| Revision as of 22:56, 3 September 2009 editNug (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers22,427 edits undo removal of sourced text← Previous edit | Revision as of 01:07, 4 September 2009 edit undoPasswordUsername (talk | contribs)5,580 edits Revert insinuation about supposedly "false claims" by living people (historians, politicians). The only refs give the critics' views -- they don't argue that all of the critics wrote misinformation.Next edit → | ||
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| The film argues that there were close philosophical, political and organizational connections between the Nazi and Soviet systems before and during the early stages of ].<ref name="Economist">{{cite news |title=Telling the Soviet story |url=http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11401983 |work=] |date=2008-05-22 |accessdate=2008-06-03 }}</ref> It highlights the ] as well as the ], ], ], Soviet ] and medical experiments in the ]. | The film argues that there were close philosophical, political and organizational connections between the Nazi and Soviet systems before and during the early stages of ].<ref name="Economist">{{cite news |title=Telling the Soviet story |url=http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11401983 |work=] |date=2008-05-22 |accessdate=2008-06-03 }}</ref> It highlights the ] as well as the ], ], ], Soviet ] and medical experiments in the ]. | ||
| Critics argue that the film exhibits misrepresentation through bias or represents its subject propagandistically. | |||
| ==Reception== | ==Reception== | ||
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| Likewise, Latvia's Minister of Justice, Gaidis Bērziņš, has said that, because of its important historical message, he would encourage the Ministry of Education to have the film shown in all schools in Latvia.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tieslietu ministrs: filma «Padomju stāsts» jārāda visās skolās |url=http://forums.apollo.lv/portal/news/articles/127043 |publisher=apollo.lv |date=2008-05-08 |language=Latvian |accessdate=2008-06-12 }}</ref> | Likewise, Latvia's Minister of Justice, Gaidis Bērziņš, has said that, because of its important historical message, he would encourage the Ministry of Education to have the film shown in all schools in Latvia.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tieslietu ministrs: filma «Padomju stāsts» jārāda visās skolās |url=http://forums.apollo.lv/portal/news/articles/127043 |publisher=apollo.lv |date=2008-05-08 |language=Latvian |accessdate=2008-06-12 }}</ref> | ||
| MEP from Latvia ] regards the film as a "propagandistic odd job, which is given out to be "a new word in history".<ref name=ZdanokaResponse>{{cite news |title=Жданок: фильм "The Soviet Story" — пропагандистская поделка (Ždanoka: film "The Soviet Story" - propagandistic odd job) |url=http://rus.delfi.lv/news/daily/politics/article.php?id=20714429 |publisher=Delfi.lv |date=2008-04-11 |language=Russian |accessdate=2008-06-09 }}</ref> She also thought that "the second part of the film is pure political PR": while the first part of the film pictures the point of view of some historians, contemporary politicians criticize modern Russia in the end of the film.<ref name=ZdanokaResponse/> Ždanoka also noted that "a lot of attention was devoted to the ]. This is followed by a jump forward in time to the 1940s, with a mass-meeting of |
MEP from Latvia ] regards the film as a "propagandistic odd job, which is given out to be "a new word in history".<ref name=ZdanokaResponse>{{cite news |title=Жданок: фильм "The Soviet Story" — пропагандистская поделка (Ždanoka: film "The Soviet Story" - propagandistic odd job) |url=http://rus.delfi.lv/news/daily/politics/article.php?id=20714429 |publisher=Delfi.lv |date=2008-04-11 |language=Russian |accessdate=2008-06-09 }}</ref> She also thought that "the second part of the film is pure political PR": while the first part of the film pictures the point of view of some historians, contemporary politicians criticize modern Russia in the end of the film.