Documentary about Putin by Nikita Michalkov

Don't know if you saw it already, but today I stumbled upon this 2008 video, where Nikita Michalkov (famous Russian filmaker and actor) talks in the usual Russian frank and direct way, that he doesn't care what people think about his documentary about Putin.


That in his opinion, Putin is one of the greatest people he ever knew. He is his friend and a person who gave back self-respect to the Russian people. That he appreciates him very much as a human being, that he is extraordinary, smart, intense and with an amazing sense of humor, and that he deserves a monument for all the things he did. Unfortunately, the interview is only in Russian.

Here's the documentary. It's in Russian, but I found an English version. It's not a good quality, but you can still read what this is all about. You can find links to it below the Russian one.

It is less historical description of events, but more a personal story, a testimony of a person, who witnessed a rise of a great man. If you still have doubts about Putin, watch this documentary.

Here's a small snippet from the documentary, that shows what kind of person Putin is, and why he can be considered to be Caesar of our time:

I recall one our conversation with the President, and he suddenly said this phrase. He said, "Who am I? And why do I find myself here? Why am I here? What am I here for? Am I here to eat up what was left after the others?" This phrase has impressed me, because behind it I saw a very serious and key question of a person's life. Not "how to live" - what residence you will have or what private office you will have, what tie, what suit, but WHY to live.

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Here are links to the English version:



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Btw, here's Putin's speech in Munich, that Michalkov was talking about in the documentary, and how Putin was the only one, who said something everyone were thinking about, but were terrified to mention.

It's in Russian and has English subtitles.
http://www.sott.net/article/249296-Vladimir-Putin-told-the-Truth-about-the-NWO-on-10-February-2007-at-43rd-Munich-Security-Conference

So i queued up the videos and watched them yesterday, beginning with the Munich speech - i didn't consider the order at the time.

The Munich speech, as commented in the feature, was Putin at his finest, for me anyway. He sped through the speech with such precision and skill, that he he either rehearsed it and delivered it well or is just deft at speaking - probably that and more. That he speaks French, German and English as well, i am sure i have read he is bilingual but i guess seeing it in action is another thing entirely. For me it shows many of the representatives as the ignorant and ill educated posers&puppets&psychopaths for what they are.

And the pause he left for (McCain?), i'm experienced with a verbal slap, but that was impressive. It wasn't too deliberate or aggressive and he let the moment speak for him. The more i watch the full length interviews he gives - and he does a lot, especially now - the more i register these passing moments where he is slips in a few hard truths out. You can't say he hasn't tried; making the comments "somebody would have tried to expose them" even more ridiculous. In general, the politicians in the audience behaved like bratty kids getting a lecture about why they're in trouble, seriously pathetic. It does bring the idea of life being a school to the imagination, they were in detention!

There's a lot for me to catch up on, including that Jesus was Casear but i recently listened back to some of the podcasts and watching the feature by Michalkov, you can see what an honest statesman (according to the doc) - a bizarre concept for me - has to put up with should he actually want, at the least, to maintain a modicum of peace. And it makes me think of the comments about Caesar and how he was attacked from all sides and at all times maintained a diplomatic but very firm position. His aphorisms have me even more curious considering this comparison...

Nikita Michalkov himself delivered the feature as if the ideal Russian representative (osit); in that he expressed the distaste towards war, from a country that is very war weary and has obviously had enough. But is willing, if threatened, to defend its right to life. And the feeling shows itself to be much deeper than any patriotic garble about freedoms and democracy. And he showed a real range of emotions.

One other - less important - comment. Putin looks like Caesar, he even has a similar hair line (as do millions others, yes). What has confused me is his obvious plastic surgery; he had some variation on a facelift no? He's 61 now apparently, did he do it for personal vanity reasons or on the understanding that culture is so appearance orientated? All of the above? And how does this reconcile with my perception of him? Sure it's not as important as the fact he is preventing WW3, i get it. ;)

Please feel free to correct any misunderstandings i may have. I don't read fast or enough to catch up with Putin's life in the time desired, i would be interested to know more about his schooling and family etc.. Where he came from... It ma yhave little relation to who he is today but is always interesting.

Thanks Keit :)

itellsya said:

One other - less important - comment. Putin looks like Caesar, he even has a similar hair line (as do millions others, yes). What has confused me is his obvious plastic surgery; he had some variation on a facelift no? He's 61 now apparently, did he do it for personal vanity reasons or on the understanding that culture is so appearance orientated? All of the above? And how does this reconcile with my perception of him? Sure it's not as important as the fact he is preventing WW3, i get it. ;)

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Where did you read that?

