(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .



Let's Discuss: Barbie in Moscow [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2023-09-28

The BBC is reporting that pirated, dubbed copies of the movie “Barbie” are being shown in Russia despite sanctions. Hollywood has not licensed any movies to be shown in Russia since the full-scale invasion began Feb. 24, 2022, and particularly not the year’s hottest ticket.

From Steve Rosenberg’s article:

Over at the cinema it's a bit cloak and dagger. When I ask one visitor which movie he's come to watch he names an obscure 15-minute Russian film and smiles. To avoid licensing issues, some cinemas in Russia have been selling tickets to Russian-made shorts and showing the Barbie feature film as the preview.

Yet if you look at the photo above, you see not only clouds of pink balloons, but carboard cutouts of the lead actors and an on-brand (appearing) pink box for selfies. That’s not “cloak and dagger.” That’s right out in the open, and ruscist authorites appear to not care. (The Mattell Company and Warner Studios probably will have a different attitude.) The cinema owners must have paid off some people.

Russia's culture ministry is not amused. Last month it concluded that the Barbie movie was "not in line with the aims and goals laid out by our president for preserving and strengthening traditional Russian moral and spiritual values." Mind you, the cinemagoers I speak to are tickled pink that Barbie's hit the big screen here. "People should have the right to choose what they want to watch," Karina says. "I think it's good that Russian cinemas are able to show these films for us." "It's about being open-minded about other people's cultures," says Alyona. "Even if you don't agree with other people's standards, it's still great if you can watch it."

Well, yes, that’s what people in liberal democracies get to do—hang on, they’re even allowed to see it in China! But China hasn’t invaded a peaceful neighbor (yet) so they also get to see what all the cool kids are talking about this year.

Guess who Rosenberg got to interview for this piece? Our friend Maria Butina! www.bbc.com/...

But Russian MP Maria Butina believes there's nothing great about Barbie: the doll or the film. "I have issues with Barbie as a female form," she tells me. "Some girls - especially in their teens - try to be like a Barbie girl, and they exhaust their bodies.”

Sounds like she hasn’t been around a teen since she was one. As the movie points out, Barbies are primarily toys for little girls. People with anorexia are not trying to emulate a doll, or even a celebrity or influcencer. The Mayo Clinic notes, “Anorexia isn't really about food. It's an extremely unhealthy and sometimes life-threatening way to try to cope with emotional problems. When you have anorexia, you often equate thinness with self-worth.” www.mayoclinic.org/…

But she sounds like a total feminist, right? I’m sure she’d love the movie’s theme of female empowerment and agency!

Ms Butina adds that the film has not been licensed to appear in Russian cinemas. "Do not break the law. Is this a question for our movie theatres? Absolutely. I filed several requests to cinemas asking on what basis they are showing the film," she says.

But so far none seem to have been closed down, and their lobby decorations are still very much in the open, which makes me wonder how much have been paid in bribes.

"You talk about the importance of following the law," I say, "but Russia invaded Ukraine. The United Nations says that was a complete violation of international law." "Russia is saving Ukraine," she replies, "and saving the Donbas." You hear this often from those in power in Russia. They paint Moscow as peacemaker, not warmonger. They argue that it is America, Nato, the West, that are using Ukraine to wage war on Russia. It is an alternative reality designed to rally Russians around the flag.

The rest of the article appears here. www.bbc.com/…

I want to know what you all think.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/9/28/2196132/-Let-s-Discuss-Barbie-in-Moscow

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/