<ref name=ZdanokaResponse/> Ždanoka also noted that "a lot of attention was devoted to the ]. This is followed by a jump forward in time to the 1940s, with a mass-meeting of Vlasovites is shown against a background of swastika".<ref name=ZdanokaResponse/> General ]'s ] was actually created by Nazi Germany to fight against the Soviet Union. | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| In Russia the film prompted negative reactions from Russian organizations, press, and politicians. According to the "European Voice" newspaper, Russians are infuriated by the film which reveals the extent of Nazi and Soviet collaboration<ref name="European Voice">{{cite news |title=Telling the unofficial, but true, Soviet story |url=http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/imported/telling-the-unofficial-but-true-soviet-story/60941.aspx |work=European Voice |date=2008-05-29 }}</ref> | In Russia the film prompted negative reactions from Russian organizations, press, and politicians. According to the "European Voice" newspaper, Russians are infuriated by the film which reveals the extent of Nazi and Soviet collaboration<ref name="European Voice">{{cite news |title=Telling the unofficial, but true, Soviet story |url=http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/imported/telling-the-unofficial-but-true-soviet-story/60941.aspx |work=European Voice |date=2008-05-29 }}</ref> | ||
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| On ], ] the Russian pro-governmental youth organization ] ({{lang-ru|Россия Молодая}}) organized the protest "Let's not allow the rewriting of history!" ({{lang-ru|"Не дадим переписать историю!"}})<ref name="RossiyaMolodaya">{{cite web |title=Акция «России молодой» «Не дадим переписать историю!» |url=http://rumol.ru/news/3603.html |date=2008-05-14 |language=Russian |accessdate=2008-06-06}}</ref> in front of the Embassy of Latvia in Moscow. An ] representing Edvīns Šnore was burnt during the protest.<ref name="protestEmbassy">{{cite news |title=Prokremliskie jaunieši pie Latvijas vēstniecības protestē pret "vēstures pārrakstīšanu" (Pro-Kremlin youth protest against the "rewriting of history" in front of the Latvian Embassy)|url=http://www.tvnet.lv/zinas/arzemes/krievija/article.php?id=546107 |publisher=TVNET.lv |date=2008-05-20 |language=Latvian |accessdate=2008-06-06 }}</ref> | On ], ] the Russian pro-governmental youth organization ] ({{lang-ru|Россия Молодая}}) organized the protest "Let's not allow the rewriting of history!" ({{lang-ru|"Не дадим переписать историю!"}})<ref name="RossiyaMolodaya">{{cite web |title=Акция «России молодой» «Не дадим переписать историю!» |url=http://rumol.ru/news/3603.html |date=2008-05-14 |language=Russian |accessdate=2008-06-06}}</ref> in front of the Embassy of Latvia in Moscow. An ] representing Edvīns Šnore was burnt during the protest.<ref name="protestEmbassy">{{cite news |title=Prokremliskie jaunieši pie Latvijas vēstniecības protestē pret "vēstures pārrakstīšanu" (Pro-Kremlin youth protest against the "rewriting of history" in front of the Latvian Embassy)|url=http://www.tvnet.lv/zinas/arzemes/krievija/article.php?id=546107 |publisher=TVNET.lv |date=2008-05-20 |language=Latvian |accessdate=2008-06-06 }}</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | One of the critics of the film, ], a Russian historian, declared: "After watching two thirds of the film, I had only one wish: to kill its director and to burn down the Latvian Embassy."<ref></ref> Dyukov alleges inconsistencies in the film and questions the credibility of some of the film sequences and conclusions of some of the Russian and Western historians interviewed in the film.<ref name="Dyukov-12-06-2008">{{cite news |title=Латышские наследники доктора Геббельса|language=Russian |url=http://www.russ.ru/stat_i/latyshskie_nasledniki_doktora_gebbel_sa|accessdate=2008-06-16}}</ref> '']'' reported<ref name=IzvestiaResponse/> that the part of the film pertaining to medical experiments in the GULAG used Sergey Melnikoff's web-site "GULAG: With a camera among the camps" as a source<ref>{{cite web |title=Обвинение СССР в опытах над людьми |last=Melnikoff |first=Sergey |url=http://www.gulag.ipvnews.org/article20060901_01.php |language=Russian |accessdate=2008-06-06 }}</ref>, which Dyukov maintains is not trustworthy.