Ива́ново де́тство [1962)

Was QAnon bullshit?

I’m getting really fed up with my country.

Shitfaces like Mark Milley.

Shitfaces like Lloyd Austin.

Shitfaces like Michael Gilday.

Shitfaces like Bishop Garrison.

Does the U.S. military follow the orders of Fake President Joe Biden?

If he was not duly-elected (and he was not), then he is not the legitimate President.

Why is the U.S. Cyber Command taking the orders of Joe Biden and Lloyd Austin?

Why are they helping non-NATO Ukraine to fight Russian troops?

Why is Paul Nakasone prostituting himself in such a manner?

Why is the 780th putting up with this shit?

Joe Biden’s Presidency is a disaster.

That’s why he wants a war in Ukraine.

Russia’s invasion was induced by the continued terror of the Ukrainian military against the people of the Donbass.

Get your dates straight, you fucking amateurs.

“Military intelligence”…

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-22/ukraine-power-plant-damaged-during-two-days-of-shelling

I can name two honorable members of the U.S. military:

-Colonel Matthew Lohmeier of the U.S. Space Force who warned in his excellent book about how Marxism has infected the U.S. military

and

-Colonel Stuart Scheller of the USMC

Lohmeier’s dismissal does not paint General Raymond in a kind light.

And Scheller’s dismissal does not paint Commandant Berger in a kind light.

Is there a single high-ranking U.S. military officer who hasn’t disgraced himself during this war which started with the Democrat Party/WEF/CIA release of COVID-19?

Perhaps General Charles Q. Brown?

One fake fucking shitface is Ezra Cohen-Watnick.

AKA Ezra A. Cohen.

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/01/embedding-with-pentagon-leadership-in-trumps-chaotic-last-week

IMG_4886 2

Is Ezra Cohen a LARPing cocksucker?

Just what the fuck is going on with the Telegram account which bears his name???

https://t.me/EzraACohen

Cohen’s bitch pussy ass blocked me on Twitter LONG BEFORE I ever really tore into him.

If Cohen wanted to be revered, then he shouldn’t have thrown Trump under the bus in the above Vanity Fair article.

Same thing goes for “Mr. Badass” Christopher Miller.

5th Special Forces Group my ass.

Way to NOT do Fort Campbell proud, dipshit!

Why did Cohen and Miller feel the need to denigrate Trump immediately after the inauguration of Joe Biden?

But maybe it doesn’t fucking matter.

Because, as great a President as Trump was for four years (and he was great!), he ultimately abandoned the American people when he got on his little fucking helicopter and flew away.

You can’t tell America it was a “rigged election” (and it fucking was!!!) and then not fix it.

Putin was presented with a similar situation.

His country was bordered by five NATO members (Norway, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) and was about to be bordered by a sixth (Ukraine).

Zelensky telegraphed his country’s intention to not only join NATO, but to militarily take back Crimea (with [it goes without saying] the military might of NATO]).

He was not secretive about either of these goals.

He announced them.

This is a big reason Russia invaded Ukraine.

But not, by any means, the only reason.

Putin did not leave his country hanging.

Trump did leave his country hanging.

If it was a rigged election, you have to fix it.

You don’t turn the keys over to the beneficiary of a rigged election.

Trump should have never left office until this debacle was resolved.

But he did leave office.

Putin did the opposite.

Instead of blithely sitting by and watching NATO take another country bordering Russia, Putin ACTED.

Took action.

QAnon is a bunch of fucking talk.

A bunch of fucking chatter.

And it has gotten less and less believable since the stolen election and since Trump pussied out and left office.

Trump did not stop there in disgracing himself.

He vigorously pushed neither safe, nor effective COVID vaccines in a variety of settings.

Prostituting himself out to Pfizer in a Yahoo Finance piece.

Hawking the booster with Bill O’Reilly in Dallas.

Telling Candace Owens the bullshit line that (paraphrase) “people who are taking the COVID vaccines are not dying”.

Hell, Trump even called Zelensky a hero.

What a fucking joke!

So Trump’s idea of “action” is endorsing spirit cooker Dr. Oz in Pennsylvania.

I am sick of the bullshit narrative that Trump is doing bad stuff (the wrong stuff) for good reasons.

REALITY does not bear that out.

Trump is not that fucking smart.

I thought he was.

He isn’t.

And he’s not really brave.

I thought he was.

He isn’t.

He was brave for four years.

And then he packed it in and started sucking Pfizer’s asshole.

By the way, Trump absolutely, unequivocally got $1 mil. from Pfizer for his 2016 inauguration:

201704180300150286

IMG_7396

I called Trump out on this (and on his vaccine stance in general) on his pathetic app Truth Social and I believe he banned me from the site.

I was polite.

I asked him why he had pushed these neither safe, nor effective vaccines for the past year.

I also asked him publicly about the cool mil. he took from Pfizer.

I believe Trump and his cocksucker son Don Jr. got me banned from Truth Social.

Not only that, I believe they blacklisted my home router (effectively banning my 80-year-old, U.S. Army-vet father from every joining Truth Social).

You are not allowed to criticise Trump or Truth Social on Truth Social.

This is an excellent film.

One of the best I have ever seen.

I would venture to guess that Tarkovsky is actually more important than Eisenstein.

And certainly more important that Dziga Vertov.

Just on the basis of his debut film:  Ivan’s Childhood.

Nikolai Burlyayav is fantastic here.

Such intensity!

Breathtaking black and white cinematography by Vadim Yusov.

But what really takes this music over the top is the music by Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov.

This may be the best and most effective film soundtrack I have ever heard.

Valentin Zubkov is like Jean Gabin.

Valentina Malyavina is excellent as Masha.

In a birchwood forest.

Blinding white.

Forest for trees.

Dmitri Milyutenko has a small-but-priceless part.

He is getting the house in order.

For his dead wife.

Who will be coming home any moment.

And he locks the gate.

Even though there is no fence.

Tarkovsky’s wife Irma Raush does a nice job here.

Where was this film shot?

In central Ukraine.

When Ukraine and Russia were major constituents of the Soviet Union.

In the town where Taras Shevchenko is buried.

By the way, “the League of Ukrainian Fascists (Soiuz ukraïns’kykh fashystiv, SUF)” are the ones who “invented the fascist greeting ‘Glory to Ukraine!’ (Slava Ukraïni!)” [according to Grzegorz Rossolinsky-Liebe in his excellent book Stepan Bandera:  The Life and Afterlife of a Ukrainian Nationalist].

-PD

 

Stand With Russia / Stand With Putin [2022)

Are you curious about what is going on with Ukraine?

[Stravinsky Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments, 2. Largo]

Well, you should be.

I am.

But I am going to attempt to explain what is going on.

First of all, NATO are a bunch of fucktards.

NATO was formed to defend against the Warsaw Pact (which no longer exists) countries and against the Soviet Union (which also no longer exists).

When did the USSR collapse?

December 26, 1991.

Thirty years ago.

Did NATO disband when this happened?

Did they dissolve?

Of course not.

Why?

Because they are warmongers in disguise.

Why do I say this?

Because NATO was not satisfied to keep the amount of members it had in 1991.

Nooooooo.

It ADDED members.

And it moved in a certain direction.

Which direction was that?

Eastwards.

Towards Russia.

And now they are right on Russia’s doorstep.

Imagine if China or Russia formed a mutual defense treaty with Mexico…or even Guatemala.

And China or Russia put troops and weapons there.

To “protect” those countries against the USA.

Do you think the USA would consider that a threat?

Of course we would.

And before you say the USA is no threat…

[Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8, 1. Largo]

to Mexico or Guatemala, let’s not forget the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) and/or the CIA coup in Guatemala (1954…aka Operation PBSuccess).

So let’s review what NATO has done for the past 30 years.

