The Cold War...

[madviking]

I'll vouch for Ivan Vasilievich: Back to the future. Good comedy.

 

[Crezth]

Hahahah, so witty!

Oh, thank you!

How many people were shot trying to cross from West Germany into the luxurious East Germany?

Compare defection rates between the USSR and USA?

I am going to stab the dark here and guess that your point is that people in the USSR and the satellites often tried to defect and were punished for it with their life.

In Eastern Germany, especially Berlin, this was certainly the case; but the comparison between East and West Germany isn't exactly a direct comparison between The East and The West as such, because those countries existed in completely different contexts and the attitudes of their patrons towards them were also different. You have to remember that East Germany was mercilessly pillaged and dismantled as the Soviets attempted to make sure that Germany's capacity to wage war was crippled; every power structure developed over the preceding 20 years was ripped down in a fortnight, and the ensuing power vacuum basically ensured that no economic growth of any consequence would be taking place there for some time to follow.

Contrast with Western Germany, whose patron state (the USA) lavished it with gifts and was so intent on building it back up that it even allowed Nazis to retain the offices they held before the fall of the Third Reich. Take from that what you will.

It goes without saying that people in the corrupt, economic sinkhole of East Germany would want to escape to the West. Even so, however, it was not the norm; no majority of people attempted to leave. Would they, if they could? I'm not sure, but I don't think you can point to any country in the history of the world that had 51% of its population up and go without the Powers That Be having an adverse reaction to it.

So I think the takeaway from your example is that corrupt states with powerful, omnipresent governments comprised of an elite that was predisposed to sybaritic excess and blatant disregard for its population will have to deal with people trying to escape. I don't think that's unique to socialism nor the nations of The Warsaw Pact, however.

I can't comment on mass defections from the USSR proper, but I'd like to see some statistics.

I'm no commie, but that smilie looks garish as all hell.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

White Sun of the Desert is an excellent movie. A fun spaghetti western, or as the Russians called it," Ostern" (Easterns). I have also seen The Cold Summer of '53 and Grey Wolves. Also good films. The husband of the woman who lent them to me lamented the "poor" quality of the special effects and acting, but I found them no worse than an Indie film or science fiction film from the time, and very often better stories, camera work, and music.

 

[red_elk]

I'll vouch for Ivan Vasilievich: Back to the future. Good comedy.

There are several other similar style (and the same quality!) comedy films of Leonid Gaidai:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Diamond_Arm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidnapping,_Caucasian_Style
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Y_and_Other_Shurik's_Adventures
You may want to see them if you liked "Ivan Vasilievich"

White Sun of the Desert is an excellent movie. A fun spaghetti western, or as the Russians called it," Ostern" (Easterns). I have also seen The Cold Summer of '53 and Grey Wolves. Also good films. The husband of the woman who lent them to me lamented the "poor" quality of the special effects and acting, but I found them no worse than an Indie film or science fiction film from the time, and very often better stories, camera work, and music.

Special effects are not the strongest side of Soviet movies, unlike good story and actors play. They are different from Hollywood films (which I like too) in terms that they are less "market-oriented". They are closer to "Forrest Gump", rather than "Avatar".

 

[rugbyLEAGUEfan]

They are closer to "Forrest Gump", rather than "Avatar".

"Life is like a box of Soviet chocolates , you totally know what you're gonna get "

 

[Lone Wolf]

One of the best things about the SU was its cinema.

Liberal freedoms are negotiable (and sure are nice!), the requirements of life are not. Given a choice between the two, any sane person would choose the necessary over the nice.

Depending on what you see as "necessity". Some hardy person can say, "I'd rather have enough food not to starve every day, then a decent flat with electricity and running water. What is the use of electricity if you starve in your electricity-supplied flat? Given a choice, I'd choose food. Therefore, electricity and running water are negotiable (while food isn't)".

I don't have a right to health care when I need it, or that my condition by birth is my fault, or that my employer doesn't need to provide safety fittings on machinery so that I don't die, or that he can fire me because he doesn't like the way that I look, or that I can be turned out of my house or apartment because I can't afford the stifling high rent. I don't like being told that I hate my country and am a traitor because I dare to stand up for the human dignity of allowing someone to marry whom they wish.

What's that blatantly liberal (maybe even liberastic!) freedom is doing in this list? As long as you're well-fed and have a low rent, who cares whether you're branded as a "traitor for standing up for human dignity"? It's not like you're being forced to "stand up for human dignity" anyway. What would you choose between the freedom to have life necessities and the freedom to "not being branded a traitor for standing up for human dignity"? The answer is obvious.

However, the USSR didn't genocide Georgians, didn't genocide Uzbeks, it genocided 1930's Ukraine only if Britain genocided India (I don't think that either of them were engaging in genocide in their respective policies). Oh, and liberal (or is it conservative?) America was quite willing in supporting people like Pinochet.

It's also worth pointing out that in today's Russia the rent steadily rises while the quality of services remains the same. Our government is fine with discarding some good things about the SU, but it's fine with keeping up some bad ones, as well. You certainly can't accuse it of being anti-Soviet!

 

[Yeekim]

Yeekim, you are welcome to add your favorites.

Nah, you already beat me to most of them:

There are several other similar style (and the same quality!) comedy films of Leonid Gaidai:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Diamond_Arm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidnapping,_Caucasian_Style
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Y_and_Other_Shurik's_Adventures

I´ll add this one though:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve_Chairs_(1976_film)

Link to video.
Gaidai version from 1971 is good too, but I prefer this one from 1976.

 

[kochman]

Yakoff Shmirnoff was hilarious. End of debate.

 

[Crezth]

Yakoff Shmirnoff was hilarious. End of debate.

In Soviet Russia, debate ends you!