Soviet film classics: ‘Intergirl’ (Interdevochka)

Also by The Slacker: mystery novel ‘New Holland’

‘meticulously researched…offers a vivid insight into modern Russia’

Available for less than two pounds on Amazon!

 

A film about hard-currency prostitutes working in Leningrad in the 1980s. Their illegal career choice is the only escape from a drab life (the illegal bit’s having hard currency, not being a prostitute). And it’s not just a choice that attracts the desperate: being an ‘international girl’, working the hotels frequented by foreign businessmen, attracts university students, professional women and girls in their final year at school.

Sounds like a cynical look back at the hypocrisy of those times, perhaps made by a modern Russian director? Or maybe it’s an American propaganda movie from 20 years ago? Wrong on both counts - ’Intergirl’ was a film made in the Soviet Union in 1989. So surely its director was arrested, and as few people as possible were allowed to see the film? Again, wrong: Pyotr Todorovsky was decorated for his work by the state in 2000, and his taboo-breaking film was seen by 40 million people in its first year.

The film starts with Edward Larsen, a Swedish businessman and client of the prostitutes, asking Intergirl Tanya Zaitseva to marry him. They’ve just had sex in a hotel in Leningrad, and even after she accepts his proposal he offers to pay her for the sex. It’s not a marriage based on love, but Tanya doesn’t care – she tells her mother doesn’t want a life as a nurse earning next to nothing (Mum doesn’t know how she really earns her money), and wants to see the world with her own eyes.

As the story unfolds we see various aspects of broken Soviet society: the nurse moonlighting as a prostitute because her profession pays poorly; the impressionable young neighbour, neglected by her parents, who follows in Tanya’s footsteps; Tanya’s absentee father who, despite having not seen her for more than 20 years, demands an extortionate amount of money to sign a paper letting her leave the USSR - Tanya’s with Edward, but is forced into a night of sex with a Japanese businessman to raise the money.

Todorovsky shows us a Soviet world suffocating in drabness. Rather than romanticising Leningrad as previous (and subsequent) films have, in ‘Intergirl’ we get long shots of the dull, utilitarian side of life: the industrial centre around the port, the street cleaners in early morning, the vast plains of tower blocks spreading for as far as the eye can see. The film suggests that one of the big draws of having a link to the West was an escape from this drabness. The Western men are all smart suits and smiles, and of course have a lot of money which enables the girls to buy the type of things few others can afford. When Edward invites her to a Leningrad restaurant, it’s 20 years since Tanya’s mother has been to one. Tanya and her colleagues get so bored at the hospital that they start drinking one night and discussing the West – a young colleague comments that she likes Western men better because they have consumer goods, like cameras. An argument is only broken up when a patient comes to tell the nurses that one of the men in his ward has died.

About half way through the film Tanya moves to Sweden, and here the work becomes something of a blunt instrument criticising the Western lifestyle: she doesn’t get on in the West as everyone knows what she did before, and her only friend is a Soviet lorry driver who travels between the two countries. The film ends in isolation and tragedy. But overall there’s far less meat here than in the scenes set in Leningrad – perhaps the director had limited experience of life in the West himself. A lot of interesting plotlines are started only to never be finished, the main relationship doesn’t seem to work on any level, and we’re left with a simple message that doesn’t do the earlier parts of the film justice: Soviet people are all good but unfortunate in life, whereas Westerners are cold, addicted to consumerism and hypocritical.

But this is nevertheless a classic well worth watching (there’s a version with English subtitles for non-Russian speakers). It’s a Soviet film with a lot of firsts: as well as being one of the first widely distributed films to take a long, hard look at Soviet society, it’s also the first time erotic scenes appeared in a film from that country. There’s also a new type of female lead for Soviet films - not a mother or a beloved, but an emancipated women in charge of her own fate.

And it’s also a film that could only have been made in a very short space of time; those few years of glasnost and perestroika at the end of the eighties. It was hoped that by facing up to the issues, they could be solved and the USSR would once more become strong – in reality the likes of ‘Intergirl’ only helped to bring about the system’s demise more rapidly.

Saul Pope is the author of ‘New Holland’, a mystery novel set in St. Petersburg and published by Espresso Books. You can take a peek here or here.

Soviet Film Classics: Office Romance (Sluzhebnyy Roman)

Also by The Slacker: mystery novel ‘New Holland’

‘meticulously researched…offers a vivid insight into modern Russia’

Available for less than two pounds on Amazon!