1999- former member of Warsaw Pact CZECHIA (Czechoslovakia/Czech Republic) joins NATO

1999- former member of Warsaw Pact POLAND joins NATO (borders RUSSIA, BELARUS, and UKRAINE)

2004- former member of Warsaw Pact BULGARIA joins NATO

2004- former region of Soviet Union ESTONIA joins NATO (borders RUSSIA)

2004- former member of Warsaw Pact HUNGARY joins NATO (borders UKRAINE)

2004- former region of Soviet Union LATVIA joins NATO (borders RUSSIA and BELARUS [the constituents of the Russian Federation])

2004- former region of Soviet Union LITHUANIA joins NATO (borders BELARUS and RUSSIA [the constituents of the Russian Federation])

2004- former member of Warsaw Pact ROMANIA joins NATO (borders UKRAINE)

2004- former member of Warsaw Pact SLOVAKIA (Czechoslovakia) joins NATO (borders UKRAINE)

2004- former region of communist state Yugoslavia SLOVENIA joins NATO

2009- former member of Warsaw Pact ALBANIA joins NATO

2009- former region of communist state Yugoslavia CROATIA joins NATO

2017- former region of communist state Yugoslavia MONTENEGRO joins NATO

2020- former region of communist state Yugoslavia NORTH MACEDONIA joins NATO

[Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2, II. Adagio sostenuto (performed by Sviatoslav Richter)]

[Borodin String Quartet No. 2, 3. Notturno]

[Stravinsky Rite of Spring: Harbingers of Spring (Dances of the Young Girls and Boys)]

Let’s not forget that NORWAY (a NATO member) borders RUSSIA.

[Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances, I. Non allegro]

So do you see why Russia is worried?

In addition to Norway, NATO began to further border Russia within eight years of the USSR’s collapse (with the accession of Poland).

That was 1999.

2004 was a major year of provocative, aggressive actions by NATO.

THREE MORE countries WHICH DIRECTLY BORDER RUSSIA were added to the mutual defense pact: Estonia, Latvia, and Lituania.

NATO by 2004 had added FOUR COUNTRIES to its membership which DIRECTLY BORDER RUSSIA.

The Soviet Union had ceased to exist for a mere 13 years by this point.

While it is true that NATO has not (yet) added ANY MORE states that border Russia, it has nevertheless continued to add members (mostly from the former Yugoslavia [but one former Warsaw Pact member]): Albania (Warsaw Pact), Croatia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia.

[for those keeping score, five (!) NATO countries border Russia]

Albania in 2009 was, in some ways, the most audacious (provocative) move.

[Shostakovich Preludes and Fugues for Piano Op. 87, Prelude and Fugue No. 1 in C Major (performed by Keith Jarrett)]

Why?

Because Montenegro (a 2017 accession to NATO) is actually TO THE WEST!

NATO was playing checkers.

They skipped over Montenegro.

Only to gobble it up as well eight years later.

And what is east of Albania?

North Macedonia.

A mere two years ago (2020), NATO moved further east with the accession of North Macedonia.

What is east of Europe?

Russia.

For 30 years, in an almost-uninterrupted train, NATO has moved EASTWARDS in a provocative, slow-motion attack on Russia.

Again, remember my metaphor.

What if China or Russia put troops and installations and weapons in Canada?

Oh, they can’t: because Canada is in NATO.

So let’s choose a different metaphor.

Remember when Russia put nukes in Cuba?

It was a big deal, right?

Why?

Because Havana is a mere 228 miles from Miami.

The city of Russia most closely associated with Europe is St. Petersburg.

Warsaw, POLAND (in NATO since 1999) is 729 miles from St. Petersburg.

Vilnius, LITHUANIA (in NATO since 2004) is 448 miles from St. Petersburg.

Riga, LATVIA (in NATO since 2004) is 357 miles from St. Petersburg.

Tallinn, ESTONIA (in NATO since 2004) is 230 miles from St. Petersburg.

[Prokofiev Visions Fugitives, 1. Lentamente]

[Mieczysław Weinberg Piano Quintet, 1.  Moderato con moto]

But to reiterate: there are FIVE NATO COUNTRIES that are ASS-TO-FUCKING-ASS with Russia:

Norway

Poland

Estonia

Latvia

Lithuania.

I was in the middle of watching Convoy.

The Canadian Freedom Convoy had made Trudeau enact the Emergencies Act.

Truckers were (and are) headed to D.C. for the Peoples Convoy.

The COVID narrative was falling apart.

Omicron had brought the major risks of the pandemic to an end.

More damning information was emerging every day on Fauci, Moderna, Pfizer, CDC, FDA…

Here is but one example:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10542309/Fresh-lab-leak-fears-study-finds-genetic-code-Covids-spike-protein-linked-Moderna-patent.html

But now none of that matters, right?

Are you seeing any news about the truckers?

Remember they were THE ONLY FUCKING THING GOING ON IN THE WORLD just a week ago.

Every country had their own trucker protest.

[Prokofiev Symphony No. 1, I. Allegro]

Did all of that just stop?

We were up to 12,122 reports of death to the HHS VAERS system in relation to the administration of the COVID vaccines in the USA (according to the CDC’s criminally-parsed data).

Open VAERS had it at 23,615 reports of death.

And remember that these numbers should be multiplied by a factor of 10 because of the historical underreporting to the VAERS passive surveillance system.

Take a look at Kawasaki disease.

A perfect example of how, historically, LESS THAN ONE PERCENT of vaccine adverse reactions (including serious ones like Kawasaki disease) had made it into the VAERS system.

So we are talking about 121,220 deaths.

Or, probably, 236,150 deaths.

And that was as of a week ago.

But that doesn’t matter anymore.

Anyone who rammed through these #NeitherSafeNorEffective vaccines are going to pay no price for their crimes against humanity.

Why?

Because the situation in Ukraine has rendered everything else moot.

Why?

Because Russia has nukes.

And they will probably move nukes into Belarus (as that country ditched its status as nuclear-neutral today).

So the whole world is fixated on Ukraine…because if dumbass Biden and dumbass NATO somehow end up shooting at Russia, there could (pretty quickly) be a nuclear exchange.

The situation could devolve rapidly into all-out nuclear war.

What a way to make everyone forget about the past two years, right?

Why were the truckers even in Ottawa?

Because of the killer vaccines and the stupid fucking mandates.

But the threat of death and incineration by nuclear weapons has totally wiped the memory of citizens on planet Earth.

But there is something more insidious going on.

EVERY NEWS SOURCE ON THE PLANET IS MAKING ZELENSKY OUT TO BE A HERO.

AND MAKING UKRAINE OUT TO BE VICTIMS.

No mention of the backstory I gave you.

No mention that NATO has moved eastwards (for no good reason) for 30 years.

So I say, fuck Zelensky!

Fuck Ukraine!!!

I pray every night for the children and elderly of Ukraine.

But I gotta tell you something.

Ukraine fucked up.

They could have investigated Joe Biden and Hunter Biden.

But they didn’t.

And that’s a big reason why Biden is President today.

So congratulations, Ukraine!

You got the President you wanted.

Joe Motherfucking Biden.

[Kalinnikov Symphony No. 1, IV. Finale. Allegro moderato]

We are now at Defcon 2.

Some people think Defcon 5 is bad…like an F5 tornado.

Defcon 5 means the U.S. is at a state of readiness associated with peace.

Defcon 1 means the U.S. state of readiness is that of wartime or imminent nuclear threat.

A couple of days ago we were at Defcon 3.

Not great, but not horrible.

Yes, it has deteriorated.

We are now at Defcon 2.

According to public OSINT analysis.

The actual Defcon level is not made public.

https://www.defconlevel.com/

[Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet, Fantasy Overture]

Why did Russia invade Ukraine?

Because in September Ukraine’s new publicly-released National Security Strategy included their express desire and intent to join NATO.

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/russia-as-aggressor-nato-as-objective-ukraines-new-national-security-strategy/

Russia has had enough.

Russia was patient for 30 years.

Why else did Russia invade Ukraine?

Because “hero” Zelensky publicly announced approximately one year ago that his goal was to MILITARILY take back Crimea from Russia. And how was he gonna do that? By joining NATO, of course.

https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-polytics/3214479-zelensky-enacts-strategy-for-deoccupation-and-reintegration-of-crimea.html

So Zelensky is certainly, while not in the traditional sense, a comedian.