<ref>{{cite web |title=Реальность информационной войны |last=Дюков |first=Александр |url=http://www.left.ru/2006/14/dyukov148.phtml |language=Russian |accessdate=2008-06-06 }}</ref>. Dyukov also alleges in the same report that the document supporting the ] hypothesis presented in the film, the secret Gestapo-NKVD agreement of ], ], is a fake.<ref name=IzvestiaResponse>{{cite news |title=Евродепутатам показали сталинский ужастик (A Stalin horror film was shown to members of the European Parliament) |url=http://www.izvestia.ru/politic/article3115028/ |work=] |date=2008-04-09 |accessdate=2008-06-09 }}</ref> | ||
| The ] burning protest was attended by ], a Russian historian, who later declared: "After watching two thirds of the film, I had only one wish: to kill its director and to burn down the Latvian Embassy."<ref></ref> | |||
| Following these Dyukov's statements a ] has been initiated against him in Latvia.<ref> // ], 2008-08-20</ref> | |||
| Asked to comment the case, Latvian Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins assumed that ] might be a "mentally unstable personality".<ref> mixnews.lv, 10.06.2008</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | Dyukov alleges inconsistencies in the film and questions the credibility of some of the film sequences and conclusions of some of the Russian and Western historians interviewed in the film.<ref name="Dyukov-12-06-2008">{{cite news |title=Латышские наследники доктора Геббельса|language=Russian |url=http://www.russ.ru/stat_i/latyshskie_nasledniki_doktora_gebbel_sa|accessdate=2008-06-16}}</ref> '']'' reported<ref name=IzvestiaResponse/> that the part of the film pertaining to medical experiments in the GULAG used Sergey Melnikoff's web-site "GULAG: With a camera among the camps" as a source<ref>{{cite web |title=Обвинение СССР в опытах над людьми |last=Melnikoff |first=Sergey |url=http://www.gulag.ipvnews.org/article20060901_01.php |language=Russian |accessdate=2008-06-06 }}</ref>, which Dyukov maintains is not trustworthy.<ref>{{cite web |title=Реальность информационной войны |last=Дюков |first=Александр |url=http://www.left.ru/2006/14/dyukov148.phtml |language=Russian |accessdate=2008-06-06 }}</ref>. Dyukov also alleges in the same report that the document supporting the ] hypothesis presented in the film, the secret Gestapo-NKVD agreement of ], ], is a fake.<ref name=IzvestiaResponse>{{cite news |title=Евродепутатам показали сталинский ужастик (A Stalin horror film was shown to members of the European Parliament) |url=http://www.izvestia.ru/politic/article3115028/ |work=] |date=2008-04-09 |accessdate=2008-06-09 }}</ref> | ||
| Latvian political scientist and cultural commentator Ivars Ījabs offers a mixed review of ''The Soviet Story''. On one hand, it is a well-made and "effective piece of cinematic propaganda in the good sense of this word", whose message is clearly presented to the audience. On the other hand, Ījabs does not agree with a number of historical interpretations in the film, asserting that it contains errors. For example, Ījabs states that, "In late 1930s Hitler did not yet plan a systematic genocide against the Jews", as it is suggested in the film; "Everybody knows that this decision was made in 1942 at the ] in Berlin." Furthermore, Ījabs comments on the notion in the film voiced by the British literary historian George Watson of Cambridge University that ] is "the ancestor of the modern political genocide"<ref>minute 16:37 Film "The Soviet Story"</ref>. Ījabs says: "To present ] as the "progenitor of modern genocide is simply to lie". Ījabs admits, however, Marx using the term "racial trash" (Völkerabfälle) in relation to a number of small European nations.