The Russian star, Oleg Menshikov, refused the offer of the popular director Steven Spielberg, but still made his debut in a foreign film. It is "East-West" by French director Regis Wargnier. Menshikov played a doctor named Alexei who came back to his homeland, the Soviet Union of Stalin's period. Alexei spent ten years to promote himself up the Communist establishment to let his French wife return to her free country, at the cost of deceiving the government. Menshikov played a single-minded character.

Oleg Menshikov: The character I played, Alexei, came to France as a refugee from Russia, and got married to a French woman, Marie. But he didn't come to France because he despaired in his homeland. He longed to return to Russia very much. Therefore, when Stalin in 1946 made an appeal to grant pardon to defectors, he came back to the Soviet Union of those days with great glee and never thought that tragedy would happen in the country. I know how he longed for his homeland very well. I spent two years in London - I enjoyed my job as an actor- but I wanted to go back to Russia. I'd never felt like living in any other country than Russia. Homeland is where I've grown up - where a lot of friends and acquaintances live, where there are people who need me. I deeply realized - homeland is "people" for me.
It's horrible - to be suspected as a spy and to be attacked and to be imprisoned only because you're a foreigner. But I've heard from people who lived through the Stalin years this film is quite out of the reality. After about twenty years since Stalin's death, half of films criticize him. Russian films about these times are full of bloodshed, slaughter and violence. My parents have lived through those days, so I think even now, they have fearful afterimages in their minds. When I was abroad, they reported political instability in Russia on TV, so I gave a call to my mother in Russia. Then she never talked about politics - she said she had tea time. Still she thinks it's better not to speak openly through international call. They need long time to get used to freedom.

While eating grapes elegantly, Menshikov talked about the fear of the Cold War and that people still have it in their minds. He has always lived as a top star, and seems never to have such a fear. Besides in contemporary Russia a French director can shoot a film, which criticizes the former governments, and Menshikov can star in it. When and how such a freedom was brought to them?

Oleg Menshikov: In Russia, it became possible to play in any films and stages only about ten years ago. The freedom was brought to us by perestroika and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Which was more meaningful for us? Well, I guess it's the collapse. Since then, people and times have changed greatly. Now there is a great gap between rich people and poor people - it's nothing but frantic. I suppose it'll take five, maybe ten years to analyze this change. As for my career, it has hardly changed after the collapse.
I appeared in productions of Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan, and I produce my own theatrical company, so I've worked all the time. But there were a lot of people distressed by the collapse.
Russian people have much wit because they survived through many experiences. Never worry about tomorrow, seize the day - it's one way of thinking. If you make plans for tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, you may be hurt or have an accident in ten minutes. So Russian people think - live each day to the fullest.
It's a Russian characteristic to get over the difficulties with humor. Even when the Chernobyl tragedy broke out, some anecdotes appeared. I'll tell you one of them. In bazaar, a man shouted: "Apples from Chernobyl! Wonderful apples from Chernobyl!" His neighbor advised him not to tell it, because none will buy them. But the man said: "Oh, don't say! They buy them - some for their wives, some for their mothers-in-law…"
This black humor is my favorite Russian spirit.

Submitted by Nakko