American Misogyny Rebranding Soviet Movies

Reuploading some TikToks on here as well
Obviously I'm not saying that the Soviet Union treated women perfectly, but they didn't do stuff like this. And they introduced a plethora of equality laws well before the United States in regards to women.
Original:
www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRQTS6oM/
#soviethistory #ussr #sovietfilm #sovietcinema

[@josemaria8177]

Does anyone remember that Netflix show Queen's Gambit? When the US pretended a fictional female chess grandmaster was the only woman who found succes as a chess player while ignoring all the real soviet women who were chess grandmasters? I think this shows just how much mysogony and anti communism (they tend to walk hand in hand in my experience) are still hegemonic in american media

[@parkercushingable]

I rolled my eyes at how they portrayed the Soviets as like chess slaves playing in an industrial library stadium lol

[@aliceinwonder8978]

It's sort of similar to the space race. The USA did 1 good thing (get to the moon, or produce Bobby Fischer) and then declares itself the winner. Meanwhile the USSR got all the other firsts and achievements and had way more chess players and grandmasters who dominated long before and after Fischer. I don't really get it, Fischer is worshipped but he only won 1 world title and then retired b/c FIDE didn't let him change the terms of the championship match to be in his favor. Meanwhile, Kasparov and Karpov duked it out for decades.

[@jareddavis9012]

The show is based on a novel.

[@birdsarerathercool]

Yeah, but you gotta admit that show slaps

[@arpansaha2111]

​@@birdsarerathercoolthat it does

[@qoriaparicio1328]

The portrayal of women in the majority of soviet art is something that never fails to make me so incredibly happy. The way they portray women as strong without their power relying on their sexuality and at the same time not making strength synonymous with manhood/proximity to manhood is something I've yet to see replicated in any media today (if anyone has any recommendations PLEASE let me know.)

[@Yet.Another.Rapper.KiG.V2]

Seconded on recommendation.

[@yeattwizzyrichbitcointikok1120]

Agreed!

[@JasperTedVidalTale]

Me too

[@no-qo2rc]

"Salt of the Earth". It was made in New Mexico, I think? In any case, the lead actress got deported and the directors were blacklisted from Hollywood lol.

[@Katya_Lastochka]

Because real Communism adheres to the already existing culture. There is no such thing as Cultural Marxism in actual Marxism. Ruslan and Lyudmilla, Nastasya Mikulishna, Vasilisa Mikulishna, Nastasya Korolevishna. Warrior princesses are not new in Russian culture. Cossack women all knew how to fight and defended their homes when the men were at war. Before Christianity and even during, it was women witchdoctors that were sought for cures and insight. Male priests were tasked with defense of the country, such as communion with a god. They would also prepare warriors for the afterlife amid battle. And if you look at Chinese media, their female portrayal is far more interesting than in the West. My point is that feminism doesnt exist in the east because I just dont think Eurasia has gotten that patriarchal. Japan did go crazy with the feet binding, but those were aristocrats.

[@melelconquistador]

The soviet ones are pretty dignified in that they are neutral in their portrayal. You could swap out the woman for a man and it wouldn't be too different. The american ones have so much sex appeal that they are ridiculous.

[@AWESOMERACECAR2013]

the soviet posters also just look way cooler

[@albertcapley6894]

Is it the same film in both cases or did the US "fix" yet another Soviet film by making it more sexist, etc?

[@luyandzabavukiledlamini4693]

Really disappointed how they downgraded the female characters fighting in the Patriotic War to free their homeland to some bimbos

[@kino_61]

Look at Marylin Monroe, a genius in other fields than acting that had to play the bimbo to be "successful"

[@SirCutRy]

This movie specifically about the war against Finland.

[@MB2.0]

​@@SirCutRy well the war in Finland was preparation for the war against Germany anyways

[@jenm1]

I think women should be allowed their sexual freedoms. This is specifically problematic bc it’s the commodification and infantilization of women’s sexuality

[@vannajs5024]

​@@jenm1 Too much sexual freedoms leads to decadence and finally self destructive lifestyle,With both genders.. During the Socialism Sexuality was publicly limited,they were quite conservative about it.What humanity needs it's a culture , scientific outlook and freedom from economical exploitation and a really meaningful lifestyle.Today's civilization doesn't really lead anywhere,it's pretty much primitive in a Cultural sense and Self destructive.

[@sentinel8534]

Soviet artstyle and aesthetic is so unique and unmatched. I really love this abstract yet clear artstyle. Abstract in it's colours, but clear in it's characters.

[@architectureordie]

this is why everybody keep watching soviet movies everywhere and all young actors would do anything to go working in russia.

