The smoke of the Fatherland

On April 16, the thriller “Number 44”, filmed by the novel by the Englishman Tom Rob Smith “Kid 44”, was supposed to go to the Russian rental. But the day before the premiere, the sales company recalled the picture from cinemas*

Vladimir Medinsky did not like how the film was shown in the 1950s of 1953

It is clear that the decision was made under pressure. The circulation of “Rooms 44” - approximately 500 copies - was long distributed by cinemas. On April 13, a show was arranged for the Moscow press, that is, distributors, the Central Partnership company, and until the last moment PR were a picture. And now they will lose money, and at the same time a reputation among foreign partners.

It is after the press for the press, according to the official statement of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, that the agency of steel, say that “questions regarding the content of the film, said, primarily - distortion of historical facts and peculiar interpretations of events before, during and after the Great Patriotic War, as well as the images and characters of Soviet citizens of that historical era.” The chancellery style is recognizable on the move, and the conclusion is also formulated not in Russian, but in a low-grade bureaucrat: "Rolling such films on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the victory is unacceptable."

The author of these lines visited that press scope and did not feel any popular indignation in the hall. And in general: what is this for us now for the press that writes not in the media, but in the organs?

In addition, the film almost does not depict the events “before” and “during the war”. So - fleeting. There is no insult to the 70th anniversary of victory. The action develops in 1953-the last year of Stalin’s life, where the history of the serial killer Chikatilo was transferred. One of the main topics is the intrigues within the Ministry of State Security (MGB), which will soon be renamed the KGB.

So what was the film forbidden for?

About the novel

Roman Tom Rob Smith “Child 44” has two continuations with the same hero, an investigator - at first an employee of the MGB - Lev Demidov: The Secret Spech (in the Russian version of Kolyma) and “Agent 6”. Of course, the novel is more verified than the film. Cranberries in it, with all the accusations, are not so many. There are misunderstandings. But it would be strange if the author who writes about someone else's country and times of the remote (Smith was born in 1979), would never have barked, despite the study of historical literature.

The advantage of the book: it seeks to be realistic. And you can understand why the details of the Stalin's times are connected to the later history of Chikatilo - this is a book not just about the system where everything is sacrificed to the promised bright future. She is about the law enforcement system of the totalitarian state.

Tom Rob Smith said: “If you want to understand how the country works, pay attention to the work of her police.” And indeed: the best idea of ​​the essence of British democracy is given by English detective series. Say, “Foyle War” or “Murders in the Midsomer”. They prove that everything is subordinated to the power of the law in the country, and everyone is equal to it. If you are a thief, you will be in prison, be you at least a peer, at least a billionaire. Just the ideology of Gleb Zhelov.

Creating a gloomy atmosphere of the totalitarian state, the creators of the film "Number 44" did not without light personnel

About the film

There are more strange things in the film. Moreover, unnecessary. But it is stupid to make claims. There are too many of them. In the film, for example, the death of Stalin is not mentioned at all (especially played out in the book), and the general with the face of Gary Oldman wears Colonel's epaulettes - the requiser was mistaken, the director did not double -check. There (which again is not in the book) loudly and with scandals at the height of the day they arrest school teachers, although everyone knows that the arrests were produced at night so as not to excite the people, and in 1953 they took not teachers, but doctors. In the film, paints are generally condensed - in the literal sense of the word: there are almost no light personnel. In the USSR, the weather is completely cloudy, and the cities are the steaming pipes of factories.

The gloomy and gloomy city smokes are combined with an amazing statement sounding from the lips of one of the heads of state security that in the Soviet Union, unlike the capitalist world, according to Comrade Stalin, there are no murders and killers. Therefore, in the film, looking for a maniac is equivalent to the betrayal of his homeland, and the main character immediately falls into disgrace.

Nonsense? Naturally. Who will believe that in the USSR they really denied the existence of killers and in general criminals. And then the Moore created why? And Gleb Zheglov and Volodya Sharapov with whom did they fight? But here the presence of serial killers, our maniacs were really denied, considering them an exclusively generation of the rotten West, although their list in the USSR is huge.

