Shof's Russian Culture Education Thread
Posted: Mon May 06, 2013 11:48 pmAfter getting numerous requests to learn about Russian Culture, I've decided to create this thread. Maybe it's what the NSers are looking for, maybe not, but it's worth a shot.
And here I'm thinking - what's the easiest way to begin exploring something as complex as Russian Culture? So I figured that I start with a famed movie, the most often watched movie by all Russians, (it's been viewed over more than 2 billion times,) called Irony of Fate. It's a Russian Tradition to watch this movie every New Year's Eve, and I've stayed true to that tradition, so did most of the people I know. There's even a joke on the subject:
Brunette: "How old are you?"
Blonde: "I don't know!"
Brunette: "How many times have you seen Irony of Fate?"
The movie is a fable set in reality. The plot, well I don't want to spoil it, but I'll say that the plot is very unique. The movie shows the life and struggles of the Russian Middle Class, what problems we had under the USSR, what the possible solutions were, what jobs were Middle Class, how the Middle Class lived, what cars we drove, etc. The apartments were fairly standard Russian Apartments for two to five people, and they were cozy for us. Two or three people per room, plus a living room, a kitchen, restrooms, etc, that was enough. We didn't need anything fancy. Besides, the apartments were just for sleeping and partying. And the movie captures the life of the Soviet Middle Class perfectly.
With that said, the plot is unique, and such stories could only happen on New Year's Eve. The Communist Government understood that the people needed Spiritual Holidays, and had plenty of them, but the two biggest ones were Victory Day, and New Year's Eve. It's hard for me to continue explaining what's going on, without revealing the plot, so I'll just add that the movie starts with a gentle, cartoonish criticism of the Communist Party's Idea of Sameness, and then shows how even in such Sameness, the Russians still found a way to make Magic happen. Hence the name, Irony of Fate.
Yes, it also involves alcohol, but that's not the main point. Another thing to pay attention to, is the music. The movie is made by Mosfilm, and Mosfilm was better than Hollywood in terms of making War Movies and Comedies. This is a comedy. The best actors were hired after tireless casting, experienced directors, producers, operators, well pretty much everything in the movie was scrutinized numerous times. The introductory symbol is a Man and Woman holding the Soviet Symbol, showing equality of the genders and the classes.
Now, the reason for this very brief introduction, is that I want you to watch the movie, and then ask questions about it, and I'll do my best to answer. Please watch it, before reading the rest of the thread, and we'll see where this goes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVpmZnRIMKs&wide=1
And here I'm thinking - what's the easiest way to begin exploring something as complex as Russian Culture? So I figured that I start with a famed movie, the most often watched movie by all Russians, (it's been viewed over more than 2 billion times,) called Irony of Fate. It's a Russian Tradition to watch this movie every New Year's Eve, and I've stayed true to that tradition, so did most of the people I know. There's even a joke on the subject:
Brunette: "How old are you?"
Blonde: "I don't know!"
Brunette: "How many times have you seen Irony of Fate?"
The movie is a fable set in reality. The plot, well I don't want to spoil it, but I'll say that the plot is very unique. The movie shows the life and struggles of the Russian Middle Class, what problems we had under the USSR, what the possible solutions were, what jobs were Middle Class, how the Middle Class lived, what cars we drove, etc. The apartments were fairly standard Russian Apartments for two to five people, and they were cozy for us. Two or three people per room, plus a living room, a kitchen, restrooms, etc, that was enough. We didn't need anything fancy. Besides, the apartments were just for sleeping and partying. And the movie captures the life of the Soviet Middle Class perfectly.
With that said, the plot is unique, and such stories could only happen on New Year's Eve. The Communist Government understood that the people needed Spiritual Holidays, and had plenty of them, but the two biggest ones were Victory Day, and New Year's Eve. It's hard for me to continue explaining what's going on, without revealing the plot, so I'll just add that the movie starts with a gentle, cartoonish criticism of the Communist Party's Idea of Sameness, and then shows how even in such Sameness, the Russians still found a way to make Magic happen. Hence the name, Irony of Fate.
Yes, it also involves alcohol, but that's not the main point. Another thing to pay attention to, is the music. The movie is made by Mosfilm, and Mosfilm was better than Hollywood in terms of making War Movies and Comedies. This is a comedy. The best actors were hired after tireless casting, experienced directors, producers, operators, well pretty much everything in the movie was scrutinized numerous times. The introductory symbol is a Man and Woman holding the Soviet Symbol, showing equality of the genders and the classes.
Now, the reason for this very brief introduction, is that I want you to watch the movie, and then ask questions about it, and I'll do my best to answer. Please watch it, before reading the rest of the thread, and we'll see where this goes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVpmZnRIMKs&wide=1