[@GTAVictor9128]

Hearts of Iron 4 recently made a trailer from the Soviet perspective that actually respects the USSR rather than sprinkling it with anti-Soviet propaganda. If you look closely, the ending scene also features a female sniper in the ranks, which pays homage to the fact that many women did take this role in the Soviet army during WW2 (and the USSR had more women in its ranks than any other Allied nation). It's a fact that's often overlooked, so it's nice to see the devs did their research. It's such a great trailer that it feels like it would've been a very effective army recruitment ad if the USSR still existed, or if it was made during or shortly after WW2.

[@joaquinvideo2959]

i own that hat in your first picture! (well that type of hat)

[@LadyIzdihar]

It's a Budenovka!

[@joaquinvideo2959]

@@LadyIzdihar I know it's pretty cool hat

[@SpinoAdri2001]

​@@joaquinvideo2959Me too!

[@Katya_Lastochka]

Feminism and patriarchy feel like such foreign concepts to me as a Russian woman. Not only are Russian men chivalrous, but I just cant imagine splitting Russian society into male and female. We have always done everything together since the beginning. When we were farmers, men plowed and watered the field, and women collected the harvest and refined it. In the cities, men worked jobs while women became tailors, cooks, secretaries, while also working some trade. In Soviet era women were teachers, engineers, managers, scientists, artists. There were a lot of female engineers, just in my family alone. Also managers. And there was no Affirmative Action. Many women were managers and supervisors because it was believed that women were more organized, and they are.

[@SpinoAdri2001]

🇵🇪: Interesting 🤔 Taking notes right now

[@jenm1]

We literally do this today. The ussr was 70+ yrs ahead of its time

[@shajara]

100%

[@emperorspock3506]

The Russian name actually literally means 'Frontline [Female] Friends'. The phrase can be interpreted as friends or girlfriends; depending on the context. EDIT: this got me interested, the US film appears to be a remake of the Soviet one, and both involve romantic stories, so the friend/girlfriend ambiguity probably is intentional in the Russian version.

[@alpharius6206]

"Podruga" is a gendered form of "Drug", meaning friend. There's no other meaning to them. There're other words that signify a man's relationship with a woman, with quite rare literature exceptions where "Podruga" might be used (always with an attached adjective), which is not the case here, because the context means the main characters being friends. I see no ambiguity here, everything is clear to me as a native speaker.

[@user-uk9bk2ik6d]

Agree with the previous comment. As a native speaker, I would never interpret 'podruga' as a girlfriend/love interest. But especially not in the context of Winter War/WWII and in the film with multiple lead female characters. Intuitively I would translate this title as 'Battle Sisters'.

[@rikki635]

This is quite interesting. I came into the comments to say it's still annoying that both titles refer to these grown ass women as "girls" but the fact that the Russian is better translated as "friend" or "sister" just makes the english reinterpretation even worse.

[@omikhlephonon]

Yep, "boyevaya podruga" = "battle sister" as battle buddy, but female

[@TypicalRussianGuy]

@@alpharius6206 I don't know how it was in the 1940s, but I, as a child of the 2000s, also thought that "podruga" just means "a female friend", but my parents, who were born in the 1970s, view the word "podruga" more as a "girlfriend" than a "female friend". Who knows, maybe in the 1940s "podruga" was more ambiguous, meaning a "girlfriend" and a "female friend" depending on the context. In fact, it is qute similar to the English colloquial word "girlfriends", which usually means "my female friends" and not "women which are in a romantic relationship with me"

[@lizardbytheriver1567]

The Soviet Posters look badass. Our Women Comrades deserve badass representation that is not overly sexualized, that shows their strengths and determination.

[@Dummigame]

You can tell how in the american posters, the women were drawn looking less strong, less determined, and the title has a completely different feel. In the soviet ads, one of them is placed front and center. The women there look determined, strong, and aren‘t sidelined as much. In the american posters, you can also see how the women were both sexualised but also drawn in an odd way, making them seem like less.

[@nathat4250]

a great comparison is ''women's mags'' from the same time. The capitalist world showed us how to become the idea of a woman by consumption centred around our appearance, while the USSR's ''cover girls'' were women who were actually advancing society. Showing that we can do the same careers as men under fairer economic circumstances.

[@Yet.Another.Rapper.KiG.V2]

Everything every second in the US is so pornographic it is really disturbing. Or it is self-flagellating austere Puritan sexlessness. Can't decide which is worse but at least the latter isn't in every single internet, TV, music, game, billboard...

[@abzlore9640]

The direct translation is actually "frontline friends (specifically female)".

[@jastat]

Well it's a colder county so they have wrap up warm

[@LadyIzdihar]

🤣

[@refoliation]

Damn. Aside from the treatment of gender, just comparing the design and art quality of the posters, both soviet examples are strikingly beautiful and make perfect use of the color limitations of the highly reproduced medium of ad prints. The US posters are trying so hard to make it look like a movie you would have already seen, not to mention a fair bit of just ‘graphic-design-is-my-passion’ ugliness. Soviet film and visual arts are such a treasure. I don’t even think the most dogmatic anti-com ideologue denies it.