And his joke is his foreign policy.

Which has now led to the deaths of many of his countrymen.

What a punch line!

Let me explain one further thing.

Russia is fighting NOW so that they don’t have to fight a bigger, deadlier war LATER.

Ukrainians are stupid fucking idiots that don’t realize (or care?) that their corrupt country had a major role in looking the other way so that Joe Biden could be elected/installed.

Those dying for Russia are heroes.

Those dying for Ukraine are morons…in service to a moron government.

Russia is not communist.

Are they a little heavy-handed?

Yes.

Why?

Because pricks like George Soros try to overthrow all the countries (Georgia, for instance) in their region.

And don’t forget the recent overthrow of the Kazakh government.

Aside from Ukraine (which was the “bread basket” of the former Soviet Union [as Zbigniew Brzezinski described it]), Kazakhstan was the most important Soviet Republic.

Don’t forget that Russia went into Kazakhstan on a “peacekeeping” mission.

And they were very successful.

So Russia is heavy-handed.

Putin is heavy-handed.

Because, otherwise, Russia will cease to exist.

Putin is doing his job.

I perceive that he loves his country.

His first responsibility is TO HIS PEOPLE.

He is the leader of RUSSIA.

He is not trying to win a popularity contest.

So to all the Russians who wanna protest, get the fuck out of Russia.

Go to the paradise of the European Union.

Claim refugee status.

Whine and complain that Putin is so bad.

But Putin is protecting your culture and your people.

Let me reiterate.

RUSSIA IS NOT A COMMUNIST STATE.

China is.

Fuck China.

And Russia is far from perfect, but NATO needs to BACK THE FUCK OFF!

As an American, I suggest this:

the USA needs to immediately leave NATO.

The USA needs to also immediately expel the United Nations from New York City.

And the USA needs to exit the United Nations.

If Europe wants their own military, fine.

Call it NATO without the USA.

Donbas and Luhansk asked for Russia’s help.

Putin said yes.

Has Putin gone further than helping these two regions?

Yes.

Why?

Here is one possible reason:

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2021/12/10/putin-says-conflict-in-eastern-ukraine-looks-like-genocide-a75780

Putin has a responsibility to help those of Russian extraction if he can.

He could.

So he did.

Would you expect Israel to help Jews in some place in the world if they were in trouble?

Yes, you would.

What if those Jews were in a country bordering Israel?

Would you expect Israel to intercede?

Yes, you would.

Being Russian is no less special than being Jewish.

And that is why I have made this playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6m9ArhvB67gGDRosUFD78b?si=987de9a823154d80

You must get to know the works of Dostoyevsky.

Karamazov.

You must get to know the composers.

I have put them on a silver platter for you.

Like beluga caviar.

Have some egg.

Some onion.

On a cracker.

Have some champagne.

But, by all means, have some vodka while you are reading Karamazov.

[Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Variation 18]

You must get to know the films of Eisenstein.

They transcend communism.

It is art.

Potemkin is one of the best films ever made.

And Shostakovich made brilliant, tortured music…IN SPITE OF COMMUNISM!

Gaze upon the paintings of Chagall.

Born in Belarus.

[Tchaikovsky The Nutcracker (Suite), IIb. Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy]

It is no less special to be Russian than it is to be Jewish.

And, believe it or not, one can be both.

https://tass.com/russia/1405599

[Stravinsky The Firebird Suite, Finale]

Who really started the attack?

Was it really Russia?

What about this vaunted “false-flag” that the USA government gushed about?

Did Ukraine actually start this conflict?

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-22/ukraine-power-plant-damaged-during-two-days-of-shelling

2/22/22

Was Ukraine going to irradiate the region by using Chernobyl as an asymmetric weapon (a giant dirty bomb)?

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/chernobyl-nuclear-russia-attack-ukraine-b2022444.html

Why was Russia so insistent about taking it over?

Russia has nukes.

Russia has uranium, plutonium, etc.

Russia doesn’t need nuclear material to terrorize a region.

It already has nuclear material.

I suspect something was awry at Chernobyl.

Do you think the FSB and GRU are able to decrypt Ukrainian communications?

I do.

What are the new accessions to NATO saying?

Czechia was very enlightened to drop their vaccine mandate a few weeks ago.

But who was on the front lines of the “get Russia” parade?

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/czech-president-russia-cut-off-102059014.html

For NATO, and its former Soviet/Warsaw-Pact members, it is not enough that the USSR fell apart in 1991.

THESE PSYCHOPATHS WANT THE TOTAL DESTRUCTION AND ANNIHILATION OF RUSSIA.

That is not peace.

That is not a peaceful mutual-defense organization.

NATO is the aggressor.

Russia has (finally!) acted in self-defense.

This is the last opportunity Russia has to act without the repercussions being GUARANTEED nuclear war.

Putin made the right choice.

[Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 1, 1.  Grave – Allegro ma non troppo]

China was right to side with Russia.

And I fucking hate China.

And Russia was right to side with China.

Why?

Because NATO and the moronic foreign policy of Biden forced them into it.

https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/china/ukraine-crisis-china-russia-war-us-b2022237.html

Remember when Biden was barely in office and he called Putin “a killer”?

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/03/joe-biden-calls-vladimir-putin-killer.html

What kind of diplomacy is that?!?

Did he go to the Rex Tillerson school of foreign policy???

But let’s get one other thing straight.

[Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade, The Story of the Kalender Prince]

There are only two mRNA vaccines approved anywhere in the world.

Ever.

In world history.

And both of them are COVID vaccines.

We are talking about the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

Are they approved in China?

No.

Not at all.  Not even for emergency use.

Are they approved in Russia?

No.

Not at all.  Not even for emergency use.

Why?

Because Russia and China developed their own COVID vaccines (many of them the traditional inactivated-virus vaccines).

Russia has four COVID vaccines:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sputnik_V_COVID-19_vaccine

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sputnik_Light

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EpiVacCorona

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CoviVac_(Russia_COVID-19_vaccine)

[the final one is an inactivated-virus vaccine]

As I have proven in many articles, the COVID vaccines available in the USA are neither safe, nor effective.

Same for those of the U.K., Australia, etc.

What do the vaccines have to do with Russia invading Ukraine?

Use your brains.

Why would Russia and China not approve the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines AT ALL in their countries?

Isn’t it interesting how they (China and Russia) have also aligned themselves in regard to foreign policy?

What do the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have to do with their shared foreign policy (if they do at all)?

So Russia has one inactivated-virus vaccine for COVID and ZERO mRNA vaccines.

You can see what China does and doesn’t have here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_COVID-19_vaccine_authorizations

But let’s get back on topic.

Have you seen Biden brag about getting Viktor Shokin (a Ukrainian prosecutor) fired while Biden was Obama’s Vice President?

Now why would Biden be so interested in a Ukrainian prosecutor?

Why would he execute a quid pro quo using American taxpayer-funded loan guarantees to extort Ukraine into firing Shokin?

Listen for yourself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=UXA–dj2-CY

[Pauly Deathwish “Россия”]

Why, indeed?

What was Hunter Biden doing over in Ukraine?

Was he on the board of directors for Ukrainian gas company Burisma?

Was Burisma under investigation by Shokin?

Did the New York Post break this story during the 2020 U.S. election cycle?

Did Twitter lock the New York Post (third-highest circulation in the USA) out of its Twitter account for publishing and sharing the story on Twitter?

https://nypost.com/2020/10/14/email-reveals-how-hunter-biden-introduced-ukrainian-biz-man-to-dad/

What story did the New York Post publish the next day?

https://nypost.com/2020/10/15/emails-reveal-how-hunter-biden-tried-to-cash-in-big-with-chinese-firm/

Yes, Joe and Hunter Biden are even more corrupt in specific relation to China than they are to Ukraine (if that is even possible).  But, of course, China did nothing about this.  Because they wanted a President they could control.  So they could take Taiwan (which they will shortly do).

https://www.breitbart.com/2020-election/2019/11/04/report-joe-biden-pressured-ukraine-to-fire-top-prosecutor-after-burisma-lobbying-effort/

So Ukraine had the goods on Joe Biden and Hunter Biden.

