East Side Story . Nashville Scene . 07-20-98

East Side Story

DIRECTED BY: Joe Blow

REVIEWED: 07-20-98

Communist ideology is fine as far as it goes, but at some point, human beings have to stop being utilitarian cogs in a system and start being, well, human beings. During the chilliest days of the Cold War, state-run film production companies behind the Iron Curtain attempted to split the middle between propaganda and escapist entertainment, cranking out a series of Western-style musicals that espoused the virtues of being a good worker and learning to be happy with one's lot in life. This oft-hilarious, more often poignant documentary intercuts clips from those films with reminiscences by the people who tried to sneak as much art as they could into the production. Also weighing in are the audiences who knew they were being indoctrinated, but who went along for the ride because the songs were good and the costumes were pretty. What hangs in the air is a kind of wistful pragmatism, as citizens who had their best years stolen by well-intentioned totalitarianism describe the ludicrousness of their leisure hours with a blend of sarcasm and genuine nostalgia.

--Noel Murray and Rob Nelson

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