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ījabs |first=Ivars |date=2008-05-23 |title=Cienīga atbilde: Soviet Story |work=Latvijas Vēstnesis |language=Latvian |url=http://www.lv.lv/?menu=exblogi&sub=&type=full&id=44 |accessdate=2008-06-15 }}</ref> | Latvian political scientist and cultural commentator Ivars Ījabs offers a mixed review of ''The Soviet Story''. On one hand, it is a well-made and "effective piece of cinematic propaganda in the good sense of this word", whose message is clearly presented to the audience. On the other hand, Ījabs does not agree with a number of historical interpretations in the film, asserting that it contains errors. For example, Ījabs states that, "In late 1930s Hitler did not yet plan a systematic genocide against the Jews", as it is suggested in the film; "Everybody knows that this decision was made in 1942 at the ] in Berlin." Furthermore, Ījabs comments on the notion in the film voiced by the British literary historian George Watson of Cambridge University that ] is "the ancestor of the modern political genocide"<ref>minute 16:37 Film "The Soviet Story"</ref>. Ījabs says: "To present ] as the "progenitor of modern genocide is simply to lie". Ījabs admits, however, Marx using the term "racial trash" (Völkerabfälle) in relation to a number of small European nations.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ījabs |first=Ivars |date=2008-05-23 |title=Cienīga atbilde: Soviet Story |work=Latvijas Vēstnesis |language=Latvian |url=http://www.lv.lv/?menu=exblogi&sub=&type=full&id=44 |accessdate=2008-06-15 }}</ref> | ||
| In Finland the film was shown in events organized by the irredentist group ].<ref>{{Cite web | title = SOVIET STORY TAMPEREEN TECHNOPOLIKSESSA 20.04.09 KLO 18 | url = http://www.prokarelia.net/fi/?x=artikkeli&article_id=1777&author=10 | date = 17 April 2009 | accessdate = 2009-05-07 | language = Finnish }}</ref><ref name="hesari">{{Cite journal | title = Neuvostodokumentin näyttö nostatti äläkän Tampereella | journal = ] | author = Jukka Harju | url = http://www.hs.fi/kotimaa/artikkeli/Neuvostodokumentin+n%C3%A4ytt%C3%B6+nostatti+%C3%A4l%C3%A4k%C3%A4n+Tampereella/1135245322413 | date = 20 April 2009 | accessdate = 2009-05-08 | language = Finnish }}</ref><ref name="hesari" /><ref>{{Cite journal | title =Islamilainen puoluekin saapui Tampereelle vastustamaan kohuelokuvaa | journal = ] | author = Johanna Vehkoo | url = http://www.aamulehti.fi/uutiset/kotimaa/140508.shtml | date = 20 April 2009 | accessdate = 2009-05-07 | language = Finnish }}</ref> A ] by ], member of the ]<ref>{{Cite web | title = Tutkintapyyntö Tampereen poliisille - ProKarelia ja Soviet Story | url = http://antifasistit.blogspot.com/2009/04/tutkintapyynto-tampereen-poliisille.html | date = 25 April 2009 | accessdate = 2009-05-07 | publisher = ] | work = Suomen Antifasistinen Komitea (Safka) |language = Finnish }}</ref> against ] has lead to a ] on suspicion of |
In Finland the film was shown in events organized by the irredentist group ].<ref>{{Cite web | title = SOVIET STORY TAMPEREEN TECHNOPOLIKSESSA 20.04.09 KLO 18 | url = http://www.prokarelia.net/fi/?x=artikkeli&article_id=1777&author=10 | date = 17 April 2009 | accessdate = 2009-05-07 | language = Finnish }}</ref><ref name="hesari">{{Cite journal | title = Neuvostodokumentin näyttö nostatti äläkän Tampereella | journal = ] | author = Jukka Harju | url = http://www.hs.fi/kotimaa/artikkeli/Neuvostodokumentin+n%C3%A4ytt%C3%B6+nostatti+%C3%A4l%C3%A4k%C3%A4n+Tampereella/1135245322413 | date = 20 April 2009 | accessdate = 2009-05-08 | language = Finnish }}</ref><ref name="hesari" /><ref>{{Cite journal | title =Islamilainen puoluekin saapui Tampereelle vastustamaan kohuelokuvaa | journal = ] | author = Johanna Vehkoo | url = http://www.aamulehti.fi/uutiset/kotimaa/140508.shtml | date = 20 April 2009 | accessdate = 2009-05-07 | language = Finnish }}</ref> A ] by ], member of the ]<ref>{{Cite web | title = Tutkintapyyntö Tampereen poliisille - ProKarelia ja Soviet Story | url = http://antifasistit.blogspot.com/2009/04/tutkintapyynto-tampereen-poliisille.html | date = 25 April 2009 | accessdate = 2009-05-07 | publisher = ] | work = Suomen Antifasistinen Komitea (Safka) |language = Finnish }}</ref> against ] has lead to a ] on suspicion of ].