Review: Gorbachev. Heaven

Gorbachev's sad, quiet life is captured in Manksy's documentary

 

Back in the 2019 Hong Kong International Film Festival I watched the documentary Putin's Witnesses by Vitaly Mansky, giving viewers insight into the Russian President and how he functions. Mansky also made it to the city to talk about his film afterwards, feeling free to talk about authoritarianism, though who knew Hong Kong would be quickly sliding into this situation two years later?

Mansky has produced another documentary called Gorbachev. Heaven, about the former leader who ended the Soviet Union, but what has happened to him and Russia since then?

Just before the film started, the director sent a personal video message to viewers in Hong Kong, saying at first he was sad he was unable to come to the city to attend the festival because of the pandemic. 

The dining room only has one person eating

Then Mansky said that he keenly watched the 2019 protests and how the people were trying to protect their freedoms, and so he believed they would be interested in watching Gorbachev. Heaven, seeing how freedom that Gorbachev gave when he declared the end of the Soviet Union, soon dissipated.

Not having seen recent pictures or videos of Gorbachev, it was quite shocking to see the 90-year-old overweight and bloated, and in frail health. He uses a walker to get around, very slowly. Luckily his former aides are there to help him, otherwise he is very much alone. They even helped install an elevator in his home outside Moscow, that the state lent for him to use "temporarily", in other words, until death.

Mansky is off camera the whole time, asking Gorbachev lots of questions, recounting his personal life as well as his political career without using any archival news footage, though there are a few footnotes of people mentioned to help people understand the context of the conversations.

In the mid-1980s Gorbachev introduced perestroika, or democratic reforms, which led to three eastern European countries free from Communist rule (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), and eventually the collapse of the Soviet Union caused by the August 1991 coup that forced Gorbachev to resign, and Boris Yeltsin took power.

Lots of food (and booze) is featured in the film

While Mansky admires Gorbachev, he also doesn't let him get away easily, asking him tough questions about the messy end of the USSR, and the former leader doesn't give straight answers, to which Mansky prods him more, and Gorbachev refuses to reply, saying he's answered them already.

But perhaps it's the long shots of Gorbachev that give viewers a better idea of him these days. Mansky focuses his camera a lot on Gorbachev's face and his hands look so big on the big screen. He likes to eat too -- he's seen snacking, discussing the dinner menu with his chef, dining with friends to mark the New Year. And yes there's vodka and beer too.

Always in the background, though, is Vladimir Putin, usually on television. Just before midnight January 1, 2020, Putin gives a sombre address on TV and he finishes just as the clock strikes 12. "Very precise," remarks Gorbachev, and resumes eating his late night dinner.

Also having a presence in the film is Gorbachev's wife Raisa, who died in 1999 of leukemia. There are portraits of her in his home and office, and he speaks fondly of her, saying, "the meaning of life is gone", though it has been 20 years without her.

Mansky with Gorbachev during filming

He sings a song a few times that he would sing to his wife, which talks of a forest being heaven, and hence the title of the documentary. One scene shows Gorbachev visiting her grave and notes he will be buried with her.

Watching Gorbachev. Heaven is his last will and testament, and it is sad to see the leader who so profoundly changed Russia to be mostly alone, frustrated by his physical limitations and politically shut out, as he is the polar opposite to Putin.

He does speak out, but the media are scared of publishing his opinions. There isn't much he can do about that.

Nevertheless, Manksy's portrait of Gorbachev is an intimate one and good record of his life -- in his words.

Gorbachev. Heaven

Directed by Vitaly Mansky

100 minutes

The Butcher of Beijing is Dead

"The butcher of Beijing" is dead -- Li Peng died on Monday in Beijing

This evening came the news that former Chinese premier Li Peng -- the man who advocated the violent crackdown in Tiananmen Square in June 30 years ago -- passed away on Monday at the age of 90.

For many critics of China, Li will is remembered as "The butcher of Beijing", while the Communist Party of China revere him as a great communist leader and statesman.

Jiang Zemin, Li Peng and Deng Xiaoping

The official obituary in Xinhua says Li played an "important role" in the 1989 crackdown.

"Under the resolute support of veteran revolutionary leaders represented by comrade Deng Xiaoping, comrade Li Peng unequivocally stood with most of the comrades of the Politburo, taking decisive measures to stop the turmoil, cracking down on the counter-revolutionary riot and stabilizing the domestic situation. He made an important contribution in this fundamental struggle, which was critical to the future and fate of the Communist Party and the state."

