Living in Russia Today

This short film, which interviews Russians and Americans familiar with both the Soviet Union and the current state of affairs in Russia, was produced to acquaint students in grades 9-12 with "the new Russia." Viewers are provided snippets of information about a variety of things Russian, including dachas, the failed military coup of 1991, the extraordinary size of the country (it covers nine time zones) and the 900-day siege of Leningrad during World War II. As a primer for those who know nothing of Russian history and the people of this vast country, Living in Russia Today is a workable introduction. It suffers from a rather blissed-out optimism, however. We receive no introduction to the down-side of post-communist Russia, such as the emergence of the Russian mafia, internal dissension or the questionable status of nuclear security arrangements; the continuing tragedy in Chechnya is mentioned as briefly as possible. More to the point, the film was produced prior to the current economic and political chaos in Russia, which threatens to topple the Yeltsin government. That's the main problem with this somewhat breezy introduction to Russia: the political/economic process in Russia has become liquid. The price ($195) is a bit high for a film that may be quite ephemeral in its assessment of the state of affairs in present-day Russia. Very optional. Aud: H, P. (P. Van Vleck)