<ref>{{Cite journal | title = Soviet Storyn levittämisestä tutkintapyyntö Tampereen poliisille | journal = ] | url = http://www.aamulehti.fi/uutiset/kotimaa/soviet-storyn-levittamisesta-tutkintapyynto-tampereen-poliisille/142377 | date = 7 May 2009 | accessdate = 2009-05-07 | language = Finnish }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | title = Bäckman kaebas lätlaste "Soviet Story" politseisse | url = http://www.delfi.ee/news/paevauudised/eesti/article.php?id=23241087 | work = ] | date = 7 May 2009 | accessdate = 2009-05-07 | language = Estonian }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | title = Soviet Story -elokuvan levittäminen poliisitutkintaan | url = http://www.iltalehti.fi/tampere/200905079547967_te.shtml | agency = ] | work = ] | date = 7 May 2009 | accessdate = 2009-05-07 | language = Finnish }}</ref> The Finnish Film inspector authority, however, did not find the film's content offensive and authorized its showing in Finland.<ref>{{cite news |date=2008-05-23 |title=Somijas antifašisti iesnieguši tiesā prasību pret filmas "Padomju stāsts" demonstrētājiem |work=NRA |language=Latvian |url=http://www.nra.lv/zinas/22215-somijas-antifasisti-iesniegusi-tiesa-prasibu-pret-filmas-padomju-stasts-demonstretajiem.htm}}</ref> | ||
| ==False Accusations== | |||
| Several critics, mostly in Russia, have accused the film of showing things, which in fact do not appear in the film at all. The following cases of false accusations have been noted: | |||
| 1. Irina Yarovaya, Russian MP representing the leadership of the ruling “United Russia” party, declared that “The Soviet Story” film “glorifies Estonian Nazi collaborators, those who killed people in Khatyn and in Pskov region”.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.edinros.ru/text.shtml?6/8797 |title=Яровая: Неофашисты в Европе разжигают межнациональную рознь |publisher=Единая Россия: Официальный Сайт Партии |date= }}</ref> | |||
| No sequence in the film mentions Estonian Nazi collaborators. | |||
| ] alleges<ref name="RIA Novosti"/> this image appears in "The Soviet Story". In fact, it does not. ]] | |||
| 2. Russian State News Agency, ] reported: "The film shows the alleged victims of Stalinist repression: the corpses piled in stacks and covered with logs. In fact these photographs were taken by the Soviets in 1944 and represent the victims of the Nazi atrocities in ] in Estonia and in Yanovskaya camp near Lvov."<ref name="RIA Novosti">{{cite web |url=http://www.rian.ru/society/20090830/182971694.html |title=Эстонское телевидение покажет документальный фильм The Soviet Story |publisher=РИА Новости |date= }}</ref> | |||
| This accusation was reproduced by such news outlets as Vzglyad<ref>{{cite web |url=http://photo.vz.ru/news/2009/8/30/322584.html |title=Фильм-фальсификацию о СССР покажут в Эстонии |publisher=ВЗГЛЯД |date= }}</ref> and Vesti.kz<ref>{{cite web |url=http://vesti.kz/europe/23858/ |title=Эстонское телевидение покажет скандальный фильм The Soviet Story |publisher=Vesti.kz |date= }}</ref>. | |||
| The alleged scene from the ] showing corpses piled in stacks for burning does not appear in the film. | |||
| 3. Russian daily ] alleged that the Nazi-Soviet collaboration document (1938) shown in the film was a fake because its text contained mistakes. It was alleged that the document mistakenly mentioned ] as Reichsführer-SS and ] as Brigadeführer.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.izvestia.ru/politic/article3115028/index.html |title=Евродепутатам показали сталинский ужастик |publisher=ИЗВЕСТИЯ |date= }}</ref>. | |||
| In fact, as it is clearly seen in minute 00:49:30 of the "Soviet Story" DVD, the above-mentioned document refered to ] as SS-Gruppenführer and ] as Standartenführer, which he was in 1938. | |||
| 4. Russian historian ] alleged that Arseny Roginsky, head of the "Memorial" society took part in the film.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pravda.ru/world/262871-0/ |title=Латыши покажут в Европарламенте лживую антироссийскую агитку |publisher=Правда |date= }}</ref> | |||
