The Death of a Government Clerk (Смерть чиновника, 1988) by Aleksandr Viken

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The Death of a Government Clerk
Смерть чиновника
Smert chinovnika (ru)
Smrt úøedníka (cs)
Ametniku surm (et)

Year 1988
Director(s) Viken Aleksandr
Studio(s) Kievnauchfilm
Language(s) Russian
Genre(s) Comedy
Literature (Rus./East Slavic)
Politics
Animation Type(s)  Drawn (cel)
Length 00:09:46
Wordiness 6.64
Animator.ru profile Ru, En
440 visitors

Subtitles:
Smert chinovnika.1988.cs.1.25fps.1523386016.srt
Date: April 10 2018 18:46:56
Language: Czech
Quality: unknown
Upload notes: 77 characters long (view)
Creator(s): wero1000

Smert chinovnika.1988.en.1.25fps.1624426580.srt
Date: June 23 2021 05:36:20
Language: English
Quality: good
Upload notes: 253 characters long (view)
Creator(s): Constance Garnett, Eus, Niffiwan

Smert chinovnika.1988.et.1.25fps.1578858150.srt
Date: January 12 2020 19:42:30
Language: Estonian
Quality: unknown
Upload notes: 95 characters long (view)
Creator(s): Pastella

Smert chinovnika.1988.ru.1.25fps.1702169225.srt
Date: December 10 2023 00:47:05
Language: Russian
Quality: unknown
Upload notes: 1420 characters long (view)
Creator(s): Cynir


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Description:

A government clerk sneezes on a superior while at the opera. Based on the short story by Chekhov.

The original story can be read here in Russian, and here in English (translated by Constance Garnett).

The video above cuts off a few seconds at the beginning and end.

 

DISCUSSION



1.Cynir

I read this story when I was in the university. Actually, I have to read it, because it was in the lecture. The theatrical adaptation is also very interesting !

This story reminds me of a very painful aspect of life, but I won't try to explain it clearly so everyone can think for themselves. Around the early 1990s, when Vietnam's economy began to liberalize, an engineer from the Soviet Union hinted at telling his own problem, of course he also fictionalized it a bit. That short story was later made into a telefilm and was very popular, because it seemed to touch the black cat of the whole society.

The story is about an engineer with a very high degree returning from the Soviet Union. However, he has to be managed by several persons who are poorly educated and generally not aware of the times. He wants to apply what he has learned to the Vietnamese context, but he cannot understand that the facility is not capable of receiving that knowledge yet. What's more, his outspokenness could endanger himself. It's simple, because it affects the survival of a system that "steals labor hours, cuts off raw materials, and especially maintains positions to continue... stealing and cutting off". Therefore, those in power begin to use money to corrupt the main character. When they feel they are not successful, they secretly pressure him to go crazy and die.

The last scene of the film also tells one more detail : Two students happened to pass by the grave. They asked the deceased for blessings so they could pass an advanced degree. We can completely imagine the fate of these characters, of course they will follow the same vicious cycle as the man in the grave.


Replies: >>2
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2.Admin

>>1
Thanks for that, Cynir. Although it seems to me that the problem of the clerk in this film is rather different than in the story you describe - almost the opposite problem, even.
I think there must be a number of films on this site with a similar theme to the problem you speak of, but the one that immediately comes to mind is Ivanov-Vano's animated feature "Lefty" (1964). (although he kind of botched the ending in my opinion and made it way more confusing than it should be - the original story's was clearer and better)


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