But they swept it under the rug.

Because they wanted Joe Biden to win.

So that they could join NATO.

And retake Crimea by military force.

[Prokoviev Alexander Nevsky, VII. Alexander’s Entry into Pskov]

[Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition, The Great Gate of Kiev]

So, I hate to say it, dear Ukrainians, but you should have been more involved in the politics of your country.

You, in effect, “voted” for Joe Biden.

Congratulations.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ukraine-prosecutor-biden-burisma-back-off-state-department-files

Are you wishing now that you had exposed Joe Biden for the corrupt piece of shit that he is?

It’s a little late, maybe, to be researching this.

But you know who else knows about this?

The U.S. military.

Where is the bravery of the U.S. military?

Are you just gonna zip your lips and go fight another pointless war so that Joe Biden can cover his ass for all the mistakes he has made during his first year in office?

https://thehill.com/policy/international/europe/468886-ukraine-to-fire-prosecutor-who-led-investigations-into-company

In case YouTube (owned by Alphabet Inc. [the owners of Google]) decide to take down the video link I posted above.

Here it is, once again:  Joe Biden BRAGGING that he got a Ukrainian prosecutor fired by dangling billions of dollars in loan guarantees over their heads.

https://rumble.com/v7u8sd-joe-biden-admits-to-getting-prosecutor-fired.html

This is not a conspiracy theory.

It is a conspiracy.

It is a factual conspiracy.

Conspiracy fact.

Joe Biden conspired to get a Ukrainian prosecutor fired.

Why?

Was that prosecutor investigating Burisma gas company–a Ukrainian company on whose board his son Hunter Biden sat?

Yes.

Shokin was investigating that.

Until he was fired.

At Vice President Joe Biden’s behest.

https://jonathanturley.org/2022/02/04/report-diplomat-complained-that-hunter-biden-was-undercutting-anti-corruption-efforts-in-ukraine/

The counterargument will be that Burisma was under investigation BEFORE Hunter Biden joined the board.

So there is nothing wrong with Joe Biden getting the prosecutor fired.

In fact, Joe Biden was actually trying to PREVENT corruption in Ukraine.

Give me a fucking break!

Joe Biden was the “point man” for Ukraine AND China during the Obama years.

Does his son, Hunter, taking a job on the board of a Ukrainian gas company that was under investigation for corruption sound like an above-board thing to do?

Never mind whether they were under investigation or not.

Why the fuck did his son join the board of Burisma while his dad was the “point man” for Ukraine?

And look at the second New York Post link I posted above.

Who was “the big guy”?

10% set aside for “the big guy”?

Hunter Biden did a big deal for a hedge fund after he and his father flew on Air Force 2 to China.

So who is “the big guy”?

Who was getting 10% of the “finder’s fee” for this deal?

Was it Vice President Joe Biden?

I think it fucking was.

That’s called SELLING THE OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

Joe Biden was never fit to be President.

These are disqualifying CRIMES that he committed.

And Ukraine could have done the right thing and exposed it.

But they didn’t.

Great job, Ukrainians.

Thanks a lot.

Every news service in the world covered for Joe Biden.

Those same news services that are calling Zelensky a “hero” and vilifying Putin.

That same ugly chorus.

https://www.breitbart.com/the-media/2020/01/25/fact-check-ap-says-biden-getting-ukrainian-prosecutor-fired-to-protect-hunter-is-false-narrative/

Viktor Shokin has spoken up.

There was an assassination attempt made on him.

Three shots from a sniper’s rifle.

Bulletproof glass on his office window saved his life.

https://dailycaller.com/2019/09/27/report-affidavit-ukrainian-prosecutor-joe-biden-removed-burisma-investigation/

Giuliani told you all this.

But you didn’t believe him.

You wanted to believe that Trump is a bad guy.

And maybe he is.

But Biden is far worse.

https://www.newswars.com/audio-released-of-joe-biden-pressuring-ukraine-president-to-fire-prosecutor-investigating-son-hunter/

I am no longer in support of Trump.

Because Trump has supported these moronic vaccines.

https://www.westernjournal.com/report-former-ukraine-prosecutor-files-complaint-charging-biden-not-trump-abused-power/

Wake me up when Trump calls the neither-safe-nor-effective vaccines bullshit:

https://open.spotify.com/track/3VXsCvRbs1B6BmsVoeAvrQ?si=d8b08ba45df4415a

By the way, this wasn’t just any prosecutor that Joe Biden got fired.

It was essentially the Ukrainian Attorney General.

That’s a pretty fucking big deal, right?

Did Joe Biden, whose son saw fit to cash in on his dad being Obama’s Ukraine “point man” by joining the board of Burisma, really have the moral “high ground” to tell Ukraine who should or shouldn’t be their top prosecutor?

https://www.westernjournal.com/joe-biden-probe-ukraine-top-prosecutors-firing-report/

Does the U.S. military leadership love their country (our country) as much as Putin loves his?

We should just vote Joe Biden out, right?

Three years from now.

Biden hasn’t done that bad during his first year, has he?

I mean, WWIII being imminent is no big deal, right?

https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/463307-solomon-these-once-secret-memos-cast-doubt-on-joe-bidens-ukraine-story

I mean…we can make it to the mid-terms, right?

And then Joe Biden’s power will be lessened, right?

So we can make it basically another year with an imminent WWIII hanging over our head.

No problem.

I’m sure Biden will handle this with the same finesse that he handled the Afghanistan withdrawal.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/documents-heighten-scrutiny-on-biden-ukraine-dealings-indicate-hunter-may-have-made-millions

Speaking of which…General Lloyd Austin (who forced our troops to take neither-safe-nor-effective vaccines) and Mark Milley (who did nothing to stop Secretary Austin’s treasonous actions) did such a great fucking job getting us out of Afghanistan.

I’m sure Putin is shaking in his boots.

But here’s an interesting thought.

Putin is a man of ACTION.

His country was/is threatened.

He acted.

What has our U.S. military done to protect OUR country?

They just take orders, right?

Just following orders.

https://thepostmillennial.com/state-department-memos-contradict-democrats-ukraine-impeachment-narrative

I have a bad feeling that they will be following Joe Biden into oblivion…and dragging us all down with them.

The U.S. military can’t take action.

Because there’s never been a military coup in the USA.

And we wouldn’t wanna ruin that record.

If we’re gonna be nuked, might as well go out with a pristine record of civilian control of the military.

Is Joe Biden fit to be President?

Is he a criminal?

Did he sell the office of the Vice President to Ukraine and China?

How about his mental fitness?

Is he cognitively fit to be Commander-in-Chief?

I’m sure if he weren’t, people like Pete Buttigieg and his husband Chasten (and their two newborns [their dads’ vaginas must be aching!]) will make the right decision and take one month of paternity leave (two fathers!) rather than two…to make sure the supply chain is functioning properly and ports are working well and there aren’t any cargo ships anchored off the coast of, oh, I don’t know, Galveston, or something…and Mayor Pete (who is a WEF Young Global Leader) will invoke the 25th Amendment because Biden is cognitively not fit to lead.

And then we would have dumbass Kamala Harris as President for the next three years.

Pretty rosy picture, eh?

https://justthenews.com/accountability/russia-and-ukraine-scandals/biden-boomerang-newly-released-state-memo-casts-doubt

If Biden was removed via the 25th Amendment and Kamala was impeached (just give her time), then our President would be Nancy Pelosi.

That is the outlook for the next year.

Anyone wondering if Joe Biden really got the most votes in the history of the USA?

81 million votes.

More votes than Obama.

Because he was THAT popular!

He was extraordinarily popular in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and Detroit, but didn’t do all that well with the black populations in other major U.S. cities.

Anyone find that a bit odd?

He did REALLY, REALLY WELL in those four cities.

Like, abnormally-well.

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/09/world/europe/corruption-ukraine-joe-biden-son-hunter-biden-ties.html

He was probably carried by Kamala.

Who left the Democratic Primaries due to her popularity with voters.

