009), but I'm not sure this is what you meant.

It could be… I only saw the title once, and I can't remember much, Russia's form of Cyrillic I'm not used to.

Is this ‘Весельчаки’ tragicomedy about a group of drag queens?

 

[red_elk]

I didn't watch it, but from wiki description, yes.

 

[Takhisis]

Then it's the same comedy. I often have trouble telling ы and ь apart.

 

[red_elk]

"The dawns here are quiet"
Remake of the original 1972 movie, made to the 70-th anniversary of the Victory.

Although in my opinion original film was better, the remake is not bad too. Usual problem with the Russian movies in the last decade is lack of good storyline, but it doesn't apply here because scenario is based on Boris Vasilyev novel.

 

[red_elk]

A walk in Moscow (timelapse video)

 

[red_elk]

A cute girl and another Cossack song

 

[Takhisis]

How big is Две Легенды in Russia? It has recently made the hop into Eurochannel.

 

[red_elk]

Never heard about it, TBH. May be I should watch it after I finish Westworld.