Tag: Cold War

Music by Alex Sheremet
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A statue of Mao Zedong in a Chinese city, with the text "Mao vs. Russia," part of Alex Sheremet's translation of Vladimir Vysotsky's take on the Sino-Soviet Split, "The Earth has so many races..." (Владимир Высоцкий - Есть на земле предостаточно рас), for the automachination literary magazine.

TRANSLATION: Vladimir Vysotsky’s “The Earth Has So Many Races” (1965)

Vladimir Vysotsky (Владимир Высоцкий) wrote political songs, but they were not all rebellious. He was playful with the status quo, encouraging aspects of Soviet identity without relying on specific figures or ideologies. Commenting on the Sino-Soviet Split was among his more direct allusions, which reflected public opinion at the time.

By the 1960s, the Sino-Soviet Split played a major role in Russia’s imagination. Although ‘officially’ dressed in Marxist-Leninist orthodoxy, its true reasons were practical. Soviets criticized Mao Zedong’s cult of personality, reneged on nuclear weapons, and feared that much of their own Far East territory was ill-gotten. China was encircled by Western powers whereas the USSR was not, thus encouraging the USSR to avoid “Chinese wars”. Demographic concerns were particularly common, as were concerns about the world’s resources—and spoils…

Vladimir Vysotsky’s reference to Syngman Rhee is particularly telling, as Mao Zedong is being portrayed as a revisionist-imperialist conspiring with an anti-Communist: […]

Film by Ezekiel Yu
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A shot of Orson Welles (Harry Lime) in a dark tunnel, from Carol Reed's 1949 black and white film, "The Third Man", as reviewed and analyzed by poet and film critic Ezekiel Yu for the automachination literary magazine.

These Shadowed Angles: Analyzing Carol Reed’s “The Third Man” (1949)

Man, just how great is Orson Welles?

Can you name another major American filmmaker—world filmmaker, for that matter—who was not only responsible for multiple, medium-defining masterpieces but also turned in stellar performances as both leading man and supporting actor?

Cassavetes comes to mind, though he was often overshadowed onscreen by his partner and muse Gena Rowlands. Woody Allen revolutionized the serio-comic film and was, at the same time, very capable as an actor in his own screenplays; but he had a limited schtick, and one which he (and others) would eventually run to the ground. The great Silent Clowns may be close comparisons, and Welles himself professed a deep admiration for Buster Keaton. De Sica was a fine actor, certainly; and the pioneering Swedish director Victor Sjöström performed splendidly in Bergman’s Wild Strawberries as its main character.

After these (name-drop some of your own, as I’ve inevitably short-shrifted at least a few notables), though, it’s slim pickings. Clint Eastwood? A spaghetti western icon, yes, but his own films as a director do not hold a candle to Sergio Leone’s, much less Welles’s. Tarantino? Nope. Mel Gibson? Please. Tim Blake Nelson is a good actor and filmmaker—but medium-defining? No dice. (I do not count those who turned in only cameos or bit parts, such as Scorsese, Hitchcock, Sayles, etc.) And I won’t be considering up-and-comers like Greta Gerwig, Jordan Peele, or Bradley Cooper just yet, if you can find it in your heart to forgive me. […]