If you keep silence, you will be said by others instead. While Ukrainian film production keeps silence, leading foreign producers do not ignore Ukraine. Mostly it comes down to the distortion of reality and playing the stereotypes. We offer you an updated list of foreign TOP-5 SERIALS and TOP-10 MOVIES in recent years, mentioning Ukraine.
SERIALS
# 1. House, M.D., 2004-2012. In 4th season of House, M.D. one of the patients came from Ukraine, which is talked as a country where it is useless to look for medical family history. In the last season (13 series) Gregory House at home hangs a portrait of Taras Shevchenko – according to the plot House married a Ukrainian Dominica Petrova to help her get Green card to stay and work in the United States.
# 2. The Simpsons, 1989 – now . In the first series of 23rd season much time is devoted to Ukraine and Ukrainian mafia.
# 3. Mad Men, 2007 – now. The series tells the story of New York advertising agency of the 1960s and demonstrates Ukraine as a country with a very exotic cuisine: the main hero orders the Chicken Kyiv on date, the secretary of the main hero refuses to go on dinner with some man, even being seduced by Ukrainian ravioli with bull’s tail.
# 4. Friends, 1994-2004. Ukraine is mentioned often. Thus Ross offers friends go to the Ukrainian film, Monica at school was the only one to be friends with a boy from Ukraine. Before the wedding, Emily and Ross discussing wedding menu, talk about Chicken Kyiv.
# 5. Sex and the City, 1998-2004. Ukrainian Magda, who is Miranda’s housekeeper, tries to impose proper, traditional way of life: buying her rolling pin to make cakes, replacing Miranda’s vibrator with a statuette of the Virgin Mary in the bedside table.
MOVIES
# 1. Transformers: Dark of The Moon, 2011. Steven Spielberg , producer of the film, has Ukrainian roots.
At the request of the Ukrainian Minister, the U.S. sent autobots to Chernobyl to investigate suspicious alien technology. According to “Transformers” sun never shines in Pripyat and the whole area around is burned by radiation.
# 2. 2012 – disaster movie directed by Roland Emmerich and released in 2009.
One of the main roles in episodes of Las Vegas destruction was played by Ukrainian aircraft AN-225 “Mriya”, which, according to the plot, is owned by Russian billionaire Karpov. In the film, Americans were shocked by the size of the plane. At this point Karpov proudly, but falsely, stated that this is a Russian design. Also on the plane there is wrong name Antonov 500 and the flag of Azerbaijan.
AN-225 “Mriya” – a unique transport aircraft, designed and constructed in Kyiv mechanical factory in 1984-1988.
# 3. Filth and Wisdom, 2008. Shot by Madonna, film tells the story of Ukrainian immigrant Andrew, who comes to New York with two friends to spin their gypsy punk rock band Gogol Bordello. The main heroes do extravagant things like striptease in night club.
# 4. Transporter, 2008. In the third part Transporter have to save life of the daughter of Minister of Environment of Ukraine and bring her to Odesa.
# 5. La Sconosciuta, 2006. Italian drama reveals Ukraine as a country that supplies woman for sex industry. In the center of the story – Ukrainian prostitute Iryna Yaroshenko.
# 6. Lord of War, 2005. Thriller with Nicolas Cage playing the main role – a film about arms dealer Yuri Orlov, a native of the former USSR, namely from Odesa. Yuri’s parents emigrated to the U.S. searching fora better life and settled in Brighton Beach, where immigrants from the former USSR traditionally settle.
# 7. Everything is Illuminated, 2005. American tragicomedy based on novel of Jonathan Safran Foer. If movie is true then all Ukrainians speak funny English, they are dirty, cannot imagine life without meat, wear ugly clothes … Nevertheless, Ukraine is shown somehow attractively. Foer has Ukrainian roots, as well as Leiv Schreiber, director of the film, whose grandfather was Ukrainian.
# 8. War of the Worlds, 2005. At the beginning of the film by Steven Spielberg Ukraine is covered with mysterious fog. Talking about it in the news presenter also reminds that about 50 million people live in Ukraine.
# 9. The Italian Job, 2003. This adventure thriller – a remake of the movie 1969.
Quote of Skinny Pete: “Are you out of your mind? Listen to me, Charlie. Get out of L.A. Now. Cause if there’s one thing I know, it’s that you never mess with Mother Nature, mother-in-laws, or mother-fucking Ukrainians”.
# 10. Ocean’s Eleven, 2001. Wladimir Klitschko fights with Lennox Lewis in Las Vegas.
Source: Discover Ukrane 2012’s Facebook page
Featured photo: posters of “Everything Is Illuminated” and “Lord of War” (Wikimedia Commons)
