I saw this advertised whilst watching Desperate Housewives last night, I don't have More 4 so I am gutted I cannot watch it, it looks incredibly interesting. Being predominantly Russian myself id like to see what people think about the place. Does anybody have more information about it?
you would have hated it. Sensationalist, partial, obvious and a bit boring. That, and the presenter's Russian was atrocious (he didn't seem to understand very mch that was said to him, either: must come as a great comfort to know they send such half-educated types in to deal with 'serious' issues). Who did they interview? You can guess: an oligarch with a barbie-doll wife, a couple of alcoholics, a 'legit' biznezmen, a racist Cossack, a few Turks, and some health professionals (notwithstanding the obligatory AIDS patient in a country where TB has developed untreatable forms). Every cliche under the sun, really, without even being interesting. Another doco needs making showing the amazing efforts many people are making to create a new Russia, not traipsing through the wreckage of the old one for entertainment.
I think I said so above, but I might add a coherent documentary on the demographic crisis that had some proper research and also explored the implications of high death rates and low birth rates on a broader range of people (after all, this is a geo-political crisis as well, if a nation with massive reserves of oil becomes unstable and shares an undefendable border with country whose rapid industrialisation requires those very resources).
I agree with you - if Theroux was determined to do a slightly 'tongue-in-cheek' take on Russia's problems and demonstrate how contrasting it is with western europe, then it should have been put in that context. The issues that he amateurishly touched on merit proper examination in a balanced documentary (not one single attempt was made in the programme to allow any kind of defense to the spurrious claims he made).
I was referring specifically to "another doco needs making showing the amazing efforts many people are making to create a new Russia". I am curious as to what these are, as we usually only get told about the grimmer stuff.
Also did you not think any serious points were made, or are lack of freedom and corruption not a problem for you?
We get told the grimmer stuff because the West always thinks about Russia in political terms, and doesn't want to know about other aspects of Russian life. Russia is actually a breath of fresh air after the UK, and whilst it is tough to live there for many, it is recovering from a deep trauma that will only really go away when the Soviet generations die out (which they are doing at a rapid rate, I grant you). However, I also meet loads of students and younger people in Russia who demand better, and make a go of their enterprises with considerable panache. One of the issues about freedom is not how much you have but what you do with it. Whenever I return from Russia, I always find myself shocked by our conformity. Tell me, do you think we have freedom and democracy without corruption? A choice between two Oxbridge graduates every five years. Is that your democracy?
'That's what is normal for russians is death for europeans'.This is not my words, but I could hear it many times in Russia for long time.I didn't see anything new on More4 about Russia.All nations have a problems.I think it's unfair to show dark sides of life only...Russia is not hopeless.
