February 26, 2016

The Force is Strong There


The Force is Strong There

Recently Dubrovnik, Croatia, was the focus of rumors that the next Star Wars movie, Episode VIII, will do some filming there. Already a TV star, Dubrovnik has appeared as King’s Landing in the popular series Game of Thrones, its winding cobbled streets and medieval stone fortresses doubling as authentic fantasy locations.

It’s not known yet precisely where the Star Wars crew will film, or what galaxy far, far away the city will represent, but there are plenty of available tight corners, twisty lanes, dead ends and ancient structures left over from another time, if not another world.

This news made us curious about hidden connections between Star Wars and other countries we love:

Party Latecomers: Russia 1990

The first Star Wars film, A New Hope, was released in 1977, but Russia was 13 years late to the release party. Why?

Because, as Nadezhda Ustinova writes in an article in Russia Beyond the Headlines, “A long time ago, in a country far far away, which no longer exists on the political map of the world… Star Wars was not released in movie theaters.”

Only party bigwigs and actors got to see the dangerously free-spirited “Space Westerns,” as they were called, when they came out in the 70s and 80s, although pirated and dubbed copies were soon reproduced and distributed to a growing audience of underground fans.

Apparently, even the official USSR premiere in 1990 ran bootlegged videos, and new posters had to be commissioned to advertise them. Not too long after that, the Soviet Union fell apart. Coincidence? Or could it have been an indication of the strength of the Force?

Ever since 2000, when licensed copies of the original trilogy made their way around Russia, the latest Star Wars episodes have opened in the country within the same timeframe as the rest of the world.

 

Hand painted Star Wars nesting dolls by Andy Stattmiller.

Hand painted Star Wars nesting dolls by Andy Stattmiller

Cosmic Nesting Dolls

And since 2000, a new take on an old art form has emerged as well – Star Wars nesting matrioshka dolls. Though painted in the U.S. by San Francisco artist Andy Stattmiller (buy), they make use of the ubiquitous blank nesting doll templates that are decorated and sold to travelers all over Russia.

Traditionally matrioshkas were girl dolls, but in the 90s they took a more populist turn, with political leaders and rock stars found nesting inside one another. So it was only a matter of time before Jabba the Hut et al got into the act.

Hand painted Star Wars nesting dolls by Andy Stattmiller.

Hand painted Star Wars nesting dolls by Andy Stattmiller

 

Taunting the Dark Side: Poland and Ukraine

We found that the Force is strong in Poland and Ukraine, although the Dark Side has made inroads. For example, a mysterious metamorphosis in the town of Wejherowo, Poland, can be observed whenever it snows.

In the town square, a statue of the town’s namesake, Polish nobleman Jakub Wejher, shape-shifts as the snow flutters down into a menacing Darth Vader, cloak billowing behind him, darkened light-sabre slapping against his leg, and snout-like breathing apparatus hanging from his ravaged face.

Darth Vader in Poland / Image credits: polskieszlaki.pl / Wejherowo.pl

From hero to heavy – Image credits: polskieszlaki.pl / Wejherowo.pl

 

In other Darth Vader news, artists in Odessa, Ukraine, have updated a statue of the out-of-favor autocrat Vladimir Lenin. With only a few tweaks, they’ve transformed Lenin into his intergalactic relative, Lord Vader. And they updated it to radiate free Wi-Fi.

Also in Odessa, a dark horse candidate named Darth Mykolaiovych Vader ran a losing campaign for mayor, a metaphorical defeat for the Dark Side.

 

Collectable Posters: Hungary, Poland, Russia

It turns out that Star Wars poster art has been flourishing overseas all this time, ignored by all but the most hardcore fans. Especially original and collectable are the Hungarian posters created by Tibor Helényi, toward the bottom of the article, and the 1990 Soviet posters by Yuri Bokser and Alexander Chantsev.

The Empire Strikes Back, Hungary, 1982, by Tibor Helényi (Star Wars Klub) / A New Hope, Hungary, 1979, by András Felvidéki (Star Wars Klub)

The Empire Strikes Back, Hungary, 1982, by Tibor Helényi (Star Wars Klub) /
A New Hope, Hungary, 1979, by András Felvidéki (Star Wars Klub)


This post originally appeared on the blog of MIR Corporation, the 30-year-old expert in travel to all destinations in Eastern Europe and Russia, including those which may or may not have a link with Star Wars. Reprinted with permission.

Top photo: Collectable Star Wars posters: USSR, 1990, by Yury Bokser and Alexander Chantsev (eBay) / The Empire Strikes Back, Poland, 1982, Jakub Erol (PolishPoster)

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

Little Golden Calf
February 01, 2010

Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.

Murder and the Muse
December 12, 2016

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955