It was at this critical juncture that Li helped the CPC take a more hard line path; they had seen East Germany crumble as well as the Soviet Union, and the Chinese leaders were not going to let the People's Republic of China to follow the same fate.

The PLA move in to clear out Tiananmen Square in 1989

Alas, was this the right decision?

The CPC would like to think so and is proving it is right by showing off its economic muscle that is way stronger than everyone else's. But morally it plays by its own rules that the rest of the world is still grappling with.

Li, a hydraulic engineer by training, was also responsible for the construction of the Three Gorges Dam. It was considered a massive engineering feat, despite forcing villagers to move and causing massive environmental damage.

The dam was supposed to control floods, but it hardly solved the issue, and so much silt from the Yangtze River accumulates in the dam that it caused a lot of problems, even triggering minor earthquakes! And no, the massive hydroelectric dam didn't solve electrical supply issues either.

The Three Gorges Dam is an environmental disaster

But Li did well for his family. He has three children, two of whom ran two of China's electrical monopolies. One of them, Li Xiaopeng entered politics in Shanxi province and became its governor in 2012, and four years later he became Minister of Transport. Li Xiaolin was chief executive of China Power International Development before being transferred out to another power company.

The more the Chinese know about what happened on June 4, the more they will change their opinions about Li Peng. They have a right to know about this bloody stain on their country's history and Li's part in it.

Munich's Pride and Joy: BMW

The BMW headquarters (left) and the museum (right)

You can't go to Munich and not go to the BMW Museum! We got there via a hop on, hop off bus and everyone gets off at this stop. Anyone who is a fan of the German "ultimate driving machine" comes here to make a pilgrimage. And if you really want, you can buy a BMW as a souvenir of your trip too.

This is the showroom across the street with a sleek bridge

The showroom is a massive building that includes the Mini, and you can buy not only the cars, but also lifestyle products, from jackets to baseball hats to suitcases and toy cars. Some people were trying on the cars for size, getting in and out of them, while others were there to pick up their cars and drive them off in a special exit driveway for them that looks space age (from what we could see from the outside).

Meanwhile across the street via a sleek elevated walkway, is the BMW headquarters, a distinctive building that looks like four vertical cylinders in a car engine, while the museum looks like the cylinder head, both designed by Austrian architect Karl Schwanzer.

They were built between 1968 and 1972, finished in time for the 1972 Summer Olympics and the BMW headquarters is very close to the Olympic Village, giving the company greater exposure.

Inside the showroom, many were eager to look at BMWs

One good tip is that because we took the hop on, hop off bus, the BMW Museum also gave us a few euros off on admission! Bonus!

The museum is laid out in a linear way and goes through the entire history of BMW. Its origins go back to World War I when an unknown aircraft engine manufacturer called Rapp Motorenwerke GmbH presented a newly and innovative aircraft engine to the Prussian military authorities, the company was renamed Bayerische Moteren Werke (BMW) in 1917.

This is also when BMW's logo was developed -- the company name in a black circle, with blue and white panels from the Bavarian national flag.

One of the early motorcycles BMW produced

From there the company designed engines for motorcycles and then cars in 1929. Up until World War II, BMW's main products were aircraft engines, motorcycles and cars. Then during the war the company focused on aircraft engines, and motorcycles were a sideline business, while car production was stopped altogether.

But during this time, the BMW factory in Eisenach, in central Germany, was in the Soviet-occupied zone, and so the Soviets produced pre-war BMW motorcycles and cars there until 1955. However, its Munich plant was completely destroyed and it took time for the company to not only rebuild but also find another means of business because BMW was banned from producing motor vehicles the Allies.

One of BMWs first Formula 1 cars in a beautiful shade of blue

As a result, BMW made pots and pans, other kitchen equipment and bicycles, and finally got permission from the United States to restart motor production, in particular motorcycles in 1947. BMW started manufacturing cars in the early 1950s which was good timing because by this point the market for motorcycles was saturated and people were starting to demand cars.

The company started making mini cars called Isetta, but it couldn't compete against the Volkwagen Beetle. But by the early 1960s BMW was back on its feet with investors showing faith in the company and not wanting to merge with Daimler-Benz, and new cars that had powerful engines.

The BMW 1600, my father's first BMW!

We got to see those motorcycles and early Formula 1 cars contrasting against today's models. You had to be a petite driver -- practically the size of a horse jockey -- to fit into the old school racing car. Even back in the late 1920s they already knew about aerodynamics, with one racer who broke time records with BMW-designed motorcycles with an aerodynamic body like a fish.

