Years of not a moment's fame

“Rape City” is the most powerful impression of television in April. This is a documentary film by Leonid Mlechin. Nanjing, 1937. Japanese capture of a Chinese city. Chiang Kai-shek delays ordering the evacuation, as a result, residents have to flee at breakneck speed. Those who did not succeed, by order of the Japanese military leader, actually have their heads broken. It was decided to destroy, humiliate, and rape the city and its inhabitants. The film was made with extraordinary skill; you can feel that complex, painstaking work was done to obtain unique photographs and filming. And most importantly - very accurately commented. Everything is called by its proper name, and the text is pronounced where necessary. The conclusion you come to after watching this outstanding work by Leonid Mlechin, it seems to me, is more than relevant. The barbaric destruction of the city of Nanjing was facilitated by its inhabitants themselves - with their apathy and lack of will to resist. Depressed, weak-willed people themselves go to their own death.

Since the “March of Dissent” had practically no place either in the news or in television debates, then we will not discuss it. There are more important topics. For example, Vitaly Tretyakov in the program “What is to be done?” became preoccupied with a pressing problem: why did science fiction lead to light before, but now in science fiction novels the heroes face complete darkness? For Mr. Tretyakov's information, the dystopian genre has existed for a long time. Why it is still in demand today is an interesting question. But the host of this program has a different task - to explain to careless writers that books should inspire optimism. And really, what to do with these gloomy writers?

There is only one answer - have as much fun as possible. Then maybe you'll get your moment of fame. Participants, spectators and the jury of the “Minute of Fame” show are literally drowning in a variety of impressions. The chairman of the jury, Tatyana Tolstaya, has finally found a job she likes - deciding the destinies of others. Either the sweetest family from Tuva will be thrown out of the competition, or suddenly he will show his favor to someone. The eyes sparkle, the hair is spread over the shoulders, the outfits change, the intonations are decisive - the goddess of justice, in a word. It’s even strange that she once wrote good books.

Applicants for a “Minute of Fame” want to experience art as they understand it. And those who seem to work in the arts, or act in films, for example, today want to punch each other in the face and end up with a million. This is how the new show “King of the Ring” appeared. Everyone found something to do: Pozner (and really, how much can you lament: these are the times!), and Valdis Pelsh (well, how much can you prank everyone, now you get a right hook!), and Bachinsky and Stillavin (well, how much can you do on the marginal channels to clean off, it’s time to go to “First”). Kirill Nabutov is again at work - you can’t compare the show on Channel One with the audience of his program on NTV One Day. I don’t know what kind of pleasure home-grown boxers get. Unless the average actors are trying to remind themselves. On the other hand, with a damaged face, they won’t be called to filming soon. But a million is looming in the future. Good luck to everyone!

As always, the “Documentary Camera” on the “Culture” channel begins to chirp on a pitch-black night. Andrei Shemyakin made a very interesting film “The 70s: From Hippies to Yuppies.” About how rebels are gradually being crushed by mass culture and yesterday’s subverters of foundations are becoming prosperous bourgeois. But the most valuable thing about Shemyakin is precisely what the documentary camera captured. Living idols of the seventies - from the Beatles to our Mitki. Non-standard people in their talented manifestations. Whose fame is not momentary, but for many years.

Olga Galitskaya, radio "Mayak"