Evil American

[Austrvegr]

Russian actor Nikolay Lavrov used to play Evil Americans in Soviet films. Please classify him and say whether he looks like one.

http://www.kino-teatr.ru/acter/album/2392/150700.jpg

http://www.kino-teatr.ru/acter/album/2392/150701.jpg

http://www.kino-teatr.ru/acter/album/2392/150702.jpg

http://i.getmovies.ru/artists/27544_w200_h270_fc.jpghttp://media.theatre.ru/photo/9811.jpg

[Aemma]

Oddly enough, I find that he has a Robert De Niro look to him. Must be the mole on the cheek.

http://i54.tinypic.com/2i24idg.jpg

[Han Cholo]

I think he does not have a very marked slavic look but in this one he looks quite Russian:
http://www.kino-teatr.ru/acter/album/2392/150700.jpg

I guess the make up play a role too.

[Der Steinadler]

he looks too East European.

was he convincing to the people in the soviet union ?

[GeistFaust]

Balto-Cro-Magnon with some sort of Dinarid component.

[Odoacer]

Definitely not a typically "American" look. Could serve well as a Russian mobster in an American film, though. ;)

[Jerry]

Come on.. Even North-Korea had real Americans to play the capitalist bastards [1], and that's the best the great Soviet Motherland can do??? Lame, the guy looks as Russian as he is :D

([1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Joseph_Dresnok#Life_in_North_Korea)
PS. There's also a very interesting documentary on the issue ^, and also one on defects to China.

[beaver]

At Soviet times, Latvians,Lithuanians, Estonians were frequently used in movies to show something like an Englishman :) Its very funny. The main thing - they should look enough different from typical Russians (or common Russian swamp). But they absolutely dont resemble "true" Englishmen at the same time.

[beaver]

I'm sorry for some off but the theme is very interesting potentially - mutual fakes. For example, Ford is very convincing in the role of a Russian captain. No problem.

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/200/84952897.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/263/84952897.jpg/)

but Lundgren as a Soviet/Russian boxer :D:D:D

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/5443/58123256.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/263/58123256.jpg/)

[Waidewut]

At Soviet times, Latvians,Lithuanians, Estonians were frequently used in movies to show something like an Englishman :) Its very funny. The main thing - they should look enough different from typical Russians (or common Russian swamp). But they absolutely dont resemble "true" Englishmen at the same time.

Indeed, Latvians, Lithuanians and Estonians frequently had those evil nazi roles also.

[Austrvegr]

was he convincing to the people in the soviet union ?

To me he was quite convincing.

[Austrvegr]

Come on.. Even North-Korea had real Americans to play the capitalist bastards [1], and that's the best the great Soviet Motherland can do??? Lame, the guy looks as Russian as he is :D


My experience of communicating with Finns in the Internet has taught me that 99% of what they say about Russia and Russians is bullshit.

And in this specific case I would rather trust Americans' own words:


Of course, the main quality of this film is its gorgeous, amazingly convincing portrayal of Americans. To fully understand how well Solo Voyage portrays US citizens one must view all those innumerable American films with The Stereotypical Evil/Good (cirlce the correct answer) Russian Character. If you know ANYTHING about Russians (not from the movies!), please do watch Rambo and its ilk before you see the Solo Voyage. The "typical" Russian military man, according to an American film, will be between the ages of 31 and 58, bald (or sporting a crew-cut), moustachioed (or sporting a wild Czar Nicholas-style beard), constantly drinking gallons of vodka and answering to that common Russian name of Alexander Streptokokkoff, Alexei Carbohydratski or Gregor Samsa (with apologies to the Ivan Drago/Danko clan of the Siberian wilderness). I won't even mention his accent (he will have an accent, since for the convenience of the American viewing public he must speak English), which boils down to rolling his R's in a way that would make a drunken Mexican green with envy. Now look at the Americans from the Solo Voyage. I challenge you to find any flaw in them, other than bad acting, of course. Their English is perfect, their manners are genuine, their names are typical (Harrison, Robinson, Crowder), their clothes are correct (down to the University of Iowa Hawkeyes logo on a baseball cap), their evilness is believable. So believable in fact, it makes me want to pick up an AK-47 and defend the world from imperialists right now! At first I thought that the director was able to cast some American or English actors, but I was amazed to find out that all the American characters were played by Russians and Lithuanians. Actually, the least believable characters in this movie, as ironic as it is, are the Russian soldiers, mostly due to the wooden performance by the cast. Now, I strongly suspect that there are many more Russians in America than there are Americans in Russia. This is why it's so hard to understand why this 1985 Soviet film portrays Americans so accurately, while its US counterparts could never come up with a Russian character more realistic that a Superman-comic villain.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089721/reviews