[@basedcomrade1595]

What's the background music? It sounds beautiful 🥲

[@BrunoSantos-lm1pz]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKfNi4eDo5iMf6M different recording tho

[@BrunoSantos-lm1pz]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZfWZGh3et6jfNk found it

[@kemppainentaisto1839]

Red Army Choir"Take Us Against Beauty Finland". Finns didn't do it. #talvisota#simohäyhä. 😏

[@MB2.0]

​@@kemppainentaisto1839Soviets still won though 👀

[@Comuniity_]

Another great example is the space programs, one of the first people to ever go to space was Valentina Tereshkova in 1963, meanwhile in the US it wasn't until the 80s even though they had trained all women space crews with the Apollo sqauds. Interestingly the only cool thing Jeff Bezos has ever done was take one of these women on his little trip to space. The soviets definitely had issues with how they treated women, once again with the space programs example it was like another 20 years before they sent another, but clearly better then the US. I've also heard alot of the best snipers in the Winter War and WW2 were soviet women

[@VMd154]

You're right.

[@nathat4250]

Yessss this is exactly the kind of analysis i'm looking for, which is really hard to find in today's climate unfortunately

[@EXSkywarp]

Honestly? I like the Russian posters/ads better.

[@user-di8zo1dn1z]

We should genuinely have a communist Live Action RolePlay convention.. that would be the funniest thing ever..

[@darrylbradshaw216]

It's so sad & desperate, pitiful anti-socialist propaganda.

[@happy-go-commie]

New subscriber to your channel, glad you mentioned the Winter War. Do you have any content on that war with Finland and the soviet context behind it? Thanks!

[@sebastiantigani2720]

Algorithm

[@FelipeGomes-ek8lf]

Nice

[@kidnamedpenis]

this also speaks volumes about what this war was to soviets and to americans

[@lolexplosions4214]

May have to watch this movie.

[@sophiabreidfischer6242]

Wow v interesting.

[@benix598]

can someone link this movie, i can't find it anywhere

[@invis_unlucky6972]

Woman don’t belong in wars, I would never Let my wive do such jobs, she shouldn’t need to work she shy have a comfortable life and take care of our kids.

[@g.f.martianshipyards9328]

Women belong wherever they want, this is not for you to decide.

[@konstantin_kocherga]

that’s the difference in mentality for you. your wife isn’t your slave and you’re not her slaveowner and you have no right to decide for her

[@liammccann5661]

What’s the background music in this?

[@adead7747]

Well, this is kinda pointless . Of course, the marketing is the USA will have more lewd and romance in it , becuase the western audience is attracted to that 2 qualities in a film , while russian audience is total opposite. Call this whatever you want , and I will call smart marketing.

[@architectureordie]

I guess in soviet union man and women were equally miserable.

[@SpinoAdri2001]

What does have to do with the subject touched here?

[@noyjspoopy1564]

Shut up ur arab

[@mrd735]

The point of this video is that you believe wartime propaganda?

[@giritharjeevasuba5206]

🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩⭐️✊👍✌️❤️😍

[@SirCutRy]

How much of the difference in portrayal can be attributed to requirements on modesty in visual media at the time in the USSR?

[@Ivan_1411]

You should make a video on the Russian liberation army

[@slovakianleftnat3]

Sorry but I don't understand

[@Kova-ow2en]

Not really any difference. You just complaining over something that doesn’t matter

[@johntitor7989]

Better dead than red, unironically.

[@Oslya1]

Better red than dead*

[@SpinoAdri2001]

Jeez these people never get tired of commenting nonsense

[@henrik2518]

Both movies are propaganda pieces that belong in the trash heap of history.

[@moonlightsoldier8443]

That's not misogyny misogyny would be putting women down for being women America glorifies women's sexuality

[@anaquezia5532]

That is misogyny because they are unnecessarily dressed in more "attractive" ways (long perfect fashionable hairstyles, more revealing and innaccurate clothes) and portrayed in a romantic relationship with a man. Both those things were not present in the original art and reafirm the misogynystic stereotypes that the value of women are in their looks and/or their romantic relationships with men, not in their work and effort during A WAR. Hope this clarifies the issue to you.

[@ggmorn]

"Misogyny is putting women down." ??????? so basic

[@decoraqueena6413]

Glorifies? More like demonizes.

[@johnbrown8570]

@@decoraqueena6413 no they definitely glorify it with gratuitous nudity and sexuality. It’s just glorified in the wrong way

[@vondas1480]

@@anaquezia5532 if they had inserted those things into the actual movies or removed any key feminist themes you’d be right. But just using proven marketing tactics/meeting the expectations of consumers at the time? That’s fine. Foreign films still aren’t that mainstream so I totally understand why they’d want to give it a boost like this. I wonder if OP has a problem with actual censorship like what Russia and the Middle East do to any LGBT media 🤔

[@user-ev5kx6hj7z]

CLEAR DIFFERENCE