She was polling at less that 1% when she dropped out.

So you got the President you wanted, Ukraine!

You made a pretend effort to rectify things.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/ukraine-police-closes-biden-probe-initiated-ousted-prosecutor-n1247320

Let’s not forget about Jan. 6 (which was worse than 9/11 or Pearl Harbor).

Do you Ukrainians think you are experiencing terror and carnage?

You have no idea what AOC went through on January 6.

https://republicbrief.com/russia-threatens-military-consequences-for-2-more-countries/

Let’s just make one thing clear.

Russia is not fucking around.

Is Sweden gonna join NATO?

Not if Russia has anything to say about it.

Is Finland going to join NATO?

Over Russia’s dead body.

Russia has had enough.

They have let NATO expand–right up to their very doorstep–for 30 years.

Ukraine is the line in the sand.

“Hero” Zelensky said he wanted (and intended) to take back Crimea by military force.

He said that 11 months ago.

Then, in September, Ukraine released their national security strategy:  a stated desire and intention to join NATO.

Putin gave Biden and the West (Macron, et al.) a chance to call off the dogs.

Biden and NATO would concede nothing.

So Putin attacked.

And Zelensky is the “hero”.

And Putin is the bad guy.

And we just got out of a 20-year war in Afghanistan, so I guess it’s time for us to go fight in Eastern Europe.

In Ukraine.

How’s that Mexican border looking?

Wall finished?

Oh, we’re just gonna let immigrants walk across the border forever, right?

Because we only have 10% inflation.

So we can, obviously, afford to just take in and house the world.

Fuck it!

And Joe Biden NEEDS these voters.

These are DEMOCRAT voters.

They want socialism.

They NEED socialism.

They are poor as fuck.

And the socialism in their countries (like Mexico) was not working so well.

So they came here…to upgrade to a better socialism.

Except for the fact that we didn’t become a wealthy country because of socialism.

Quite the opposite, actually.

But anyway…send our military to Ukraine.

Make sure Ukraine’s sovereignty is protected.

And fuck American soverignty, right, U.S. military?

But how about the biolabs?

Were there biological (and chemical?) weapons in Ukraine?

Did Putin just bomb the sites?

Was the real “false-flag” gonna be a bioterror release by NATO to take over (close) the Bosporus and occupy Ukraine?

Was NATO going to release a bioweapon in Ukraine?

Were United Nations “peacekeeping” forces going to occupy Ukraine?

Did Putin preempt this plan by blowing up their biolabs?

https://www.opindia.com/2022/02/russia-ukraine-invasion-bioweapons-labs-patrushev-putin-wuhan-coronavirus/

If Fauci (and Daszak and Baric) was involved in the creation of COVID-19, then it wasn’t solely China’s fault.

China stood to gain.

Always ask, “Cui bono?”

But who were the American players?

If DARPA did indeed refuse the EcoHealth Alliance (Daszak) proposal to develop a “bat vaccine” (which was to be sprayed into caves in China), did NIAID (under Fauci) accept the proposal?

Was EcoHealth Alliance a front for the CIA?

What about the Defense Threat Reduction Agency at Fort Belvoir?

Why do they still have an ongoing contract with EcoHealth Alliance to study bat-borne disease in “Western” Asia?

Hm.

Western Asia, eh?

Like Ukraine???

Turkey is key.

Dividing line between Europe and Asia, right?

And St. Petersburg is a European city.

But what is really the dividing line of Europe and Asia in respect to Russian territory?

Where does Europe end and Asia begin?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9717133/Congress-demands-investigation-2019-Wuhan-Military-Games-athletes-showed-COVID-symptoms.html

What about the World Military Games?

Do you trust China?

I don’t.

But is there something to this story that COVID-19 started WAY BEFORE December 2019 (January 2020 in the USA)?

Are a bunch of people just trying to cover their asses?

Who planned the plandemic?

If it were a murder investigation (and it should literally be), the three prime suspects should be:  Klaus Schwab, Bill Gates, and Anthony Fauci.

Beyond them, I would throw in Pope Bergoglio and Prince Charles as very strong suspects.

But of those three–Schwab, Gates, and Fauci–they had the trifecta:  means, motive, and opportunity.

They were, to extend the metaphor, caught red-handed at the scene of the crime.

Throw in Peter Daszak.

Throw in Stephane Bancel of Moderna.

What about Ralph Baric?

And don’t forget the Chinese in Wuhan.

“Bat lady”.

The only relevant thing Trump has done recently was to “praise Putin”, but then he turned around and called Zelensky a hero.

https://www.infowars.com/posts/trump-praises-putin/

Trump has made himself completely irrelevant with his stance on the COVID vaccines available in the USA.

But, hey:  if you’re French, I have good news for you:

https://www.infowars.com/posts/france-deactivates-covid-vaccine-passports-months-ahead-of-expiration-in-effort-to-force-people-to-get-booster-jab-sooner/

There’s only one problem:

https://www.infowars.com/posts/video-canadian-mp-accused-of-spreading-disinformation-for-pointing-out-wefs-corrupt-influence-over-trudeaus-govt/

is Putin controlled by Klaus Schwab?

Schwab brags in a video (in the above article) that Putin was a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum (WEF [Davos]).

Who are the other big feathers in Schwab’s cap?

Merkel, Trudeau, Macron, Ardern, De Croo, Sanna Marin…

It is possible (as of last week) to verify Macron, Ardern, De Croo, and Sanna Marin (as well as Buttigieg, Tulsi Gabbard, and Maria Bartiromo) here:

https://www.younggloballeaders.org/community

My gut tells me that former-Stasi (KGB) operative Vladimir Putin went to YGL to COLLECT INFORMATION.

Same with Maria Bartiromo.

As for the rest?

Fuck ’em!

Gabbard?

A fucking fake.

-PD

Luftslottet som sprängdes [2009)

Epstein.

CIA hit.

Ghislaine.

Tighter security.

Fredrik Clinton.

“like the President”.

Sidney Gottlieb.

MKUltra.

Ajax.

Forrestal 19__.

CIA 1947.

Iran 19__.

2009 Obama.

Larsson liberal (socialist).

Premature death.

“a conspiracy, in a particularly sensitive area of government”.

We need “time to identify the players”.

Durham.

The Section.

A portion of the CIA.

SAD/SOG.

Renamed.

Baby carriage.

Potemkin.

Catharsis.

Plague.

Asphyxia.

“nuclear option”.

Force 1:  Brennan.

Force 2:  Comey.

Force 3:  Clapper.

Force 4:  Rice.

Force 5:  Rosenstein.

Who would take down rogue element protected by SAD/SOG CIA?

-Delta Force

-Green Berets

-Navy SEALs

-MARSOC

-AFSOC transport if necessary

Evade compromised FAA, etc.

NORAD cleaned out?

Nakasone.

NSA/CSS.

INSCOM.

Direct.

We own comms.

DHS.

US Marshals.

DEA.

ATF.

CBP.

ICE.

Last chance for corrupt individuals to “flee”.

Look yourselves in the mirror.

You will be arresting your former superiors.

Some salvation on this Earth is possible now for those who turn back.

Apples and oranges.

America will not be destroyed by the corrupt CIA-within-the-CIA.

Tintinnabulation.

“The purpose was to guard the interests of our nation.  Formally, they did not exist.  Their base was a residential building.”

SNUS!

Steam-cured tobacco.

Nicosamides?

Carcinogenic if fire-cured (American tobacco).

Swedish steam-cured.

Norrtälje.

WKYBDYKU?

Cigarettes –> snus.

Vertigo.

Stairs.

Örebro.

-PD

 

Sběrné surovosti [1965)

I don’t usually review short films by themselves,

but this is such a gem.

A pearl, if you will.

The Junk Shop.

By director Juraj Herz.

Truth be told, I assumed it would be feature-length.

So when it ended, I was surprised.

But it was nice.

Just the right length.

It’s a very charming first film which delves into the depth only ragpickers can evoke.

There are, indeed, very few inventors who can claim to have “invented” the garbage can.

