Offensive words of film Director Nikita Mikhalkov, likening the prestigious European award received by the Museum Yeltsin “Yeltsin-the center” in Ekaterinburg, with the Iron cross of the Wehrmacht” has caused the big public resonance. Why Mikhalkov, former Yeltsinites hot, liberally showered with money and awards in the 90-ies of XX century, including from the hands of the first President of Russia so hated the memory of it?
“The Yeltsin centre” may 8, apologized to his European colleagues for the statements of Nikita Mikhalkov. A statement published on the official website “of the Yeltsin centre”, which on 6 may was the first Russian winner of the international award “European Museum of the year”, established in 1977, and received one of the three main prizes — the name of its founder Kenneth Hudson. And already on 7 may, the radio station “Moscow speaking” he stated, reacting to the awarding of the “Yeltsin-the center”, as if he knew that “a citizen of the Soviet Union, some Cocobolo, became a policeman, received the Iron cross of the Wehrmacht”. The Museum Yeltsin say that I apologize, “European colleagues publicly humiliated by people with Russian passports”, and emphasize that Mikhalkov offended not only them, but dozens of other museums in the world, won in this competition for 40 years.
“The Yeltsin centre” was opened in Yekaterinburg in the fall of 2015. His main object — the Museum of the first President of Russia Boris Yeltsin, devoted to his age and political heritage in the whole Russian history. For the first time Nikita Mikhalkov drew attention to its work in March 2016, in an episode of its program “Besogon TV” in Youtube, he is entirely devoted to denunciations of “anti-government” orientation of the Museum Yeltsin. 9 December 2016 during the parliamentary hearings in the Federation Council he stated that “the Yeltsin centre” allegedly biased interprets Russian history, and thus “has a devastating effect on the national consciousness of children.” 17 Dec Nikita Mikhalkov visited the “Yeltsin-the centre” and said that if he would have visited it sooner, it would have spoken even tougher.
Executive Director “of the Yeltsin centre” and Museum Yeltsin Aleksandr Drozdov in an interview with Radio Liberty talks about the true motives of actions of the great Director in the past:
— Nikita Mikhalkov falls on you, not for the first time recently. Why you became the object of his such acute dislike, more than any other people or organizations?
— I thought a lot about this topic, but then I realized that the reasons can be many — from internal creative, professional insecurity to direct jobs, outbound, you can guess where. Most unfortunate here is that it indicates that the person has lost touch with reality and that to take him nothing at all. We do live in different worlds, or two different Russias. It’s all hard out-of-focus professional look, and loss of taste. All these things the man says from somewhere in the distant past, do not understand with a fright suddenly his sight.
— Just about the past. In the 90 Mikhalkov family, and personally Nikita was favored by the government no less than in all other ages of history of the USSR and Russia. He also received awards. In the 90s he was Elliston! And his Studio “Three Te” received a lot of money — for example, to create campaign commercials Yeltsin, in 1996.
— Yes, indeed! We have in the Museum archive in Ekaterinburg there is a weighty material correspondence with the Administration of the President of Russia and personally with Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin. Therefore, it is precisely sin to complain of those years! By the way, if it is called, “granulate in the spirit of the master” — and how then to be regarded “Oscar”, which he received in the 90-ies? With all its present-Westernism and anti-Americanism? I would have to place the award back! This is what happens? Some kind of “medal of honor Congress”, or is there a “Purple heart”! Would have thrown in the face of Obama!
Seriously: how sad! Mikhalkov — a man with a large audience of sincere admirers, I really appreciate his work, films that I know by heart and you can still watch of any moment. But today is the bitterness and anxiety that the person is facing a large audience, committed deliberately and cynically distorts the real picture of the world. In General, for the artist, who has the authority, it is at least irresponsible and immoral. On may 6, the day when the fate of the award “European Museum forum”, Ekaterinburg, at “Yeltsin centre” we’ve held a meeting on may 9, the Victory Day. There were veterans, boy-cadets, the searchers, the hero of Russia. It’s terrible if these boys and say to our children: “Listen, you told us about what you have here is some Bandera and Nazis! And you happen to be normal people.” Honestly, it creeps.
— As for the “Bandera” and “Nazis” — Nikita Mikhalkov, also, I think, successfully his words, about the Wehrmacht, Iron cross, however, directly under the next Day. Very deftly he went. Waited, do you think?
— Do not rule out that he is a creative person. And could it be portrayed as completely spontaneous comparison. But it is not a coincidence, of course! This, I repeat, amazing cynicism. It is the wickedness of people who listen to this man, and for which, it could be important on his every word.
Everything is connected, maybe, with some of his personal unpleasant memories about the past, about 90 years about some little-known shame? After all, Nikita Mikhalkov has always played the role of a gentleman-an aristocrat, a sort of pillar nobleman who boast of their ancestry. Maybe he doesn’t like pedigree Russia — this what you have?
Oh, I think, of course, if it was his will, he would have us all sent to the stable, give us the lashes, no doubt! Is anger such a sleek, yet very wild master. There need, perhaps, a psychiatrist, an anthropologist, a psychologist. “It is necessary to do, honey!” Here that can advise Mikhalkov words his character — if he still has a gunpowder in powder flasks.
I heard a joke that “Mikhalkov eternal, they still go through and Vladimir Putin.” And we’ll hear from Nikita stories about the “terrible Putin”.
— Do not exclude. In any case, the author of the anthem of the Soviet Union easily survived his collaborator El-Registan, the name of which in the first years after the creation of the anthem stood by Sergey Mikhalkov’s name. But he’s gone somewhere, and nobody remembers him, but remember only one person — the father of Nikita. But it is not. In our archives there is a very interesting material that suggests that Mikhalkov-the senior was not more than an equal participant in the process of creating the anthem. You know, as the Chinese say: “a Wise man indifferent to others. Live as you want”. I would, maybe, want to live easily, but you have to engage in some conversations, explanations. From my point of view, the society wasted too much time Nikita Mikhalkov and his neurotic reactions.
— Naina Yeltsin at it again painfully react?
— Of course. It is, in principle, not only recently, but generally sensitive to unfair and mostly dirty charges that apply to the first President of Russia. She is a person very sensible. It is difficult to suspect it in the rampant apologetics. She, I think, better than we know the first President and remember that it was a big, serious and responsible man — but a living person, after all. Of course, it was Yeltsin error. But one thing when we’re talking about this level of research. And we have it in the Museum. But when you hear swearing when spilling this verbal husk, especially with the screens of our TV’s, actually, what response can a living person?! Of course, painful.
— Again, let’s clarify. The award “European Museum of the year” received “by the Yeltsin centre”, or the Museum of Yeltsin, who is part of it?
— The Museum of the first President of Russia. Yes, it’s important to clarify. It was not a contest of this magnitude, “the Yeltsin centre”. We are pretty unique, but the Museum is our core. So he got the prize, one of the prizes. And the first main prize went to the Museum of the history of slavery in Guadeloupe, — said the Executive Director “of the Yeltsin centre” and Museum Yeltsin Aleksandr Drozdov.
