Common Stereotypes About Russians

COMMON STEREOTYPES ABOUT RUSSIA
A couple of words on the stereotypes of Russians in the American films.

The enthusiasm about "befriending the Russia", in other words, the hope of making money out of our hard-times, was short-lived. Though quick bucks were made at that time, it was not by start-up film makers or writers. Their disillusionment found expression through vilification. Eraser, Air Force One, The Peacemaker—all depict Russians as stereotypical monster-characters or Mafiosi. According to these movies, Russians can’t be trusted. Meanwhile, the news media made it seem like Gorbachev’s will brought down Communism. This was a dangerous naiveté that lead to all the following misunderstandings.

The truth is—20^th century Russia saw three revolutions, unparalleled genocide and many wars, including both world wars. Russia survived the deadly experiment of life in a godless society based on ideas perpetrated by another countries. And in spite of all that the Russian people found the power to say "no" to the world’s most powerful totalitarian regime. It took 75 years to say it, but they did it! Viewed in this light the Russian stereotype is shallow and tragically ironic.

The 1997 movie The Saint is the Russian stereotype’s most recent incarnation. In it Val Kilmar plays a shameless thief who saves the democracy in Russia and awards himself with twenty million dollars stolen first by the Russian Mafia and secondly, by him from hungry Russian people.

At the same time, the movie version of Solzhenitsin’s Archipelago Gulag for better understanding who is who and who wants what in this world is still not done!