This film sounds rubbish, but somehow it’s amazing. Here’s the story: geeky, repressed father of two Anatoly Novoseltsev works in a Soviet-era statistics office. His best mate and fellow employee Yuri Samokhvalov encourages him to try and impress his frumpy, cold-hearted boss Ludmila Kalugina. And guess what – after failing miserably at first Novoseltsev impresses her with his honesty and kindness, and – after the mandatory trials and tribluations – they fall for each other and go off into the sunset together.

It sounds like a poor quality Hollywood effort: the kind of thing I usually avoid at all costs. But so many Russians (and, indeed, Soviets) held ‘Office Romance’ so dearly that I decided I had to check it out. I’ve probably seen it ten times now.

So what makes it such a good film? Well, its theatre roots give it a quality that sets it apart from modern day geek-gets-the-girl movies. It is based on a play, and many of the main actors started in the theatre. Indeed, Alisa Friendlich (Kalugina) and Oleg Basilashvili (Samokhvalov) continued to work on the stage in Leningrad during filming.

But the pick of the actors is undoubtedly Andrey Myagkov (Novoseltsev). Unlike the modern geeks, who are either too handsome to be geeky or else so pathetic that they just garner sympathy, Novoseltsev is a geek with an edge. He’s clumsy, stuttering over pathetic chat-up lines about picking mushrooms and unable to control his naughty children, but occasionally he shows real soul: putting down his boss for her loftiness and arrogance, or standing up to Samokhvalov when he finds out the dirty tricks he’s really up to. He’s someone compelling to watch.

Like its stablemate The Irony of Fate (which has the same director and features many of the same actors), Office Romance makes some sly digs at the Soviet society of the seventies. Known as the period of stagnation, these were days of women spending half an hour at their desks doing their make-up to start the day, secretaries knitting whilst gossiping on the office line and employees being far more interested in gossip than serious work, all of which is portrayed in the film with an apt tinge of sadness. These were days of shortages and poverty for many but, according to my mother in law, far kinder days than the ones we now live in.

Closer to the standard Soviet message is the portrayal of Samokhvalov (his surname translates as ‘praise-self’) as the office bad boy - he’s lived in the west and seems to have learned his tricks there, all whilst smoking endless Marlboros and avoiding striptease shows. More pertinent to Russia’s current political situation is that Samokhvalov is reminiscent of former Russian Prime-Minister and current opposition leader Mikhail Kasyanov. Surely Kasyanov isn’t modelling himself on Samokhvalov? He’ll need to be just as ruthless and two-faced if he wants to bring down Putin…

So what’s the best thing about this film? It’s not the slightly crazy happy ending, reminscent on one level of Benny Hill; nor is it the strange roof garden which seems to come with Kalugina’s job. The best aspect is without doubt the sweeping scenes of Moscow set to songs performed by Friendlich and Myagkov: scenes of busy train stations, snow in the trees, commuters hurrying onto and off buses. There’s nothing surpising or unique within these shots, apart from the fact that the snow was filmed in September. Their beauty lies in the fact that they’re scenes from a world now gone and, for many, forgotten - there’s nothing forced or staged in these magic minutes, just people moving through a place no longer there. It reminds me of one of my favourite photograph books, ‘The Optimism of Memory’, which shows a series of photographs from Leningrad in the 1970s – a must for anyone who’s ever been there, or who’s mystified by the Soviet Union.

You might have heard there was a follow-up film last year – ‘Office Romance: Our Time’. The acting’s pretty crap, though the actors are all good-looking – something for everyone, depending on your persuasion. The storyline follows the original exactly until the last half hour, when things actually do get interesting. Probably worth a watch, but only just – it’s another modern Russian film aping Hollywood far too closely at the expense of its own culture.

Stick with the original, though, and you won’t be disappointed.

Saul Pope is the author of ‘New Holland’, a mystery novel set in St. Petersburg and published by Espresso Books. You can take a peek here or here.

Soviet Film Classics: The Irony of Fate (Ironiya Sud’by)

Also by The Slacker: mystery novel ‘New Holland’

‘meticulously researched…offers a vivid insight into modern Russia’

Available for less than two pounds on Amazon!

The film Irony of Fate is a staple of New Year in Russia - as much as Soviet Champagne, Olivier salad, and of course popping round to see friends throughout the night once the first toast has been said. For those that don’t know (and there’s no reason you should – as far as I know it’s never been on British television), The Irony of Fate is a Soviet film made from 1975, shown on 31st December every year on Russian television (and, I guess, in other Russian-speaking countries).

On the surface, it’s a romantic comedy about a man (Zhenya) and woman (Nadya) thrown together by circumstance on New Year’s Eve. Initially they can’t stand each other but end up falling in love - it’s light and fluffy, perfect for a celebration that is focused on the family and friends. But there are some hidden aspects which give this film a darker edge.