One (or the one) lends his name to the bin in French:  Eugène Poubelle.

Just like Joseph-Ignace Guillotin.

But let’s back to director Herz.

It might be more proper to call him a Slovakian director.

Though this film hails from the Czechoslovak days.

Born in Kežmarok:  “cheese market”.

And so what is the difference between Czechia (the new name for the Czech Republic) and Slovakia?  Why the split?

Not to be confused with the city in Croatia.  Split.

1918-1993.  One country.  Czechoslovakia.

But you’re here for film.  Perhaps.

Long before The Holy Mountain in 1973.

Iconoclasts.  Plastic Jesus.  Flesh-colored Christs that glow in the dark.

I assume my audience knows when I am quoting.

If this had been a full-length film, it would have been neck-and-neck with Closely Watched Trains and A Report on the Party and the Guests.

But there’s also something “cute” about The Junk Shop.

It has a wry smile which is usually found only in children’s films.

Oh, to see her shake out her sheets.

To beat her rug.

Leaning over the railing.

An old man’s one joy.

Such priceless joys in the messy actuality of the everyday.

Anna Karina is on the wall.

She has been rescued from metric tons of paper.

She is recycled visually.  But not literally.

A poster.

Pin-up girls.

To keep the ragpicker company.

And the forerunner of American montage (by way of Eisenstein).

Stop motion Dadaism.

Synchronized on the beat.

 

-PD

 

Иван Грозный Часть II: Боярский заговор [1958)

[IVAN THE TERRIBLE, PART II:  THE BOYARS’ PLOT (1958)]

заговор.

It gets many people in trouble.

In Stalinist Amerika.

We don’t know what list we’re on.

We don’t know when our identity has been appropriated.

Or misappropriated.

No man can be prepared for such a state of techno-terror.

And so we clap together our stones of flint.

We eat what we have caught.

We waste nothing.

Because we have offended the great dictator.

14 years in the desert ye must wander.

40?  No, fourteen.

This was The Empire Strikes Back.

There would be no Return of the Jedi.

[and certainly none of the other rubbish]

THis was when intercutting between BW and color was bleeding edge.

And only in the hands of Eisenstein did it work.

This was a voice crying out in the wilderness.

Eisenstein the prophet, predicting.

But a voice as cryptic as Shostakovich.

Today.

We might see the propagandists with their unenforceable contracts give the game away in little breadcrumb details.

To let us know that certain “realities” have been faked.

For our benefit.

And it was ever the same.

That Stalin needed a role to play.

That of Ivan IV.

But what he saw in the mirror displeased him.

And so he smashed that mirror.

Seven years of oprichniki.

1947.

Gentlemen do not read each other’s mail.

Houellebecq.  Perec.  Borges.

Finally we get Lithuania.

And Mikhail Zharov with his Elvis eye.

Wasn’t nothing but a hound dog.

An absolutely devastating chess move.

And again.

And again.

Blitzkrieg.

Hansa.  Livonia.

And now the Poles in NATO.

Ah!  …

Always a new wrinkle of literary ingenuity.

Disruptive innovation, gentlemen.

Cheap cheap cheap (funding) ECLIPSE.

<laurels Laurel (MD) laurels CHECK MATE>

I would really like to help you out, but I fear I’m too dumb to do that.

I’m certainly too old.

Because cost accounting must be strictly observed.

And local efficiencies must trump complete conception.

I understand.

It takes many losses to understand the causal mechanism.

The unclaimed coins will indicate our casualties.

And so we finally see that, historically, the CIA has been a crystallization of class warfare.

Operatives, analysts, technicians…were not the dogs of the upper crust.

They were not slaves.

But perhaps now there is a difference.

Not all Harvard grads are created equally.

Epic breaking of the fourth wall.

Brechtian epic.

Identify, friend or foe?

I’m an American.

I like our military.

I respect them.

I like our intelligence professionals.

I look up to them.

I loathe whomever is pulling the really nasty levers.

Whomever is giving the orders.

It’s only natural to look to the top.

And over their shoulders.

Beware of the researchers.

Brothers, do not kill your own.

Sisters, we might not have your erudition and immaculate logic.

Our rhetoric may be daft.

But do not reject us.

 

-PD

Иван Грозный Часть I [1944)

[IVAN THE TERRIBLE, PART I (1944)]

Have you ever used Russian Wikipedia?

Because you can’t just type Ivan the Terrible.

You can’t even type Ivan Grozny.

Not least, you cannot type NBaH rpo3HbIN yactb I.

No, certainly not.

But by that point, you are close.

Funny thing about the Cold War was that it was cold.

No shooting.

At least the big guns.

Boom boom.

It was an economic war.

It would really be unfair to capitalism to claim that it didn’t win.

Ah, good old capitalism.

Capitalism is bad in a lot of ways, but it is an economic beast.

Communism is good in a lot of ways, but it got its butt kicked by capitalism.

But our story predates Marx and Lenin by centuries (even though it was commissioned by Stalin).

What we have here is a masterpiece of Soviet film:  Ivan the Terrible (Part I).

It’s important.  Part I.  Часть I.

Because Часть II wouldn’t appear for another 14 years (Stalin was a fickle patron).

And Часть III would never appear.  [It was destroyed after the director’s death.]

And what a director!

Sergei Eisenstein was a true auteur in every sense of the word.

When he died in 1948, Часть III more or less went with him.

Considering that, it’s amazing that Часть II itself even survived.

It was only the “Khrushchev thaw” which occasioned its eventual release in 1958.

But the year is 1944.

And the year is also 1547.

16 January 1547.

And Ivan (though he doesn’t look it in the film) is 16 years old.

It’s not Reims.

But it rhymes with…Bosco?

If it had a rhyme, Bob Dylan would have smacked it right down in the middle of The Freewheelin‘ or Another Side

Good old Moscow!  Москва́

Something like that…

And so we see a truly riveting coronation (this is not really a spoiler…1547).

We must remember what “the Terrible” meant.

Or means.

As I understand it…it’s neither good nor bad.

Terrible as in terror…but also as in “fear God”.

Perhaps I have botched it.

grozny (miniscule).  As opposed to the capital of Chechnya.

Let me just say this:

Nikolay Cherkasov (in this film) is the spitting image of Nick Cave.

[God forbid an iconoclast get ahold of a spitting image!]

Some might need a further clarification.

I mean the Nick Cave from Warracknabeal, Australia.

Not the one from Fulton, Missouri.

Clear?

“2000 years of Christian history baby/and you ain’t learned to love me yet”

Something like that.

Ivan the Terrible “read that book from back to front”.

“It made a deep impression” (on his forehead).

But they didn’t have BBC Radio 4 in Russia in 1547.

So not even a gift of a chess set could cause Queen Elizabeth to beam a broadcast of Gardeners’ Question Time over to Ivan.

Alas, he was on his own…

Boyars be boyin’ [if you know what I mean].

I must admit, I’m rather proud of myself for figuring this out.

To wit, Михаил Названов looks like Gene Wilder as Jesus.

Tsk tsk, English Wikipedia.

Which is to say, Andrey Kurbsky is played by Mikhail Nazvanov.

Every epic needs a great beauty 🙂

And Lyudmila Tselikovskaya is no exception.

She is chaste (and chased).

English Wikipedia gives no hypertext love.

But there is an article.

She was from Astrakhan.

And here she portrays Ivan’s bride Anastasia.

Such a lovely word…tsarina.

And by Astrakhan we certainly don’t mean Canadian military fur wedge cap.

Clear?

Ivan the Terrible is basically Donald Trump (for anyone needing a reference).

Which is why Stalin identified with Ivan.

Putin is another good reference point.

For that matter, Pavel Kadochnikov’s effeminate, moronic character is a good symbol for the past 16 years of American presidency.  Imagine W. as a metrosexual in 16th-century Russia.  You’ve got it!  16 & 16.

Marriage is the end of friendship (in more ways than two).

And so Philip II, Metropolitan of Moscow heads off to the monastery.

But at this time he was just Feodor Kolychev.

Family Glinski mentioned.  Family Zakharin mentioned.

