I believe the story is based on a short story by Nikolai Gogol, a Ukrainian writer. And it seems to take place in Carpathian Ukraine. Why is there still a problem in the West with making these national distinctions? Sorry to vent. Just really irritated by sloppy cultural errors . . . Still, if Jason Flemyng, Most Underrated British Actor of Our Time is in it, it'll be worth watching!
shareFrom what the IMDb lists, this film is being made by a Russian crew, with mostly Russian actors (with the obvious exception of Flemyng). I would assume, with the Russian money. Therefore, it's a Russian production. When Hamlet is shot in the US it's still an American production even if the original was written by an English writer. The original story of "Viy" was, by the way, also written in Russian, as all of Gogol's works were. They are now translated into Ukrainian.
shareWell acctually Nikolaj Gogol was born in 1809 and then there was no Ukraine but Russian Empire. So he was russian and he died in Moscow by the way. It's the same thing as i would say why do you call hollywood movies for american? It' should be indian movies ? :P
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolai_Gogol
born in Ukraine, but RUSSIAN writer.
I'd rather have an intelligent enemy than a stupid friend
He was Ukranian, but Russian writer as he wrote in Russian. Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka, Taras Bul'ba and Viy were written in Russian, despite they all take place in Ukraine.
shareOh, come on Tamooshka...
Yes, the script is based on the story written by a Ukrainian-born Gogol (part of the then Russian Empire) and takes place in an imaginary village in the Carpathian Mountains (stretching through the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, etc.)
But the film is mainly produced by the Russian ROSPOfilm Group, is shot on location in Prague (the Czech Republic) and Moscow (Russia), and sponsored by Russian producers ($21m).
I understand, what you mean by the West making generalisations about the former Eastern Block, but how exactly and in what way is this production Ukrainian?
It's like saying that "Solyaris" (1972) by Andrei Tarkovsky is a Ukrainian production, because author Stanislaw Lem, whose novel the film is based upon, was born in Lwów, Poland (now Ukraine).
That's what I call OWNAGE!
shareTamooshka,
To answer your question. Viy is a later part of Gogol's Ukrainian works. However, around that time he became fashionable in Saint Petersburg culture at which point he moved to Saint Petersburg and wrote his Petersburg cycle, which included "The Nose," and "Nevski Prospect." Gogol supposedly did this to prove that he was not just a provincial writer (if you are familiar with the "v", or "na" Ukraine argument, or how people are not supposed to say The Ukraine anymore) and could become a mainstream Russian writer.
So, the Russians and the Ukrainians bicker back and forth about whether he is culturally Russian or Ukrainian, and whether his name was "Gogol" or "Khokhol." Meanwhile, all western books say Gogol, and most westerners don't know the difference.
Ahahahaha, OMG Gogol is ukrainian writer, thats most hilarious thing I ever heard today. Its like to say Ernest Hemingway is Illinoisian writer, or Mark Twain is Missourian writer.
shareWell for one thing moron, both Illinois and Missouri both joined the United States willingly, by consent of their citizens. Ukraine certainly did not join the Russian Empire willingly.
loyola-3 wrote:
Ahahahaha, OMG Gogol is ukrainian writer, thats most hilarious thing I ever heard today. Its like to say Ernest Hemingway is Illinoisian writer, or Mark Twain is Missourian writer.
What a nasty comment. Almost no sub group within a country or empire joined willingly. Within the UK the various kingdoms were consolidated by force, same with Italy, Germany etc.
As far as the Ukraine it has at times and until recently include other ethnicities that were not willingly part of the Ukraine.
They Ukraine at the time of Gogol included parts of Poland, his mother was Polish then and not Ukrainian?
Fact is Gogol was a Russian citizen, his major works were in Russian.
Isn't that like saying, "Why are the actors in Hamlet American?"
sharesaw the original as a kid back in the day, i believe it was half black/white almost, that scared the hell out of me o_O
sharePretty strange (and lazy) assumption that it's The West who has deemed it a Russian production. I happen to know that it was made by Russians with Russian money - but I'm sure you'll just think that by adhering to reality, I'm just a part of the propaganda and hegemony machine of The West, or some such nonsense.
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