There are a lot of consumer cars on display -- the 1600 from 1966 was there -- my father's first BMW which was fun for him to reminisce about as well as other models. The Z3 was also there, which 007 drove in Goldeneye -- the first time James Bond drove a non-British car.

For design fans, there are 1:1 clay models and videos of how the engineers, designers and modellers need to work together to figure out how every detail of the car is going to look like. Another section of the museum also explains the need to transfer from fossil fuels to electricity, and shows off its BEVs or battery electric vehicles.

Contrast it with this futuristic car powered by fuel cells

If that visit to the museum doesn't inspire you to go buy a BMW I don't know what will. It definitely emits those aspiration vibes for those who want to buy their first car, or their next...! Fantastic marketing tool that BMW has done tastefully and not overtly.

And if you want a bite to eat, their cafeteria does pretty good food too!

Dresden's Treasures

 

A large bouquet of flowers made of mother of pearl

There's a lot to see within walking distance in Dresden, churches and museums each with their own story. Many intersect with World War II that was destroyed in air raids and buildings were slowly rebuilt.

One of these examples is the Frauenkirche or the Church of Our Lady. It was originally a Catholic church built in the 11th century in Romanesque style, but became Protestant during the Reformation. Hence the statue of Martin Luther in front.

The Frauenkirche rebuilt only recently

It has one of the largest domes in Europe at 96 metres high, called die Steinerne Glocke, or "Stone Bell". 

But in World War II it was severely damaged by air raids, the roof finally collapsing after having withstood two days and nights of attacks. The church was left in a pile of rubble for 45 years, because of Communist rule in East Germany, though the residents had already begun trying to salvage what they could and numbering them for future reconstruction.

That didn't happen until 1994, after Germany's reunification and raising money to rebuild Frauenkirche, which took 11 years and over 180 million euros. Some of the stone blocks are black, from the original building, but most are relatively new, a testament to the residents' determination to rebuild it also using the original plans.

Another jewel in Dresden is the Royal Palace or Residenzschloss. We came to see the Green Vault, which was amazingly not damaged during the air raids, and contains immense treasures royalty collected over the centuries.

The interior is stunning and awe-inspiring

The Historic Green Vault has its rules -- no bags or coats -- these must be placed at the coat check or in a locker, and you must be there at the time issued on your ticket, to limit the number of people in there. And at one point you must enter a room at most two by two into double doors, much like entering a jewellery store. It's that intense.

But it's worth the hassle -- the items they collected, from stunning wood carvings, mother-of-pearl decorating boxes, horns covered in carvings, massive silver platters, goblets, tiered platters lavishly decorated with tiny tea cups and the jewels! Massive rocks from diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, and rubies… how did they wear all that jewellery?

It was impressive to say the least. The Dresden Green Diamond is quite the stunner at 41 carats, decorated with two large diamonds and many smaller ones. For us plebs, we’d be happy with one small stone or two. They had hundreds of them. Even the rooms themselves are examples of the height of opulence, with each room decorated in a different colour and accentuated with curvy shaped mirrors framed in gold (of course).

Above the painted dome that is 96 metres tall

There’s tight security for the History Green Vault, but when it comes to the New Green Vault, visitors are taking pictures, and the stuff is still impressive, but not as much as those crazy jewels and boxes covered in glowing amber. There’s a massive display like a miniature stage filled with characters in a lavish set called The Throne of the Grand Mogul Aureng-Zeb.

August the Strong bought the work in 1709 for a massive sum at the time, and he and other royalty would buy items from jewellers and artisans, which ended up in this giant collection that reflects artistic and technical skills at the time. Interestingly they even used coconut shells to carve, and the stones of fruits. The ivory balls, with several balls inside look similar to the ones made in China – were they influenced by the Chinese? We didn’t get the audio tour to find out.

The Throne of the Grand Mogul Aureng-Zeb

Nevertheless the collection is stunning and worth just seeing for the admission alone (21 euros/$23.52). The upper floors are exhibition spaces and we saw one on Kandinsky and his woodblock prints.

Another place nearby worth checking out is Zwinger, another palace steps away from Residenzschloss that dates back to the 18th century, designed in the Baroque style by Matthaus Daniel Poppelmann for Augustus the Strong.

Zwinger means an enclosed killing ground in front of a castle or city gate, and this palace was formerly a fortress complete with a moat. The palace was used as one point to grow oranges, an exhibition space and festival area for the Dresden court.