The main plotline hinges on the fact that Zhenya, a man in his thirties who’s just asked his girlfriend to marry him, goes to a bathhouse (banya) in Moscow to celebrate New Year with friends. He gets so drunk that he ends up on a flight to Leningrad. Time to turn around and go back to meet his lady? Not quite. There’s an identical street in Leningrad to his own Moscow street (3rd Builders’ Street) and the blocks of flats all look the same. Even his key works in the door to the Leningrad flat, and the layout inside is also identical. Thus he gets a taxi to 3rd Builders’ Street and falls asleep, believing he’s still in Moscow in his own flat - though actually he’s in Nadya’s bed.

On the surface comedy gold, but the subtext is a sly dig at the Soviet system under Khruschev, during which time the country was built over by vast plains of flats, producing miles and miles of depressing, identikit tower blocks across its towns and cities. You don’t need to speak Russian to get this bit of satire in the film’s opening moments – a cartoon featuring an architect whose grandiose plans for beautiful flats are reduced to ugly tower blocks by the authorities, and a three and a half minute film sequence sweeping through these identikit blocks. A voiceover then explains with no small irony how everything looking the same means it’s possible to feel at home in any city in the country.

Though things seem to end happlily ever after between Zhenya and Nadya (after what is, it has to be said, over three hours), there is a feeling of Twelfth Night about it. At the start of the film Zhenya asks his girlfriend of two years, Galya, to marry him. By the following morning he’s with Nadya, whose flat he ended up in, and Galya has been all but forgotten. Every time I’ve watched it I’ve felt for Galya – perhaps as the actress is one of the film’s best. I will her to return at the end, telling the assembled cast Malvolio-style that she’ll have revenge on the whole pack of them. Instead we get a death-stare from Zhenya’s mother at her potential new daughter-in-law, which almost does the job.

There’s also the mystery of the casting. The heroine, Nadya, is played by Barbara Brylska – not a Russian but a Polish actress. Nothing wrong with that, you might think – apart from the fact that her Russian is far from perfect. In the final film her voice is dubbed over by one of the other actresses from the film. It seems a strange thing to have done, when at the time in the Soviet Union there must have been an actress who both looked the part and could speak the language well enough. If anyone knows why this happened I’d appreciate the answer.

So there we have it – a slightly corny Soviet classic that doesn’t always make complete sense, but is enjoyable and proves that, contrary to Western beliefs, there was room for dissent (albeit subtle) in the USSR…

There are no free pictures from the film, but you can take a look at some stills here.

Saul Pope is the author of ‘New Holland’, a mystery novel set in St. Petersburg and published by Espresso Books. You can take a peek here or here.

Russia political protests: what next for the country?

‘Russians loved history and tradition, but liked to be led and could not get organised.’ – a line I wrote myself; but one that in the light of the current protests in Russia suddenly seems outdated.

So what’s happened? Firstly, it seems Putin and his team have dropped a catch, and it’s a dolly they’ve put down. Somehow they’ve not kept up with the changes in how Russians use the internet, particularly the under thirties. Stories of electoral fraud cannot be brushed under the carpet when there’s YouTube and a discontented population no longer prepared to be taken for a ride. Dull reports of leadership meetings, reminiscent of the Soviet era and usually dominating the news on the First Channel and NTV, are becoming less and less relevant as people get their news through platforms like Livejournal, Facebook and Vkontakte instead. Basically it’s not 2004 any more - election campaign strategies that worked then do not work now.

So what now? Much will depend on the degree to which Putin and Medvedev are able to appease protesters in the short-term – the head of the central electoral commission could well be the first sacrifice, possibly before the end of the year. It’s possible after an investigation they’ll be able to claim the fraud was because of rogue elements down the food chain, and indeed it could be that neither the President nor the Prime Minister had direct knowledge of its extent – there are enough people below them terrified enough of losing power to make it worthwhile organising ballot box stuffing and the ferrying around of compliant voters.

Will Putin sacrifice Medvedev in a reshuffle? Unlikely, given that much of the anger has been directed instead towards Prime Minister rather than President. For the time being Medvedev - seen as the more liberal of the two – is likely to be key as spokesman for the leadership; Putin will stay in the background for as long as possible. This means Medvedev will probably survive for the time being, but might find himself sacked from the Prime Minister role in 2013 if things haven’t improved.

But surely Putin can’t be re-elected President in March? Yes he can, and he will be. For one thing, despite the protests he remains relatively popular, particularly amongst the poor and in some of the provinces. And for many this popularity is deserved – through the last decade Putin oversaw the country’s evolution from the chaos of the Yeltsin era to becoming a country where many of its people were able to find a stable job, start to enjoy themselves with the extra money they had and to hope of a better future. Pensioners, for example, have benefited from his considerable pension increases. Though the economy has taken a turn for the worse, some see Putin as the best man to lead the country out of it.