But the House of Romanov takes an extra effort.

Anastasia’s side.

Do you remember Kazan from Quantum of Solace?

I never properly expressed my admiration for that film.

Tosca in Bregenz.  Exquisite!

Back to Kazan…  Poor saps vs. rich saps.

And military strategy comes to the fore.  That of Ivan.

Their strength was sapped.  One letter from tapped.

That would be Operation Gold!

There’s a Tartar sauce of brutality (?) reminiscent of ¡Que viva México! (remember the horses and the buried guys???).

Same camera angles.

En plein air version of coronation.  The doubters.  Maybe Eisenstein took a thing or two from Welles?

Because Citizen Kane was 1941.

The Soviet Union joined the Allies in June 1941.

Citizen Kane premiered the previous month and would open in theaters across the U.S. the coming September.

So we wonder whether one of the first “chess sets” of understanding was a copy of Welles’ film.

Back to these Tartars.  That’s just the Western version of Tatar.

An extra R (gratis).

You may need some tarragon as well.

It certainly wasn’t “Palisades Park” for these poor Tartars.

No Freddy Cannon sound effects to distract them before being picked off by (demonym-for-people-from-Kazan) arrows.

It’s almost a Thelonious goatee.  Pharaonic.  Sun Ra-nese.

Over and over we hear of Livonia.

Reval (which is today Tallinn, Estonia).

An iron curtain required iron men.

Oprichnina.  A policy.

Oprichnik.  Of the Oprichniki.  Political police.

Oath of allegiance (starting to sound like Dale Cooper).

But lets not get caught up in bikeshedding.

This film is a masterpiece throughout.

 

-PD

Deutschland im Jahre Null [1948)

The first thing film critics have to get right is the title.

Let me explain a bit.

On my site, I always list a film in its original language (to the best of my ability).

In my opinion, that is the best way of honoring the film.

So far, I have encountered the mild idiosyncrasies of Romanian, Serbo-Croat, Czech, and Polish in addition to the mind-blowing intricacy of Farsi and Japanese.

But with Deutschland im Jahre Null we are seeing a German-language film by an Italian director…sort of.

Italy has a very peculiar tradition concerning voiceovers and direct (or, conversely, indirect) sound.  It is an oddity which caught the attention of Godard in his role as film historian.

I cannot give you as erudite an explanation as my hero Jean-Luc, but suffice it to say that foreign (non-Italian) films in Italy have traditionally been overdubbed into Italian.  So, in other words, no subtitles.

This is distinct from an American viewer watching a Fellini film.  The “American” version (whether on DVD or as a film print in a theater) will be in Italian with subtitles in English.  This goes for almost all foreign-language (non-English) films marketed in the United States.

But getting back to Deutschland im Jahre Null…  It is similar to the Danish director Carl Th. Dreyer directing the French film La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc…with one major difference.  Dreyer’s film was a silent one (the only French being the intertitles).  Rossellini’s Deutschland im Jahre Null is very much in German.  We are hearing German actors speak (exclusively) German dialogue.

What is most interesting is the linguistic lineage of this film.  In English, this film is known as:

Germany, Year Zero

Which is quite similar to Rossellini’s preceding masterpiece (in linguistic parallel):

Rome, Open City

To be fair, let’s consider the Italian name (the real name) of Rome, Open CityRoma città aperta.  Fine.  That is the way I recognize the film.  The true name is (in my mind) Roma città aperta.

But with Deutschland im Jahre Null we come to a very strange case.  If we do not recognize the primacy of its English title (Germany, Year Zero), and I do not, then we are directed by that great arbiter of cultural legitimacy Wikipedia to consider our options exhausted by being cognizant of the Italian title (Germania anno zero).

What is the message of this omission by English Wikipedia?  I believe the message is that Germany was (and continues to be) a null.  A zero.  A conquered culture.

We see a similar thing in the kowtowing stereotype of conquered Japan.  And though Japan might be experiencing some moderate-to-light financial troubles in recent years, Germany is by all accounts the economic powerhouse of continental Europe.  Why do I bring economics into the discussion?  Because wealthy nations are able to assert themselves.

But let us step back a bit.  Wikipedia does have some tasty morsels of information concerning this film.  If the source can be trusted, this 1948 film was not shown in Germany (the country from whence the language of the film takes its name) until 1952.  After its single screening in München (Munich), it was not heard from again within those borders until it ran on German television in 1978. 

Wow…26 years.  Either this film was grossly misunderstood, or it was understood all too well.  From my reading, this is a very pro-German document.

Rossellini was not George Stevens making concentration camp propaganda.  Roberto was making art.  The sign of art is the admission of possibilities.  Art seduces us because it is subtle.  Art does not proclaim in blanket statements.  Art does not underestimate the intelligence of the viewer.

Roberto Rossellini did something with his “war films trilogy” which seems to have been unprecedented.  The desire of neorealism was to film fiction as if it were documentary.  This fiction would be, likewise, based on reality.

But why is it, then, that we have very different views of Roberto Rossellini and Robert Flaherty?

I will tell you my guess.  Flaherty’s sin was in the framing of his presentation.  To wit, he presented his staged documentaries (take the oil industry propaganda piece Louisiana Story for instance) as if they were naturally-occurring, spontaneous documentaries. The sin, then, was his duplicitous relationship with his subjects.  He actively made his human subjects into actors.

Rossellini takes a different tack.  There is no pretense that Deutschland im Jahre Null is an ACTUAL documentary.  It merely has the feel of that medium.  Likewise, Rossellini’s use of nonprofessional actors was likely more of a precursor to Robert Bresson than a twist on Flaherty’s bizarre formula (which predated Roberto in both Nanook of the North [1922] and Man of Aran [1934]).  No, Rossellini had created something new. 

It’s not so much the films of Flaherty to which I object as it is the idea of them.  At least one of his concoctions (perhaps thanks to director F.W. Murnau) is very fine indeed:  Tabu [1931].  Flaherty and Murnau co-wrote this ostensible documentary.  Indeed, with Flaherty we come into contact with inchoate, obscure film genres such as docudrama, docufiction, fictional documentary (ethnofiction), etc. etc. etc.

Most importantly, none of what I have written here has even scratched the surface of Deutschland im Jahre Null.   What ever became of the heartrending main child actor Edmund Moeschke?  I do not know.

One thing is certain to me:  no film before Rossellini’s “war trilogy” (Roma città aperta, Paisà, and Deutschland im Jahre Null) [1945/1946/1948] takes on such politically sensitive and important topics in such a raw way.  The closest would be the socialism of Eisenstein or the humanism of Chaplin. 

It is, therefore, no wonder at all that Rossellini spawned a million “new waves” the world over.

 

-PD

 

Le Salaire de la peur [1953)

Only appropriate that we would reapproach France during these tense times with this film which is, believe it or not, more full of tension than anything I can recall in Hitchcock’s oeuvre.

Yes, The Wages of Fear by director Henri-Georges Clouzot is unlike anything I have ever seen.  More or less.

A parallel can be made to the Humphrey Bogart film They Drive by Night, but Le Salaire de la peur is of a different caliber altogether.

Believe it or not, Yves Montand actually out-acts Bogart in this here film.

From the bizarre beginnings, we hardly have any clue where this flick is going.

Where are we?  Tegucigalpa?  No, not enough oil.  Venezuela?  Perhaps.

D’où Venons Nous / Que Sommes Nous / Où Allons Nous???

Mexico.  A fictional (?) town called Las Piedras. The stones.

Not to be confused with pies (feet).

Indeed, stones play an important part in this film.  And so do feet.

But initially we are disoriented by the Eisenstein-like montage reminiscent of ¡Que viva México!  A small child with a sombrero and no pants playing with cockroaches.

And as the film gets going we notice the multitude of languages.  Spanish, French, German (?), Italian…maybe Dutch?

The Dutchman in question is played by German actor Peter van Eyck (born Götz von Eick).

In fact, I thought for much of the film that I was watching Oskar Werner (much to my chagrin upon consulting the credits).