It's not really a documentary - at least, not what we call a documentary in the English-speaking world. It's a regular news report interviewing someone who seems to have known Putin personally. It's interesting-ish.

What I'd love to see is a documentary that recounts the facts (minus the gloss - speculation is fine, just spare us the "...then he walked in the room and his aura made it glow like a Christmas tree!") about Putin's life and rise to power - mainstream even, as Russians see it.

Kniall said:

itellsya said:

One other - less important - comment. Putin looks like Caesar, he even has a similar hair line (as do millions others, yes). What has confused me is his obvious plastic surgery; he had some variation on a facelift no? He's 61 now apparently, did he do it for personal vanity reasons or on the understanding that culture is so appearance orientated? All of the above? And how does this reconcile with my perception of him? Sure it's not as important as the fact he is preventing WW3, i get it. ;)

Click to expand...

Where did you read that?

It's not really a documentary - at least, not what we call a documentary in the English-speaking world. It's a regular news report interviewing someone who seems to have known Putin personally. It's interesting-ish.

What I'd love to see is a documentary that recounts the facts (minus the gloss - speculation is fine, just spare us the "...then he walked in the room and his aura made it glow like a Christmas tree!") about Putin's life and rise to power - mainstream even, as Russians see it.

Click to expand...

Well, it was speculated by all the mainstream sources at the time _http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2041991/Vladimir-Putin-plastic-surgery-Facelift--just-plenty-sleep.html and while i don't give too much credence to their gossip considering their position, for me, it did look like the skin round his eyes was tighter and i thought it did look 'obvious' (as i wrote); symptomatic of surgery. Maybe it's just the make up. I may be wrong! I may be seeing something that isn't there. I brought it up because i thought it inconsistent, if he hasn't, then ok. I think it's also because there are quite a few images he seems happy to have released of him topless, being manly and all that. So it's a collection of assumptions on my part..

I agree with the comments about the glowing Christmas tree. I've seen i think 2 other features with Putin and i can't say either struck me as significantly objective. Then again, not too long ago i wasn't sure about Putin, so i am trying to catch up.

Kniall said:

Where did you read that?

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Had no idea that there were talks like this about Putin, so looked it up. Apparently, there are all kind of talks and comparison pictures, also a plastic doctor from Chelyabinsk, that claims, that he knows a doctor, who operated on Putin, including doing botox injections for the bags under the eyes. Like, for example, in the following interview in 2000 you can see the bags, and in recent years they almost disappeared.
_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP0R_xzLIL8

Kniall said:

It's not really a documentary - at least, not what we call a documentary in the English-speaking world. It's a regular news report interviewing someone who seems to have known Putin personally. It's interesting-ish.

Click to expand...

Yeah, it's not a documentary (even if called as such), and more of a testimony. And I suspect that Michalkov used and still uses his actor's talent to make the message more pronounced. Don't know how it was in the past, but right now he has regular half an hour shows on Russia 24 on Saturdays, where he again uses his talent of poignancy to basically provide an intellectual opposition to the Ukranian fascism and whoever opposes Putin. It's a smart type of propaganda, where he reads excerpts from books, shares his or others experiences and such. This kind of "candid" and "on a personal level" stuff works better on Russians.

Kniall said:

What I'd love to see is a documentary that recounts the facts (minus the gloss - speculation is fine, just spare us the "...then he walked in the room and his aura made it glow like a Christmas tree!") about Putin's life and rise to power - mainstream even, as Russians see it.

Click to expand...

Well, that can be tricky, because except for the "Unknown Putin" Pravda production (that also has several additional parts without English subtitles) I couldn't find anything in English. Maybe others will have more luck?

There are all kind of documentaries in Russian that talk about Putin, his life and rise to power. Many of them are actually done by opposition.

There is this documentary (unfortunately only in Russian) that is also called "Unknown Putin". It's a RTR (Russian channel) production. The description says, that the first part of the movie was shown on the TV as part of the presidential campaign. But they weren't satisfied with the second part and didn't air it. And this video is the second part. I couldn't find the first. The video isn't narrated, but is a collection of interviews and showing Putin in various situations, including informal, like visiting a relative in Saint Petersburg.

It was done in 2000, so Putin is much younger here. And it's very interesting to see also the difference in expression and the way he talks. It's softer than now. Hard to explain. But it shows that it was beginning of the road for him.