[beaver]

Indeed, Latvians, Lithuanians and Estonians frequently had those evil nazi roles also.
Yeah, for example, SS officiers and soldiers in corridors in "17 мгновений весны". But the main task was not find typical Germans but to find faces that could be perceived by usual Russian viewers like something stranger/not ours

[beaver]

In my opinion, its the best fake of Hollywood of all times

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/3255/68567059.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/266/68567059.jpg/)

Godunov like a supergerman (Overall - German team/band)

[Odoacer]

Now, I strongly suspect that there are many more Russians in America than there are Americans in Russia. This is why it's so hard to understand why this 1985 Soviet film portrays Americans so accurately, while its US counterparts could never come up with a Russian character more realistic that a Superman-comic villain.

That's not so hard to understand. Americans made many, many, many more films than the Russians did. Watch enough American films & you can pick up such superficialities without too much trouble. :cool:

[beaver]

That's not so hard to understand. Americans made many, many, many more films than the Russians did. Watch enough American films
but not so great. Nobody in Russia will not view American movies while the holyday - only Soviet - from the morning to the night - from all channels
I love Hollywood up to 90s

[Jerry]

My experience of communicating with Finns in the Internet has taught me that 99% of what they say about Russia and Russians is bullshit.

And in this specific case I would rather trust Americans' own words:

Well he doesn't look American to me.. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings questioning the casting choices in Soviet films :D didn't understand that it's such a sensitive subject that it leads to my whole nation being called liars lol

[beaver]

that it's such a sensitive subject
What? Its very interesting - yes

[Jerry]

What? Its very interesting - yes

Yes, I'm not saying it's not interesting, you probably didn't understand me?
Not sure how to explain the meaning of sensitive.. sensitive subject is something very close to your heart and something you get very emotional about if somebody says something that you disagree with. So I was just amused that Austrvegr started to say that all Finns talk in the internet about Russians is bullshit when my comment was just to say that he doesn't look American to me (ok, maybe I was just a tiny bit provocative with the N-Korea comparision, but still)

[The Ripper]

Yes, I'm not saying it's not interesting, you probably didn't understand me?
Not sure how to explain the meaning of sensitive.. sensitive subject is something very close to your heart and something you get very emotional about if somebody says something that you disagree with. So I was just amused that Austrvegr started to say that all Finns talk in the internet about Russians is bullshit when my comment was just to say that he doesn't look American to me (ok, maybe I was just a tiny bit provocative with the N-Korea comparision, but still)

Perhaps Austvegr's internet warrior armour is not as impenetrable as it seems? :roll eyes ;)

[beaver]

I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings
No way, in no case (lets get back to this post, not to the latest). I love Hollywood to begin with. Up to 90s. Only full idiot could say that Mosfilm (the main firm) can even try to compete with Hollywood on the international level. But I also can observe another fact - during all Russian holidays all Russian channels show 80% old Soviet movies (24/7 including cartoon films) and only 20% - Hollywood. Without any ideology, they are just strong practical guys. The situation comes to full idiotism - the same Soviet movie you can see i.g. on one channel at 11, on some other - at 16 etc.

[Den Pobedy]

I think his looks could have passed for Italian-American Mafia.

[Waidewut]

but not so great. Nobody in Russia will not view American movies while the holyday - only Soviet - from the morning to the night - from all channels
I love Hollywood up to 90s

Soviet films are appreciated in Latvia too. They always show classics like Slyohkim param on 1st January, and generally all from the Shurik series are quite popular.