The Face of Russia - Review

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), March, 1999 by Robert S. Rothenberg

The Face of Russia Home Vision Select / three cassettes / 180 minutes / $79.95

Following the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russia is examining its past, present, and future as the giant nation struggles to fan the flickering sparks of democracy. This stunning video takes the approach of analyzing Russia through its art and culture, observing the revival of religious imagery along with the renaissance of authors Nikolay Gogol and Aleksandr Pushkin, composer Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky, and film director Sergei Eisenstein.

Depictions of Gogol and Pushkin's work, enacted live, via movies and animation, and even through puppet shows--are as vital today as they were in the 19th century, as is Mussorgsky's opera, "Boris Godunov." Meanwhile, Eisenstein's films document imperial Russia and the Russian Revolution using techniques that have become imbued in cinematic history, often imitated in contemporary motion pictures.

Despite the communists' efforts to suppress both institutions, the church and royalty continue to occupy key roles in Russians' history and heart. The architecture of those churches that were not torn down during the Soviet era and the religious icons and art that filled them are a major part of the Russian heritage, and many of the churches and cathedrals that fell into ruin or were razed completely are being rebuilt. Meanwhile, the splendor of the Imperial Family's palaces and chateaus survive, kept intact by the Soviet hierarchy for reasons of their own. The art from the Russian Orthodox and Romanov legacies serve to define the Russian psyche to this day.

Among the fascinating history contained in this video is the propensity by Russian and Soviet leaders to overreach. Inside the Kremlin sits the world's largest bell. Too heavy to be hung, it never has been rung, having cracked when water was poured over it prematurely during the casting, causing a 25,000-pound piece to break off. Matching this for hubris is Stalin's order to construct an edifice taller than the Empire State Building, topped with a statue of Lenin taller than the Statue of Liberty. The ground was unable to support the structure's weight and it crumbled during construction. The resulting crater is now an outdoor swimming pool.

ROBERT S. ROTHENBERG

Managing Editor, USA Today