In the end, you understand the difference between the film and the novel. If the book of Tom Rob Smith tries to look realistic, then the film made on its basis is a fantastic parable. Anti -Utopia in the spirit of Orwell’s novel “1984” with the peculiarity that the action of anti -utopia is always developing in the future, and then it is overturned into the past. This parable unexpectedly for us turns out to be relevant already because in the picture in all the rubbish that is happening in the country, like ours now, abroad is accused: they say, the maniac has set us from there. We do not blame ourselves in anything. We blame only the West and external enemies.

The film, by the way, was made by serious people. He is not American, as they convince us now, once again emphasizing that the main enemy of Russia is now America. This is co -product. The main producer is the Englishman Ridley Scott, who was about to shoot, but entrusted the case with a promising Swedish director with a non -western name Daniel Espinos. Starring - two British supervisors Tom Hardy and Gary Oldman, as well as the Swede Numi Rapas. The episode is the Frenchman Vincent Cassel. None of this four plays the nonsense.

“Number 44” is a conceptual picture, despite the entire cranberries. Not about the Stalinist USSR, but about modern Russia, where state security authorities also began to play a dominant role. And quite possibly, the film was banned only because it exposes the GB organs.

About the state

It was stupid to ban, however. Firstly, we ourselves are to blame for the fact that the novel “Child 44” was filmed so hard and-in relation to us-is partially unfair. Such a film adaptation is a clear consequence of 2014, when Russia worsened its image as much as possible. Our rulers, far from mass arts, do not even know what kind of damage to the country can cause such weapons as a popular movie. It can be prohibited here, but it will spin around the world, including in the countries to which Russia now makes a political and economic rate. And this movie will be believed. Especially in a situation where it will become known that Putin's censorship banned him.

When the country ignores a bad movie about itself, only baking down over it, it means: it is not afraid of nonsense. But when it prohibits, this is a clear sign for the civilized world: there is a share of truth in the nonsense. Lars von Trier, who shot two anti -American film “Dogville” and “Manlerly”, said approximately the following: “If you shot the picture, as someone longs to kill your aunt, then only one who really longs to kill his aunt will call it with a provocation.”

In any case, the ban on “numbers 44”, especially in combination with the recent placement of “Tangayzer” - also at the request of anonymous indignant citizens - this is a precedent that says that in the country, after a quarter century, censorship again triumphs.

This is especially bad, since we have in the power of sufficiently uneducated idiots who use any reason to deprive us of Western cinema - that is, to drive the country in “Chuchha”.

The requirements of jesting from politics have already sounded in the country of cinema from America and in general from all countries that imposed sanctions against Russia. Together and look, the same jesters will be offered not to be limited to the same prohibitions, but to take and bring the matter to the logical end: to collect copies of all available films, put them in the square, add books from countries that have imposed sanctions against us, and light a beautiful large bonfire.

One country has already done this. It would be nice to remember what she finished.

* Later, the Ministry of Culture reported that the film after settling formalities will still be released on DVD and legal Internet services

Photo: Freshkino.com, Filmasik.net, Kinonix.com

Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky about the film "Number 44":

<...> Films such as No. 44 should not be released in our country in a mass film distribution, earning on our film prisoner, nor in the year of the 70th anniversary of Victory, nor ever.

<...> It’s not a country, but a Mordor, with physically and morally inferior subhuman, a bloody mess in a frame from some orcs and ghouls-this country is the action of the film from the 30s to the 50s of the twentieth century. This is how our country is shown-the one that has just won the Great War, broke out among the world leaders and is about to launch the first person into space.

I will say right away: the matter is not so much in a particular film - American filmmakers can express themselves as they please.

Before that, in general, there is little business.

The fundamental is that we must finally put an end to the series of endless schizophrenic reflexions about ourselves.

<...> It is time to finally formulate your own idea of ​​themselves as the heirs of the great, unique Russian civilization.

Clearly, canonically, without a prodigal stumbling about “difficult questions of history” and empty reflection. Today, in the year of the 70th anniversary of the main event in the history of the XX century.

Without this, they will doubt us. Or we will have our own historical and, accordingly, future self -determination - or we are “self -determined” without our participation.

We - on the example of our neighbors and brothers - see how.

And with something you have to start. Right today.