#908 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Thursday April 25)
Good morning,
Russia is in the news these days for all the wrong reasons. Russia’s history is intertwined with that of other European countries, yet is enigmatically different. Spanning eleven time zones across Europe and Asia, with a history of domination first by the Tsars, then by the Soviets and now by Putin, they only briefly have tasted freedom.
Russia is a compelling subject for analysis and exploration. While there are endless articles and books about Russia, representations of Russia in the arts is compelling. Here is my list of some of the “best” recent stories centered on Russia:
Patriots. We recently visited New York and saw the play Patriots, currently on Broadway after a run in London that received the Olivier Award (the British equivalent of the Tonys). This is the story of Russia in the early 1990s, after the breakup of the Soviet Union, the leadership of Boris Yeltsin, and the rise of the oligarchs. One of the oligarchs, Boris Berekovsky, supports the rise of Vladimir Putin, previously Deputy Mayor of Leningrad, to the position of Russian Premier. Having done so, the story of their squaring off against each other leads to Putin’s strength and one of the many examples of Putin ridding himself of opposition.
A Gentleman in Moscow. I’m sure I recommended this book, by Amor Towles, before. It is one my favorite reads in the past ten years. The story of a Russian aristocrat, targeted by the Leninist regime and exiled to the Hotel Metropole in Moscow, never to be allowed to leave. The story takes place over decades of Alexander Rovsky’s imprisonment, highlighted with the people in his life—a girl he befriends, a former friend with whom he reconciled, his handler, a B-list actress, and a hotel staff it’s hard not to love. It is more than a political story, but one of class and love and idealism and beauty. I cannot recommend it more highly. And then out came the mini-series on Paramount+. Starring Ewan McGregor, this retelling of the story is every bit as compelling. The sets, the scenery, the costumes—all create a sense of Russia through the years. When they step out onto the roof of the hotel and look out over the city, one can almost feel the crispness of the cold Russian air.
The Death of Stalin. The internal fight for dominance after the death of Stalin, played out with comic and wry satire by a great cast, led by Steve Buscemi. Beria, Khukov, Molotov, Khrushchev and others battle for dominance and survival in this crazy story of the absurdity of Soviet Russia.
Bridge of Spies. A recent Steven Spielberg film telling a true story of the exchange of spies during the Cold War. A great story of Nuremberg prosecutor James Donovan recruited to defend a Soviet spy and later negotiate his exchange for spy pilot Gary Powers.
PREVIOUS ARTISTIC EXPLORATIONS OF RUSSIA
There is no shortage of earlier artistic works providing color on Russia. Among the most notable are:
Doctor Zhivago, the movie version of the Boris Pasternak novel, which turned Omar Sharif into a heartthrob. The story begins at the turn of the 20th century and proceeds through the Russo-Japanese War, the Russian revolution, through World War II. Pasternak won the Nobel prize when the novel was completed in the 1950s but did not travel to Stockholm to receive it because of Soviet objections and threats, and the chance he would not be able to return home.
Nicholas and Alexandra, both the book by Robert K. Massie and the 1971 movie about the last Tsar and his family, including the Tsar’s missteps, Alexandra’s obsession with Raspsutin, and the hemophilia of the young prince, culminating with the murder of the family outside of Ekaterinburg. The book later was adapted to film.
Reds, the Warren Beatty sympathetic view of the Russian revolution and John Reed’s desire to extend the revolution into America.
Less directly related to Russia and, in fact, not set in Russia, are a couple of comedy classics. For a hysterical send-up of the Cold War, The Russians are Coming! The Russians are Coming! It has a wonderful cast including Carl Reiner, Alan Arkin, Theodore Bikel, Jonathan Winters, and Brian Keith and centers around a Russian submarine’s crew in a small American town. The hysteria is a different type than that created in a less benign Cold War confrontation than that in Doctor Strangelove. And then there is Robin Williams as a Russian defector in the really excellent Moscow on the Hudson.
GREAT YOGI BERRA QUOTATIONS
A few of the favorites from the baseball legend (and winner of ten World Series rings):
· "It's like deja vu all over again."
· “You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat six."
· "The future ain't what it used to be."
· "We made too many wrong mistakes."
· "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded."
· "You can observe a lot just by watching."
· "You should always go to other people's funerals; otherwise, they won't come to yours."
· "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."
· "Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical."
· "It ain't over 'til it's over."
Have a great day,
Glenn