Queen Amaranthine Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 Can anyone help? (Beltmann, are you out there? ) I'm looking for artsy and pop culture titles for two themes: Russia:I'm mostly looking for something recent, but Soviet-era would be great too. Movies about or made in Russia or any of the Commonwealth of Independent States: Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Engaging/interesting documentaries will do too. Literature, classic or contemporary, from any of the above (I've already got Dostoevsky and Chekov on my list). Artists/noteworthy artwork, including photography or photojournalism Music Anything else artsy--dance, etc. Survival theme:Literature, particularly poetry or short stories, although novels and plays are OK too. Art--paintings, photography Music--artsy or popular culture I already have a good list of movies for this theme, including Castaway, Saving Private Ryan, and Titanic. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Heartbreak Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 You know it's just a matter of time before someone posts a photo of Borat, right? I can only speak to the Russian literature part, but in addition to Dostoevsky and Chekhov, I would say check out Pushkin, Tolstoy, Turgenev, Gogol, & Lermontov. That is all. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
owl Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 Nabokov, too. His family had a very comfortable life before they had to flee Russia. Check out "Strong Opinoins," an excellent compilation of his interviews for more info. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
a.miller Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 A while back there was a fantastic post regarding a person who too motorcycle trips through Chernobyl and took some amazing photographs. I'm not sure if that is of any help to Russia-related stuff. Either way, here it is: kiddofspeed.com Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yermom Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 Russian Ark is pretty interesting on a couple of levels. (World's first unedited feature film: it consists of a single 90-minute Steadicam shot.) Not as unwatchable and far out there as the descriptions sometimes make it sound. "Told in one fluid shot, a tale which floats like a dreamlike journey through the majestic spaces of the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, engaging real and imagined characters from Russian and European history. The nameless protagonist, a 19th-century French diplomat, guides the audience through a lost, sumptuous dream that was the Enlightenment period. The film, staged among some of the Western Art tradition's greatest masterpieces, climaxes in a pageant of color, motion, and music. For Sokurov, the Hermitage--home to generations of Romonovs and repository of so much Russian history--is the ark of the Russian soul, guarding it affectionately until the world sees better days." ---Amazon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Atticus Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 I enjoyed John Le Carre's The Russia House. I also enjoy mispronouncing his name. So there's that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 Perhaps this is set too far in the past, but Dr. Zhivago is a classic (I'm referring specifically to the film, but I suppose that goes for the book too). It's a bit of a soap opera, but its backdrop is the revolution, and it's very interesting in that respect. Music: To my mind, Russians have basically perfected choral music. Much of my favorite stuff is written for male choruses, but a lot of standard SATB arrangements are mind-blowing as well. In particular, composers like Sergei Rachmaninoff, Georgy Sviridov, and Alexander Gretchaninov wrote some gorgeous stuff. There's a bit from Rachmaninoff (I think it was a "vespers" section from a larger piece) that is the most beautiful piece of choral music I think I've ever heard. I wish I had titles of some of these pieces, but it's been years since I was immersed in this stuff. If I find any of it, I'll post it here. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hodie Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 The Return (Vozvrashcheniye) is a beautiful, wonderful, stunning russian film about how two brothers deal with the return of their father, whom they've never known. cryptique's message contains the composers I would've mentioned, but I'd also add that Dmitri Kabalevsky wrote a lot of beautiful music, the cello works being the ones that caught my heart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dannygutters Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 The Master and Marghrita! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Stan Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 I have enjoyed:- Genghis Blues : http://www.genghisblues.com/articles/reuters.html Burnt By the Sun - Stalin's times The Barber of Siberia - Turn of the century 'epic' that is sprawling and unfocused but has some memorable scenes Prisoner Of The Mountains - Story set in Chechnia Come And See (Idi I Smotri) - Be warned: this is a brutal (anti) war film based around the annihilation of a Russian village by the Nazis Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Boots Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 For Russia Darkness at Noon- Arthur Koestler- Soviet area, 1930's if I remember about all those lovely trials they had Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Queen Amaranthine Posted May 3, 2007 Author Share Posted May 3, 2007 You know it's just a matter of time before someone posts a photo of Borat, right? Thanks so much, everyone! These all look great. No survival theme arts that anyone can think of? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yermom Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 I see that you already have Survival movies in mind, but if you might also consider Dark Days, a doc: "Near Penn Station, next to the Amtrak tracks, squatters have been living for years. Marc Singer goes underground to live with them, and films this "family." A dozen or so men and one woman talk about their lives: horrors of childhood, jail time, losing children, being coke-heads. They scavenge, they've built themselves sturdy one-room shacks; they have pets, cook, chat, argue, give each other haircuts. A bucket is their toilet. Leaky overhead pipes are a source of water for showers. They live in virtual darkness. During the filming, Amtrak gives a 30-day eviction notice. " And with the survival theme, one of the first thing that comes to mind is holocaust survivors.With Tamar Deuel, you get poetry, sculpture and painting...Her site is a good resource. She shares her reflections on what it is like to survive. The pain in her art is a reminder that surviving is a blessing and a curse, but the images are also pretty hopeful in their own ways.Survivor art like this is incredible on so many levels. The paintings are revelation, reminder, therapy, beauty, sadness, reflection...amazing stuff. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reni Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 How about the movie Europa Europa? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europa_Europa Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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