| In fact, as it turned out Arseny Roginsky did not take part in the film. | |||
| ==Film Festivals and Awards== | ==Film Festivals and Awards== | ||
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| * 2009 ] - ], Czech Republic | * 2009 ] - ], Czech Republic | ||
| * 2009 ] - Washington, USA | * 2009 ] - Washington, USA | ||
| In 2009 the film has been nominated for the biannual Latvian National Film Award "Lielais Kristaps" in the "Best Documentary" category.<ref>{{cite news |date=2008-08-29 |title=Paziņo Lielā Kristapa nominācijas |work=Diena |language=Latvian |url=http://www.diena.lv/lat/izklaide/filmas/filmu_zinas/pazino-nacionala-filmu-festivala-lielais-kristaps-2009-nominacijas }}</ref> | |||
| In 2008 the ], ] awarded the director of the film, Edvins Snore with the ]. | |||
| In 2009 Edvins Snore for creating the film "The Soviet Story" received the Estonian ]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.president.ee/en/estonia/decorations/bearers.php?id=17630 |title=Bearers of decorations|publisher=Official site of the President of the Republic of Estonia |date= }}</ref>. | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
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| * | * | ||
| * | * | ||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | * | ||
| * | |||
| * ] Moscow: Istoricheskaya pamyat, 2008.{{en icon}} {{ru icon}} (second document from below) | * ] Moscow: Istoricheskaya pamyat, 2008.{{en icon}} {{ru icon}} (second document from below) | ||
Revision as of 01:07, 4 September 2009
2008 Latvian film| The Soviet Story | |
|---|---|
 trailer video | |
| Directed by | Edvīns Šnore |
| Written by | Edvīns Šnore |
| Produced by | Kristaps Valdnieks |
| Narrated by | Jon Strickland |
| Cinematography | Edgars Daugavvanags Uvis Brujāns |
| Edited by | Nic Gotham |
| Release date | May 5 2008 |
| Running time | 85 mins |
| Country | Latvia |
| Language | English |
The Soviet Story is a 2008 documentary film about Soviet Communism and Soviet-German collaboration before 1941 written and directed by Edvīns Šnore and sponsored by the UEN Group in the European Parliament.
The film features interviews with western and Russian historians such as Norman Davies and Boris Sokolov, Russian writer Viktor Suvorov, Soviet dissident Vladimir Bukovsky, members of the European Parliament and the participants, as well as the victims of Soviet terror.
The film argues that there were close philosophical, political and organizational connections between the Nazi and Soviet systems before and during the early stages of World War II. It highlights the Great Purge as well as the Great Famine, Katyn massacre, Gestapo-NKVD collaboration, Soviet mass deportations and medical experiments in the GULAG.
Critics argue that the film exhibits misrepresentation through bias or represents its subject propagandistically.
Reception
The film has attracted praise and criticism from academic historians and political commentators.
The Economist review of The Soviet Story praises the film by saying
"Soviet Story" is the most powerful antidote yet to the sanitisation of the past. The film is gripping, audacious and uncompromising. The main aim of the film is to show the close connections—philosophical, political and organisational—between the Nazi and Soviet systems.
It concludes its review by calling the documentary "a sharply provocative work".
Various Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have expressed views in favour of the film. According to the Latvian MEPs Inese Vaidere and Ģirts Valdis Kristovskis writing in Parliament Magazine:
The Soviet Story makes a significant contribution to the establishment of a common understanding of history and brings us closer to the truth about the tragic events of the 20th century. A common understanding of history among the member states is crucial for the future of the whole EU.
Both Vaidere and Kristovskis represent the UEN group which actively supported the production of the film.
