Georgian War Goes “Live Action”
By Sean at 22 March, 2009, 10:54 am
Updated: Trailer with subtitles.
For those who are still confused as to the correct narrative of the Georgian War last August, Pervyi kanal will be broadcasting a TV movie called “Olympus Inferno” on 29 March to set the record straight in high action packed, melodrama form.
The film revolves around Michael, a US entomologist (played by Israeli actor Henry David), and Zhenia, a female Russian journalist (starring Polina Filonenko) who stumble upon evidence that Georgia started the war while using nocturnal cameras to record the fluttering of rare night butterflies. Their discovery gives them a cause higher than rare lepidopterans. Natural science is quickly abandoned as the two haul ass to the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali to present their damning evidence to the world. But not so fast, like any good action-love drama the two must claw, scrape, and screw their way past evil Georgians, ducking a butt-load of explosions and rapid machine gun fire along the way.
The film is “something like the Bourne films” says a Pervyi kanal spokeswoman referring the Matt Damon spy flicks that portrays a young secret agent who exacts revenge on his former handlers, usually with girlfriend in tow. The film was apparently filmed in the Bourne style, or as director Igor Voloshin calls it “live action” (лайф экшен, laif аkshen). Does this mean that we can expect Michael to possess some neck snapping, kung fu ass kicking? Are bugs merely his mild mannered cover for a CIA agent who realizes the evil in his Georgian allies and decides to turn toward the Russian light? Hell, if you’re going to be inspired by Bourne there’s no reason to stop at shoulder cameras.
The film is already being called the next episode in the information war between Russia and Georgia. Voloshin denies the film’s political overtones. For him, it’s just a good action film. “Debates begin … ‘bad Russian or bad Georgians’, but it’s just a film. You should look at it as a film, as a work of art, which is what I made,” Voloshin told Reuters. “People love buying films like Apocalypse Now, masterpieces about war in Vietnam. Hollywood masterpieces and nobody remembers that the heroes of these films invaded Vietnam and burned it with napalm — for some reason that is forgotten.” Besides maybe Rambo II (which is debatable since the premise is about how the US government abandoned its POWs), I wonder what Vietnam movies he’s referring to. Vietnam has hardly inspired patriotic outpourings on the part of American auteurs. You’ll have to look at another Matt Damon film Saving Ryan’s Privates, er that’s the porno version, I mean, Saving Private Ryan for that. Nevertheless, even though the film is part of the infowar, it’s not like Voloshin is going out on a limb. “If you look at the facts of the conflict, about who started it, it was Georgia.” Well, I’ll give him that.
Judging from the trailer, I doubt it’s really a “work of art” and certainly can’t be compared to Apocalypse Now but more a way to keep the Russian public’s political passions alive via shaky cameras, big explosions, and sappy melodrama. I won’t be tuning in of course, but I am curious about viewers reactions, if any.
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Not to put too fine point on it, but “Saving Ryan’s Privates” is a parody movie.
It was meant “Shaving”, I suppose, which is different beast at all.
This is the answer to Georgia unleashing a disco inferno on Russia?
I wonder about the choice of an ‘American’ main character: another blunt psy-op campaign against “pro-US Georgia”? Are they going to broadcast this all over the Caucuses? Would some people be unsophisticated enough to believe this?
Is it an attempt to garner US/English speaking audience? Maybe…if it was dubbed in English, most foreign viewers hate reading subtitles.
I think the film would have alot more sympathizers and wouldn’t reek of cheesy-ness if they had an European “reluctant protagnist.”
Or maybe they should place an Indian or Chinese guy in there since Russia is busy courting it’s fellow BRICs and I know those dudes wish for and have that “Slavic fever.” They can only dream…until Nashi comes a knockin’ on their door.
Hasn’t Russia, like, already won the information war against Georgia? The only people still arguing for official Tbilisi’s ever-changing version of events are a few nutzoid old Cold Warriors. The only question remaining is the extent of US involvement (if any).
I suppose an American character gives legitimacy to the idea that the Georgians are so evil, even evil Americans can’t stomach them.
There was a discussion on here some time back about depictions of Americans in Russian Cinema both Soviet and post-Soviet. From what I remember, it seems that Soviet films rarely ever dealt with other countries or took place outside the USSR. If they did, it would be the near abroad, not the US or even western Europe. The only movie anyone could remember at the time that depicted America and Americans was Brat 2. A movie, in my opinion, that wasn’t really all that derogatory towards the US, at least not as much as it was towards Ukrainians.
It seems to me Americans rate kind of low on the enemies list actually. Well below Georgian, Estonia, and Ukraine, and probably even below Poland, Czech Rep., Uzbekistan, etc. I have nothing to back this up, but maybe there is even a grudging respect for Americans, much like here in the US for Russians. Sure Russia annoys the US, but I think most Americans sort of understand why that is. Unlike say the French, which most of the US just ridicules and would prefer to ignore.
I like the casting efforts the most. The lead by Jewish actor is a nice fact overshadowed only by the urge to portray an American. The girl is also some emerging star, a “has shined” in a cruel school movie “All will die, but I’ll stay here”. Probably because of her extremist character of patsanka the current movie is worth watching.
As for the Soviet movies’ settings they ranged from all friendly socialist nations. Sometimes neutral ones.