The Wild East
Encyclopedia
The Wild East is a Russian-language film created in Kazakhstan
shortly after the dissolution of the Soviet Union released in 1993
. It was written and directed by Rashid Nugmanov
and was inspired by The Magnificent Seven
, an American remake of Akira Kurosawa
's film Seven Samurai.
circus runaways decide to form their own community to flee the chaos but come under attack from Mongolian motorcycling ruffians. In response, of course, midgets hire seven tough guys to defend them. The film was shown in many international film festivals as both a fun movie and an oddity. It was billed as "The Last Soviet Film."
-era TV show US-Soviet Space Bridge
hosted by Vladimir Pozner when an American asked a question about sex
in the Soviet Union
, and a Soviet lady proudly answered "There is no sex in the USSR!" In fact, she said "There is no sex in the USSR... there is love", but the last words were cut off of the broadcast, as the show was not being aired live. This created a still-popular catchphrase. In the Soviet mindset
the word "sex" was considered dirty by many—nearly synonymous with pornography
.
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
shortly after the dissolution of the Soviet Union released in 1993
1993 in film
The year 1993 in film involved many significant films, including the blockbuster hits Jurassic Park, The Fugitive and The Firm. -Events:...
. It was written and directed by Rashid Nugmanov
Rashid Nugmanov
Rashid Nugmanov is a Kazakh film director, dissident, political activist and founder of the Kazakh New Wave cinema movement.- Film career :...
and was inspired by The Magnificent Seven
The Magnificent Seven
The Magnificent Seven is an American Western film directed by John Sturges, and released in 1960. It is a fictional tale of a group of seven American gunmen who are hired to protect a small agricultural village in Mexico from a group of marauding Mexican bandits...
, an American remake of Akira Kurosawa
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...
's film Seven Samurai.
Plot
In this version of the famous plot a group of midgetMidget
A midget is a short person with relatively average bodily proportions in comparison with other human beings. The term is often improperly used to describe a person with the medical condition dwarfism. The two terms are often used synonymously because both terms originate as words defining small...
circus runaways decide to form their own community to flee the chaos but come under attack from Mongolian motorcycling ruffians. In response, of course, midgets hire seven tough guys to defend them. The film was shown in many international film festivals as both a fun movie and an oddity. It was billed as "The Last Soviet Film."
Quotes
A notable quote is when the midget patriarch says "remember there is no sex in our country." The phrase is a quotation of a famous episode from the perestroikaPerestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
-era TV show US-Soviet Space Bridge
US-Soviet Space Bridge
The US-Soviet Space Bridge was a series of experimental, international telecasts between Soviet and U.S. viewers, performed by group of communication enthusiasts during late Cold War era...
hosted by Vladimir Pozner when an American asked a question about sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, and a Soviet lady proudly answered "There is no sex in the USSR!" In fact, she said "There is no sex in the USSR... there is love", but the last words were cut off of the broadcast, as the show was not being aired live. This created a still-popular catchphrase. In the Soviet mindset
Homo Sovieticus
Homo Sovieticus is a sarcastic and critical reference to a category of people with a specific mindset that were allegedly created by the governments of the Eastern Bloc. The term was coined by well-known Soviet writer and sociologist Aleksandr Zinovyev as the title of his book of the same name...
the word "sex" was considered dirty by many—nearly synonymous with pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
.
External links
- The Wild East, on New York Times