After watching the film, Finnish MEP Ari Vatanen gave the following comment:
It is a powerful message. Thank you for telling the truth. It will awaken people. ... We cannot build a humanity if we close our eyes to this kind of massacres. Our possibility is to serve justice to those people.
British MEP Christopher Beazley commented:
This film is very important. It's a very powerful representation of what took place in Poland, in Latvia and the other Central European countries.
Vytautas Landsbergis, MEP and the former Head of the Lithuanian Seimas (Parliament), assessed The Soviet Story as
a world class film, which should be shown to the world
Likewise, Latvia's Minister of Justice, Gaidis Bērziņš, has said that, because of its important historical message, he would encourage the Ministry of Education to have the film shown in all schools in Latvia.
MEP from Latvia Tatjana Ždanoka regards the film as a "propagandistic odd job, which is given out to be "a new word in history". She also thought that "the second part of the film is pure political PR": while the first part of the film pictures the point of view of some historians, contemporary politicians criticize modern Russia in the end of the film. Ždanoka also noted that "a lot of attention was devoted to the partnership of the German and Russian military. This is followed by a jump forward in time to the 1940s, with a mass-meeting of Vlasovites is shown against a background of swastika". General Andrey Vlasov's Russian Liberation Army was actually created by Nazi Germany to fight against the Soviet Union.
In Russia the film prompted negative reactions from Russian organizations, press, and politicians. According to the "European Voice" newspaper, Russians are infuriated by the film which reveals the extent of Nazi and Soviet collaboration
On May 17, 2008 the Russian pro-governmental youth organization Young Russia (Template:Lang-ru) organized the protest "Let's not allow the rewriting of history!" (Template:Lang-ru) in front of the Embassy of Latvia in Moscow. An effigy representing Edvīns Šnore was burnt during the protest.
One of the critics of the film, Alexander Dyukov, a Russian historian, declared: "After watching two thirds of the film, I had only one wish: to kill its director and to burn down the Latvian Embassy." Dyukov alleges inconsistencies in the film and questions the credibility of some of the film sequences and conclusions of some of the Russian and Western historians interviewed in the film. Izvestia reported that the part of the film pertaining to medical experiments in the GULAG used Sergey Melnikoff's web-site "GULAG: With a camera among the camps" as a source, which Dyukov maintains is not trustworthy.. Dyukov also alleges in the same report that the document supporting the Gestapo-NKVD partnership hypothesis presented in the film, the secret Gestapo-NKVD agreement of November 11, 1938, is a fake.
Latvian political scientist and cultural commentator Ivars Ījabs offers a mixed review of The Soviet Story. On one hand, it is a well-made and "effective piece of cinematic propaganda in the good sense of this word", whose message is clearly presented to the audience. On the other hand, Ījabs does not agree with a number of historical interpretations in the film, asserting that it contains errors. For example, Ījabs states that, "In late 1930s Hitler did not yet plan a systematic genocide against the Jews", as it is suggested in the film; "Everybody knows that this decision was made in 1942 at the Wannsee Conference in Berlin." Furthermore, Ījabs comments on the notion in the film voiced by the British literary historian George Watson of Cambridge University that Karl Marx is "the ancestor of the modern political genocide". Ījabs says: "To present Karl Marx as the "progenitor of modern genocide is simply to lie". Ījabs admits, however, Marx using the term "racial trash" (Völkerabfälle) in relation to a number of small European nations.
In Finland the film was shown in events organized by the irredentist group ProKarelia. A criminal complaint by Johan Bäckman, member of the Finnish Anti-Fascist Committee against ProKarelia has lead to a criminal investigation on suspicion of incitement to ethnic or racial hatred. The Finnish Film inspector authority, however, did not find the film's content offensive and authorized its showing in Finland.
Film Festivals and Awards
The film has been screened in the following film festivals:
- 2008 Boston Film Festival, USA – "The Soviet Story" received the “ Mass Impact Award”
- 2008 KinoLev Film Festival - Lviv, Ukraine
- 2008 Black Nights Film Festival – Tallinn, Estonia
- 2008 Arsenals Film Festival - Riga, Latvia
- 2008 Promitey Film Festival - Tbilisi, Georgia
- 2008 Baltic Film Festival – Berlin, Germany
- 2009 Sedona International Film Festival – Sedona, Arizona, USA
- 2009 Mene Tekel festival - Prague, Czech Republic
- 2009 Politicsonfilm Film Festival - Washington, USA
References
- ^ "Telling the Soviet story". The Economist. 2008-05-22. Retrieved 2008-06-03.
