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© 2024 Pavel Konyukhov |
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Taurus (Teletz) by Alexander Sokurov |
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The Russian TV channel “Culture” continues its retrospective showing of the films of A. Sokurov. Some time ago they played the movie “Teletz” (“Taurus”) which was made in 2000. “Teletz” is about the last period of the life of Vladimir Ulyanov (Lenin) who spent his last days afflicted by a serious mental illness, after an injury resulting in the paralysis of his right side. This former “intellectual athlete”, who revolutionized the whole country, is isolated from the outer world; the only people near him are his wife, his sister, a doctor, and several servants. This is a very radical film, especially to those who remember the Soviet days when everybody had to worship our “genius of manhood”. His statues were to be found in every town of our huge country, his name was always spoken with an almost sacred reverence. He was a god in my country. The camera zooms in to show fragments of his private life, his degraded personality, and his weakening body. It shows us this giant of history in a feeble state. He can’t multiply 17 times 22, he begins to forget events which have just occurred, he can’t control his own body… But his will is still alive. The collision of intellectual and physical dying and will gives the effect when the aggressive will prevails over all. “Violence is the only point of rest” says his sub-cortex, winning the fight with his dying cerebral cortex. “Will the sun rise after my death? Will the grass grow after me, will the bird sing?” he asks…”You will get something very different afterwards”, he says. After one of his recurrent aggressive acts he is given a bath, and Nedezhda Krupskaya, his wife, brings him out of the house to get some air. Soon she has to leave him to answer a telephone call, leaving Lenin alone in his wheelchair. Being left alone, the mad man shouts into the air, and the sun breaks through the thunderclouds. Vladimir leaves his questions unresolved.
Pavel Konyukhov
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