tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991721412361909265.post4970303225293046589..comments2024-03-29T05:09:53.414-04:00Comments on Daniel Stephen Johnson: Russian Opera UpdateDan Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02379073869436839786noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991721412361909265.post-60276426234212875252009-09-27T17:57:53.927-04:002009-09-27T17:57:53.927-04:00Some Soviet musicals are very interesting, I think...Some Soviet musicals are very interesting, I think.<br />Even in the excerpt you posted on youtube, you can see how they can <br />surprise you and move you deeply.<br />Generally speaking, I am a fan of all kind of Soviet movies and animated pictures <br />(things like this<br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF1H3J-8H2A <br />or this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3n2GPvKdxU <br />or a masterpiece like Babochka http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ealSI4dNk9M)<br />I'm trying to do some researches on them, maybe even subtitle them.<br /><br />In order to answer your question,<br />I know that Stalin really liked some musicals, but not all of them.<br />During his leadership there were made many musical movies, the most interesting I think is 1936's"Zirk"<br />Soviet people used to like them too, and their first actors became very famous.<br /><br />Two more annotations on post:<br />"The implied promise of every Broadway/Hollywood musical comedy is that you will transcend your class and achieve your dreams just by being beautiful and clever and passionate."<br />A correct analysis (yours), <br />but a sad lie (not yours).<br />Paradoxically (for some people) it's more realist the soviet version of this story.<br /><br />"the complaint that Cheryomushki's satire of Soviet life was "toothless"<br />some guys are just insatiable.<br />What the fuck did they want from Shostakovich?<br />He had just come out from a troubled period, so he wouldn't like to make heavy satire without a good reason.<br />Plus,I really think this operetta is related to the new apartment houses mass-building policy in Khruschev period, in order to solve the Soviet housing problem<br />so much quoted in western movies (Ninochka is the first we could think), and I can imagine Dmitry S. was happy with this and dinn't want to make a satire of it.<br />There is a good page about K.here<br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikita_Khrushchev<br />but sadly there's no mention of the housing project.<br /><br />Well, I hope I satisfied some of your curiosities.<br />Tell me what you think of the pictures when you want it<br />John BJBhttp://www.youtube.com/guantinelfangonoreply@blogger.com