For many voting for Putin is a case of better the devil you know. There’s a suspicion that a new leader would only want to bring in his people, who’d then want to get rich through abusing their new power - better to stick to the guy whose team has probably done all that. And there is a lack of credible alternative right now. The political opposition is a mish-mash of Communists, liberals and nationalists whose most recognisable figures have by and large had a shot at power and come up short either under Yeltsin or Putin. They’re unlikely to be able to unite behind one or even two realistic candidates in time for March.

So expect Putin to return to power in 2012, despite the dissatisfaction. Expect a campaign that attempts to integrate social media, labels the opposition as hardcore nationalists or American stooges and features one or two new faces who’ll become more important in the coming years. Putin will win but not by a huge majority, which could leave the door open to a real contest in the election after that.

Alternatively, expect the unexpected – something from leftfield, just as when Putin became Yeltsin’s successor on New Year’s Eve 1999. This is, after all, Russia we are talking about…

Saul Pope lived in Russia during both the Yeltsin and Putin presidential eras. As well as writing about football in Russia for ‘When Saturday Comes’ he is the author of ‘New Holland’, a mystery novel set in St. Petersburg and published by Espresso Books. You can take a peek here or here.

‘The Killing 2′: Come back Troels Hartmann, your country needs you!

Also by The Slacker: mystery novel ‘New Holland’

‘…well-observed…offers a vivid insight in modern Russia…’

Available for less than two pounds on Amazon!

 

 

 

One of the most common adjectives describing the successful Danish crime thriller ’The Killing’ is ‘surprise’. It didn’t have the ready-made following of a Mankell or Larsson screen conversion; it didn’t look particularly pretty either, yet it quickly built up a fanbase. It was understated yet gripping; its characters were, to a tee, convincing. This makes it even more of a pity that after five episodes ‘The Killing 2′ has, for me, failed to ignite.

A quick comparison of the two series suggests where they’ve gone wrong. In the first series a young women is murdered by someone close to her – we feel for her family, and are kept guessing by a series of plausible suspects. This second series starts with a similarly gruesome murder, but this time it’s linked to Islamist terrorism. And guess what – the terrorists aren’t actually to blame, but there’s a dodgy-looking bloke at special branch. It’s difficult to get hooked on yet another story about terrorists – ’24′ and ‘Spooks’ were doing this years ago, and it wasn’t that interesting even then. We don’t feel any compassion.

There’s also a lack of on-screen chemistry in this new series - through to be fair the actors haven’t been given much to work with. In the first series mayoral candidate Troels Hartmann is a bundle of energy, up against a dirty tricks campaign which make him moody, desperate and unable to resist the tempations of his political advisor. In ‘The Killing 2′ the political background is an anti-terrorism bill which – guess what – some politicians don’t agree with, causing new justice minister Thomas Buch to – wait for it – bounce a rubber ball against a wall time and again. He doesn’t feel like a statesman, as Hartmann does – Buch instead looks like a man who’d do a very good job as regional manager for a large chain of department stores.

Sarah Lund’s personal turmoil in the first series gets us interested – one moment we feel sorry for her, the next we want her to get a grip and spend an hour with her son. She’s also cunning, able to outfox and irritate senior police and politicians in equal measure. Now her personal issues aren’t over, but aren’t mentioned either. She skulks from scene to scene like an extra in ‘Wallander’ struggling with the office photocopier, awkwardly slopping food onto her plate at home and making just enough insightful comments to keep the now semi-comatose viewer awake when she’s at work.

Her colleagues aren’t much better – Brix seems to be a man winning a bet with a friend to say as few words as possible in life; Ulrik Strange, the new Jan Meyer, is notable only for his passing resemblance to former Wolves and England striker Steve Bull. It’s the hair. There are also some military characters, all clipped speech and smart walks – and not much else that you wouldn’t put on a list of stereotypes about the army. One of their number has just escaped a psychiatric hospital and keeps on mentioning what happened ‘back in the village’ – he’s the most convincing of all the characters.

I realise that with my limited knowledge of Danish language and culture – I once changed planes in Copenhagen, but that’s it - I’ve probably missed many of the nuances available to a more cultured observer of the country. And there’s still time for things to improve – I hope to be eating humble pie by Christmas. It’s just that right now the first series of ‘The Killing’ feels like it might have been a flash in the pan…

Saul Pope is the author of ‘New Holland’, a mystery novel set in St. Petersburg and published by Espresso Books. You can take a peek here or here.