Kniall said:

What I'd love to see is a documentary that recounts the facts (minus the gloss - speculation is fine, just spare us the "...then he walked in the room and his aura made it glow like a Christmas tree!") about Putin's life and rise to power - mainstream even, as Russians see it.

Click to expand...

You may like this one perhaps:

How Vladimir Putin came to power (full documentary) Russia
English narrator, with English subtitles for Russians talking

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpiZw1R8w-c

Pretty mainstream, co-production by Arte France, Wilton Films, Quark Production made for Channel 4 in 2006, 46 minutes long. Most likely only part of the whole picture, but interesting nevertheless.

itellsya said:

Kniall said:

itellsya said:

One other - less important - comment. Putin looks like Caesar, he even has a similar hair line (as do millions others, yes). What has confused me is his obvious plastic surgery; he had some variation on a facelift no? He's 61 now apparently, did he do it for personal vanity reasons or on the understanding that culture is so appearance orientated? All of the above? And how does this reconcile with my perception of him? Sure it's not as important as the fact he is preventing WW3, i get it. ;)

Click to expand...

Where did you read that?

It's not really a documentary - at least, not what we call a documentary in the English-speaking world. It's a regular news report interviewing someone who seems to have known Putin personally. It's interesting-ish.

What I'd love to see is a documentary that recounts the facts (minus the gloss - speculation is fine, just spare us the "...then he walked in the room and his aura made it glow like a Christmas tree!") about Putin's life and rise to power - mainstream even, as Russians see it.

Click to expand...

Well, it was speculated by all the mainstream sources at the time _http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2041991/Vladimir-Putin-plastic-surgery-Facelift--just-plenty-sleep.html and while i don't give too much credence to their gossip considering their position, for me, it did look like the skin round his eyes was tighter and i thought it did look 'obvious' (as i wrote); symptomatic of surgery. Maybe it's just the make up. I may be wrong! I may be seeing something that isn't there. I brought it up because i thought it inconsistent, if he hasn't, then ok. I think it's also because there are quite a few images he seems happy to have released of him topless, being manly and all that. So it's a collection of assumptions on my part..

I agree with the comments about the glowing Christmas tree. I've seen i think 2 other features with Putin and i can't say either struck me as significantly objective. Then again, not too long ago i wasn't sure about Putin, so i am trying to catch up.

Click to expand...

As you'll probably notice from the right-hand column of the Daily Mail's website, that publication takes an unhealthy interest in who's having plastic surgery and who's sleeping with whom!

As an aside though, I thought he looked somewhat different in his recent speech:


The bags under his eyes are visible again and his skin seems to be a bit blotchy. Might just be fatigue. The guy's probably in dire need of a holiday in the sun!

Possibility of Being said:

Kniall said:

What I'd love to see is a documentary that recounts the facts (minus the gloss - speculation is fine, just spare us the "...then he walked in the room and his aura made it glow like a Christmas tree!") about Putin's life and rise to power - mainstream even, as Russians see it.

Click to expand...

You may like this one perhaps:

How Vladimir Putin came to power (full documentary) Russia
English narrator, with English subtitles for Russians talking

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpiZw1R8w-c

Pretty mainstream, co-production by Arte France, Wilton Films, Quark Production made for Channel 4 in 2006, 46 minutes long. Most likely only part of the whole picture, but interesting nevertheless.

Click to expand...

Yes, I saw that one. It's good, but biased by default because it's a Western production, and we know that by 2006 Washington had already decided Putin was a problem. I'd like to see the same kind of docu, but 'made in Russia'.

Keit said:

Kniall said:

Where did you read that?

Click to expand...

Had no idea that there were talks like this about Putin, so looked it up. Apparently, there are all kind of talks and comparison pictures, also a plastic doctor from Chelyabinsk, that claims, that he knows a doctor, who operated on Putin, including doing botox injections for the bags under the eyes. Like, for example, in the following interview in 2000 you can see the bags, and in recent years they almost disappeared.
_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP0R_xzLIL8

Kniall said:

It's not really a documentary - at least, not what we call a documentary in the English-speaking world. It's a regular news report interviewing someone who seems to have known Putin personally. It's interesting-ish.

Click to expand...

Yeah, it's not a documentary (even if called as such), and more of a testimony. And I suspect that Michalkov used and still uses his actor's talent to make the message more pronounced. Don't know how it was in the past, but right now he has regular half an hour shows on Russia 24 on Saturdays, where he again uses his talent of poignancy to basically provide an intellectual opposition to the Ukranian fascism and whoever opposes Putin. It's a smart type of propaganda, where he reads excerpts from books, shares his or others experiences and such. This kind of "candid" and "on a personal level" stuff works better on Russians.