And so we have a hodgepodge of refugees in this one-horse town of Las Piedras, but the oil industry beckons…on the frontier.  It is a dangerous industry (and becomes infinitesimally more dangerous through the course of this film).

I do believe I have heard Clouzot described as the French Hitchcock.  After seeing this, that makes perfect sense.

Le salaire de la peur is such a pithy, visceral film.

I don’t want to give too much away, but this is a very powerful film which takes aim at corporate callousness.  But the real theme is danger.  Fear.  Anxiety.  The sickness of worry.

It reminds us that we shouldn’t judge our fellow humans too harshly.  We can never know the exact feelings or the exact situation.

One final thought.  Nitroglycerine plays an integral part in this film.

I pray that the Russian soldiers who died yesterday will not have died in vain.  May the leaders of Turkey and the other NATO countries come to their senses in what has been sheer geopolitical insanity along Russia’s border.  What restraint Russia has shown compared to the egregious stunt pulled by Turkey!  As with all actions emanating from the West, I wouldn’t be surprised if the incident was ordered to occur (giving propitious conditions) by a power residing much further west than Ankara.

May courage and wisdom be with the militaries of all nations, the soldiers of which are thrust into the most unenviable positions imaginable.  War for profit has hit its maximum potential.  If there be one true diplomat left on the planet, let him or her please stand up at this crucial time.

Don’t count too much on your simulations.

 

-PD

 

Ostře sledované vlaky [1966)

There is no precursor for this delicious film.

Closely watched trains…

There is no warning.  No real foreshadowing of what awaits Miloš Hrma.

And I, of course, will not give away the game.

But let me tell you about this watershed moment in cinema.

You could say Czech New Wave.  You could also say Czechoslovak New Wave.

In the case of the auteur in question, Jiří Menzel, it is the former.

The movement was already going by this point.

1966.  Almost the midpoint, if we say 1962-1972.

But none of that matters too much.

What matters is this film.

Closely Watched Trains.  Ostře sledované vlaky.

And so we started with Romania.  A new wave.  A current phenomenon.  Briefly in vogue.  And completely deserving of the praise.

And we made a point to look elsewhere.  To Iran.  Because of Kiarostami.

And now we add a much older New Wave.  It is of particular interest to our first location (Romania).

In globetrotting through movies we hit some odd, beautiful destinations.  Nations.

Czechoslovakia.  No more.  Today.  Czech Republic.  Slovakia.  And Ukraine.

But none of this matters much either.

What matters is Miloš Hrma.  The shy boy.

We know.

Intimately.

Not easy.

If the meek shall inherit the earth (Earth?), then it’s a long time in coming.

I am fond.  Quoting Neil Young.

“Vampire Blues”

“Good times are coming/But they sure coming slow”

Indeed.

That is the situation of Václav Neckář’s character Miloš.

He has the delight of love.  Snow in the air.  Smoke from a steam locomotive.  A cloud of fleeting sparks.

Our heart beats rapidly for cute Jitka Bendová.  And we think of football.  We try to ignore the Bond girl essence of her name.

Because she is one of the most poetic faces in cinema.  No Wikipedia page for her.  At least not in English.

But it is this love between Miloš and Máša which gives us hope.

An adieu from the caboose (football, football).

No doubt Wes Anderson plumbed the depths of Closely Watched Trains while searching for his own cinematic language.

In fact, the beginning of this film is very much like the beginning of every Wes Anderson film.

An exposition of characters.

Some with peg-legs.

An old crazy uncle.

A cow with too many udders.

But the most crucial is the hypnotist.

If there is a precursor to Jiří Menzel (and there must be), then it is Renoir.  Renoir meets Eisenstein.  And sex.

Did I fail to mention?

Closely Watched Trains is a sexual tension which can no longer be crystalized.

And thus history served us well by preserving this document of a different age.

It is a naughty film, but not by today’s standards.

It is sex…as directed by Hitchcock.

And for that it is sexier.  More tense.  Taut.

Consider, for instance, the stamps.  Ooh la la.

If you go ga-ga for Gyllenhaal in Secretary, then you must see the breakthrough moment.  In cinema.

Like the first kiss.  May Irwin.  Thomas Edison.  But actually William Heise.  1896.

Big black maria.  Something/Anything?

Yes, in fact.

First, and most importantly, the telegraphist (as played by Jitka Zelenohorská).  Almost like Chantal Goya in Masculin Féminin, but better.  Same year.  1966.  Maybe Menzel got an idea from Godard.  In any case, Zelenohorská gives one for the ages.  Deliciously naughty.

And lest you run off feeling less-than-substantive edification, it is political as anything.  That’s where Eisenstein comes in.  A brief moment of cinematic intercutting.

And the war.  Like Les Carabiniers.  1963.  The Rossellini inspiration via Godard, perhaps?

But really it is a new cinema.  Czech!  Mind-blowing…

Sex is more erotic with a laugh.  Surreal.  Real.  More real than real.

In a stunning final coup Menzel brought us Naďa Urbánková.

One minute you’re thinking about a girl, another you’ve been rounded up by the state security apparatus.

And then they realize you’re nuts.

And they have pity on you.

Release you into the swaying grass.

And like Chaplin you waltz off into the sunset to fulfill your destiny.

What a film!

-PD

Gummo [1997)

When the rain comes down…in the swimming pool…and rabbit ears has his pink life…kissed by movie stars.

Rabbit ears isn’t so lonely anymore.  Literally hovering over the highway.  Chain-link crosswalk.  Loitering.

Rabbit ears had it bad in the dump.  Got beat up by stereotypes.  Shot with cap guns.  But the words real hurtful.

I wanna add my own appendix to this here masterpiece.  And so’s I goes on the Google and finds pictures.

They say a boy can’t be beautiful.  Just handsome.  And a taxi…a cab.  Can only be hansom.

We’ll get to your favorite scene in due time.  Just tape that bacon to the tile.  We’ll be returning.

I wanna add my own art to art already made.  Found footage.  Found emotions.  On the junk heap.  Andre Breton.

All those cool French guys recording their dreams.  Dali.  With a little slanted dot over the eye.

Yeah, Dali and Bunuel.  With a little wave over the inn.

And the donkey or whatever.  Gets his eye cut reel bad.  And this was near the beginning of cinema.

And Bunuel went on to Mexico.  And Aleister Crowley went to Mexico.  And Antonin Artaud.

And then Bunuel made French movies.  Maybe they were all French.  But not the Mexican ones.

And Eisenstein made a Mexican movie.  Reel good that.

And why is I talking funny and sayings nothing?

Because I been steeped like a tea bag in pure genius.

Ain’t my genius.  I’m just the reader.  The watcher.  The observer.

And then somebody gets Schrödinger‘s cat.  And they hurt it real bad.

Nobody ever asks what Schrody’s cat was named.  And it so happens Foot Foot.

Like the song by The Shaggs?  I think so, my pal.

So lemme tell you.

If I go on many more tangents like a line glancing off a sphere I will lose something important.

No no…I keep going.

Because my glasses fogged up with tears from crying.  When I had to get up to pee.

Later.  The retarded girl.  In the Krokus shirt.  But when she’s jogging back and forth.

That’s my family.

Yeah, for a minute I saw the whole totality of my lineage.

And it really made me cry.  Prematurely.

But mostly it’s when the rain falls.

It looks like the most heavenly scene.

I’m Mr. Rabbit.  I took a lot of risks.

A pink life.  That’s being vulnerable.  Listening to Tchaikovsky.

I skated down the hill on a banana like Jesus Christ.

One little pebble and my face is fucked for weeks.

One passing car and I’m Jello.  J E LL O.

But take a deep breath because you’ve shivered shirtless.

God damn.  You’ve got pink rabbit ears and knuckle tats.

You weren’t meant for this world.

And when the perfect storm comes—-

a lifetime of pain melts away.

For a second.

You’re not the freak.

For a second somebody wants you.

And you want them too.

And, really, it’s just fun.

That life has dealt you this miracle.

It makes your Xenia, Ohio bearable.  Just.

Life is transitory.  Crackling like a wet transistor.

Here today be here not tomorrow.

-PD