- Vaidere, Inese (2008-04-15). "Warning from the past". Parliament Magazine. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - "The Soviet Story: Sponsors". The Soviet Story official website. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
- Sprūde, Viesturs (2008-04-14). "Aplausi «Padomju stāstam»". Latvijas Avīze (in Latvian).
- YouTube - Ari Vatanen about "The Soviet Story"
- YouTube - Christopher Beazley about "The Soviet Story"
- Līcītis, Egils (2008-05-03). "Edvīns Šnore sakārto pagātni". Latvijas Avīze (in Latvian).
- "Tieslietu ministrs: filma «Padomju stāsts» jārāda visās skolās" (in Latvian). apollo.lv. 2008-05-08. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
- ^ "Жданок: фильм "The Soviet Story" — пропагандистская поделка (Ždanoka: film "The Soviet Story" - propagandistic odd job)" (in Russian). Delfi.lv. 2008-04-11. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
- "Telling the unofficial, but true, Soviet story". European Voice. 2008-05-29.
- "Акция «России молодой» «Не дадим переписать историю!»" (in Russian). 2008-05-14. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
- "Prokremliskie jaunieši pie Latvijas vēstniecības protestē pret "vēstures pārrakstīšanu" (Pro-Kremlin youth protest against the "rewriting of history" in front of the Latvian Embassy)" (in Latvian). TVNET.lv. 2008-05-20. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
- a_dyukov. The Soviet Story: первый просмотр - Новые Хроники
- "Латышские наследники доктора Геббельса" (in Russian). Retrieved 2008-06-16.
- ^ "Евродепутатам показали сталинский ужастик (A Stalin horror film was shown to members of the European Parliament)". Izvestia. 2008-04-09. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
- Melnikoff, Sergey. "Обвинение СССР в опытах над людьми" (in Russian). Retrieved 2008-06-06.
- Дюков, Александр. "Реальность информационной войны" (in Russian). Retrieved 2008-06-06.
- minute 16:37 Film "The Soviet Story"
- Ījabs, Ivars (2008-05-23). "Cienīga atbilde: Soviet Story". Latvijas Vēstnesis (in Latvian). Retrieved 2008-06-15.
- "SOVIET STORY TAMPEREEN TECHNOPOLIKSESSA 20.04.09 KLO 18" (in Finnish). 17 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
- ^ Jukka Harju (20 April 2009). "Neuvostodokumentin näyttö nostatti äläkän Tampereella". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 2009-05-08.
- Johanna Vehkoo (20 April 2009). "Islamilainen puoluekin saapui Tampereelle vastustamaan kohuelokuvaa". Aamulehti (in Finnish). Retrieved 2009-05-07.
- "Tutkintapyyntö Tampereen poliisille - ProKarelia ja Soviet Story". Suomen Antifasistinen Komitea (Safka) (in Finnish). Finnish Anti-Fascist Committee. 25 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
- "Soviet Storyn levittämisestä tutkintapyyntö Tampereen poliisille". Aamulehti (in Finnish). 7 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
- "Bäckman kaebas lätlaste "Soviet Story" politseisse". Delfi (in Estonian). 7 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
- "Soviet Story -elokuvan levittäminen poliisitutkintaan". Iltalehti (in Finnish). STT. 7 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
- "Somijas antifašisti iesnieguši tiesā prasību pret filmas "Padomju stāsts" demonstrētājiem". NRA (in Latvian). 2008-05-23.
External links
- Official site
- IMDB page
- Trailer on YouTube
- Russian language trailer YouTube
- A. Dyukov "The Soviet Story": Forgery Tissue Moscow: Istoricheskaya pamyat, 2008.Template:En icon Template:Ru icon (second document from below)