It too was destroyed during World War II and luckily the art collection was evacuated earlier. Reconstruction began with the Soviets in 1945 and was completed finally in 1963, restoring Zwinger to its pre-war state.

Zwinger with the massive crown down at the other end

Walking into the massive courtyard leaves you in awe of such an amazing space and the giant crown at the top held up by four golden eagles. It is a replica of the Polish royal crown that Augustus the Strong wore from 1687 to 1704.

Visitors can see the massive amount of art amassed here, like the extensive porcelain collection of 20,000 pieces, with ceramics from Jingdezhen in China. There is also the Old Masters Picture Gallery that houses many well known paintings like Raffael's Die Sixtinische Madonna or two angels looking upwards, works by Van Eyck, Durer, Rubens, Rembrandt and Vermeer are here. The highlight is The Sistine Madonna by Raffael.

But it must also be amazing to come here to listen to live concerts that are put on here during the summer.
 

Review: Putin's Witnesses

Vladimir Putin receives a warm welcome from his school teacher to her home

On New Year's Eve, 1999, then Russian President Boris Yeltsin made a surprise announcement on a television address. He said was resigning and that then Prime Minister Vladimir Putin would become acting president, and in three months there would be an election.

For filmmaker Vitaly Mansky, he was only too eager to document this moment, asking his wife and daughters what they thought of this change in power.

 

His wife dreaded the news, and his oldest daughter equated Putin with Mao Zedong. Then he accosted his youngest daughter in the bath, who held her breath under water, refusing to comment. Did he know a year later their opinions were spot on?

Filmmaker Vitaly Mansky who now lives in Latvia

Instead of running a typical campaign with television ads and rallies, Putin hired Mansky to make a television documentary, following him as he went about his business in office. He was shown on International Women's Day visiting a textile factory mostly manned by women but he didn't speak to a single female worker. He also visits his school teacher in her home and gives her a big bouquet of roses, and kissing her like he would his own mother.


Mansky narrates the 107-minute film, explaining he did make the documentary that was shown on state television. But now looking at the footage again almost 20 years later, it seems to reveal more things that Mansky didn't see at first, which is why the film is called Putin's Witnesses.

Meanwhile the soundtrack is a haunting piano tune we hear over and over, a sense of foreboding that is very eerie.

Probably the most telling moment in Putin's Witnesses is on election day in 2000, when Mansky is at Putin's election headquarters. With narration, he introduces each person in the room and what role they played in Putin's campaign.

Many people in Putin's election team didn't stay long after

But then he adds this person or that person months later joined the opposition, or this person was later shot dead, or that person died at a young age... he includes Putin's wife and adds that years later he divorced her... it's all very shocking. No one stuck to him except for Dmitri Medvedev, who would later switch places with Putin so that he could become president again.

One of the first things Putin does in power as president is reinstate the melody of the Soviet national anthem that Yeltsin had scrapped, but now it had new lyrics, and a performance of the anthem is televised in an Easter television broadcast.

He also vetoed a motion in the lower house of parliament of removing the hammer and sickle on the "Victory Banner", the flag that Soviet troops raised over Berlin's Reichstag building on May 1, 1945 that came to symbolize the victory over Nazi Germany.

These small details show Putin's admiration or enthusiasm to return to Russia's Soviet past.

Another scene is a long conversation Mansky has with Putin in the back of a car. Putin tries to convince the filmmaker that after he finishes his term in office he will go back to living a normal life, away from the public eye and have the freedom to do whatever he wants.

The only time Putin wants Mansky to stop shooting video is after he does a length of the pool in the butterfly stroke, he gets out of the swimming pool and puts his hand over the camera lens.

Vitaly films Yeltsin at home watching election results

Mansky also follows Yeltsin at home on election night. His daughter is thrilled by the results because she has had a hand in getting Putin elected and calls for champagne to be opened. Yeltsin is pleased, but the smile turns into a frown when they wait for hours for Putin to call to thank him for giving him the opportunity to become the leader of Russia. Yeltsin would realize he was left in the dust.

After the screening of Putin's Witnesses, Mansky himself was at the screening at City Hall to big applause from the audience. He fielded questions from the audience, explaining that he and his family now lived in Latvia and that he was still able to go to Russia.

He says in 1999 no one really knew who Putin was (within a year his popularity rating went from zero to almost 50 percent), and Mansky used the opportunity to make the documentary about him to learn more about the incoming president. But in the film he admits he was not just a witness, but complicit in helping Putin become who he is.

Putin's Witnesses
Directed by Vitaly Mansky
107 minutes