Kniall said:

What I'd love to see is a documentary that recounts the facts (minus the gloss - speculation is fine, just spare us the "...then he walked in the room and his aura made it glow like a Christmas tree!") about Putin's life and rise to power - mainstream even, as Russians see it.

Click to expand...

Well, that can be tricky, because except for the "Unknown Putin" Pravda production (that also has several additional parts without English subtitles) I couldn't find anything in English. Maybe others will have more luck?

There are all kind of documentaries in Russian that talk about Putin, his life and rise to power. Many of them are actually done by opposition.

There is this documentary (unfortunately only in Russian) that is also called "Unknown Putin". It's a RTR (Russian channel) production. The description says, that the first part of the movie was shown on the TV as part of the presidential campaign. But they weren't satisfied with the second part and didn't air it. And this video is the second part. I couldn't find the first. The video isn't narrated, but is a collection of interviews and showing Putin in various situations, including informal, like visiting a relative in Saint Petersburg.

It was done in 2000, so Putin is much younger here. And it's very interesting to see also the difference in expression and the way he talks. It's softer than now. Hard to explain. But it shows that it was beginning of the road for him.

http://<iframe width="480" height="...R4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Click to expand...

Having watched all of 'Unknown Putin', do you think it would be worthwhile creating subtitles for the rest of it?

Kniall said:

Having watched all of 'Unknown Putin', do you think it would be worthwhile creating subtitles for the rest of it?

Click to expand...

Yes, I think so. There is a lot of interesting information, including the Litvinenko affair and Berezovski.

Kniall said:

As you'll probably notice from the right-hand column of the Daily Mail's website, that publication takes an unhealthy interest in who's having plastic surgery and who's sleeping with whom!

As an aside though, I thought he looked somewhat different in his recent speech:

The bags under his eyes are visible again and his skin seems to be a bit blotchy. Might just be fatigue. The guy's probably in dire need of a holiday in the sun!

Click to expand...

Then it may be down to an over eager make up artist! To be honest, i was trying to assess his credibility and that was one of the few things that i had to work with, i thought that could be the smoking gun Now the bags are back, i'm leaning towards the work of western propaganda.

itellsya said:

Kniall said:

As you'll probably notice from the right-hand column of the Daily Mail's website, that publication takes an unhealthy interest in who's having plastic surgery and who's sleeping with whom!

As an aside though, I thought he looked somewhat different in his recent speech:

The bags under his eyes are visible again and his skin seems to be a bit blotchy. Might just be fatigue. The guy's probably in dire need of a holiday in the sun!

Click to expand...

Then it may be down to an over eager make up artist! To be honest, i was trying to assess his credibility and that was one of the few things that i had to work with, i thought that could be the smoking gun Now the bags are back, i'm leaning towards the work of western propaganda.

Click to expand...

I think it's unwise to base Putin's credibility on whether or not he had facial surgery.

'Do his words match his actions?' might be a better yardstick to gauge him with.

Keit said:

Kniall said:

Having watched all of 'Unknown Putin', do you think it would be worthwhile creating subtitles for the rest of it?

Click to expand...

Yes, I think so. There is a lot of interesting information, including the Litvinenko affair and Berezovski.

Click to expand...

The first two parts were dubbed into English. For the other parts, we could add English subtitles. Maybe you could get help from other Russian-speaking members? If I have the text (with corresponding time), I can add it to the video. I know you're busy, so no pressure!

Alternatively, you could summarize what the other parts are about in this thread?

Kniall said:

The first two parts were dubbed into English. For the other parts, we could add English subtitles. Maybe you could get help from other Russian-speaking members? If I have the text (with corresponding time), I can add it to the video. I know you're busy, so no pressure!

Alternatively, you could summarize what the other parts are about in this thread?

Click to expand...

Sure, no problem! I think, that maybe subtitles are a way to go, because there is so much information, doing summary will have the same scope. I downloaded and installed the Media Subtitler, and will start working on it when will have the time.

Russian speakers, who would like to help, please mention it here!

Here are the parts that need subtitling:

part 3:_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV4uCjvsGAc
part 4:_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GIhHY-LI4w
part 5:_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxP-3pPC4KE

Maybe after finishing those, we could go over the two first parts and see if the quality of the dubbing is ok, or maybe we could subtitile those as well.