Russian Propaganda Cartoons- Someone Else's Voice (1949)

[StumbleFound]

For now it may seem impossible not to be influenced by foreingners because of globalization. Choices are membership to a certain organization or economic embargo. I forgot the author but he said in his book that from communism, evolved different types of government but the people will bring it back to what it was in the end.

[BritishBreakfastTea]

I actually think that the 2nd singing bird didnt sound too terribly

[annadog40]

That other bird seems more French than American to me

[Proudwolf99]

I see the transparrent lesson in this, but it is totally negative, given, this is a true work of art and should be stored as such in a museum or something. But Communism is not as good as Marxism, in fact, it's what happens to Marxism and Socialism when power freaks take control.

[redwillrise]

@Proudwolf99 I think you're using the wrong wording there. Marxism *is* Communist. Socialism is an aspect of Communism. What you mean is bureaucratic, Marxist-Leninist Communism, or even Stalinism.

[chtovimenitebemojem]

russophobs

[eaglehawk111]

I guess its what fits with the environment/cultural background.

[Atlacatonatl]

I was like:

OMG this cartoons were so beautiful and awesome!

Until the magpie started to sing

[hanchiman]

A bit unfair to call all cartoons and animation from communist country as "propaganda".

The U.S isn't innocent during the cold war with the use of propaganda in popular media like comics with Marvel spewing out "Captain America vs Red Skull" and Flash Gordon vs Ming the merciless.

[SteveSmith26]

Moral of this cartoon : rap sucks and wiggers deserve to be beaten. LMAO.

[madcat789]

Honestly,i can stand this better then some N. Korean propaganda cartoon dipicting Americans as rats,Japanese as Field mice and Russians as a bunch of drunks.

[chrispollock]

so the lesson is, destroy those with differences. thanks stalin!

[deetaha]

The gampie looks gay.

[ArtemZel]

@DrunkFix It is hidden propaganda against jazz and West culture.

[eugeneonegin09]

@ArtemZel what is so great about western culture. especially what is being produced today. it is pure rubbish.

[ArtemZel]

@eugeneonegin09 You know, I read your comments and I decided to refrain myself from answering you.

I have a conterquestion. Could you please tell me what is so great about commies' culture?

[eugeneonegin09]

@ArtemZel americas culture is all about a cheap thrill of some sort, escapism, and pure entertainment. russias culture during communism was about classical literature and music, cartoons that were works of art that taught children classical russian fairy tales, hygiene, and morals.movies that were based on russian classics or real life.

[MeatTycoon]

@eugeneonegin09 Correct. North Korean culture still does exactly that, now doesn't it? :-D

[Potts132]

@ArtemZel We put people before money, we actually use those values that you are taught growing up, we share with others, we love one another, we have an immense sense of comradeship, with the less material goods we focus on family and friends, we had a sense of solidarity that I have not felt since the end of the CCCP, we help one another without punishing ourselves because others help us when we need it. THAT is was was great about our culture.

[Comradevoss]

doesn't it seem a little weird how so much of this cartoon seems ot rhyme when translated into english.

[Strannik01]

@Comradevoss

It rhymes in Russian. It's an animated adaptation of a poem. 

[Zardul]

Well at least the animation doesn't suck.

[danconia3873]

1:38 the dad beats his son!

[laplaceua]

This is a cartoon of the time of struggle against 'Rootless cosmopolites' and 'Subservience to the West' in the Soviet Union. Official position of the government was that everything in Russia is the best in the world, and, in particular, that all the main inventions in history (say, air balloon) were actually made by Russians. Famous Russian joke about 'Russia is the motherland of elephants' belongs just to this time.

[eugeneonegin09]

@laplaceua what is so wonderful about jazz. or modern art. or modern architecture

[lexilicious74]

@eugeneonegin09 You asked, "what is so wonderful about jazz". Well, I wish I could explain it in a way that would make sense. Look for John Coltrane A Love Supreme on you tube. Either it will touch you or it will not.

Really, it would be like my trying to explain why a Shostakovich symphony is so wonderful to one of my friends who doesn't like orchestral music. It just doesn't work. Trust me, I've tried.

In the end, there is no accounting for taste.

[Berothsloth]

this is the worse kind of propaganda i have ever seen... if i didn't see the beginning i'd think the red birds were the bad guys.

[DayTripperID]

i wonder how many soviet kids became closet jazz fans because of this cartoon =0

[CannocheeAirsoft]

in Soviet Russia cartoon watches you!

[MrGhostXMASpast]

the hatred :(

lol, it's misdirected

[Direngrey911]

Man I hate jazz...

[isacloboz]

message aside the animation is gorgeous

[soakchips]

Many great Soviet jazz musicians were purged in the late 1940's as the Stalin clique promoted traditionalism and chauvinism in the sphere of culture.

[makingsenseofth1ngs]

those damn jazz crows!

[tekfunk]

FOR MOTHER RUSSIA

[themanwiththepan]

You gotta admit. THe animation is cool.

[MrRedFredSaid]

@themanwiththepan - Indeed. It's gorgeous.

[CylonAndrew]

So, the moral of the story is that American Jazz music sucks...

Well, fuck that shit.

[PsycheDelectic]

This cartoon has nothing to do with socialist or Marxist principles. Marxists don't believe in moral truths.. And certainly not this cultural conservatism.

[PsycheDelectic]

The way the nightingale stands and turns while singing to the crowd reminds me of Lenin during his speeches.

[esh325]

What an odd messege this cartoon tries to get across. None the less, nice little animation though.

[maltiskisokol]

If America dominates the world why is it drowning so fast!!??

[12345678927269]

maltikisokol is that why everyone and his sister...wants to come to the USA?

[maltiskisokol]

Ha ha ha!!

Jazz is inferior music ...fit for cultureless

Americans butnot for europeans......or Russians.

That which dominatesnowis pop culture or jazz precicely because it is of the rabble. One would not expect Americans to understand real music since they are the least cultured people on earth.

But how can you be expected to understand such things.........

[doctorkazoo]

If Americans are the least cultured people on earth than what are you doing logged on as a member of a web site that was founded in America by three Americans? HAHAHAHAHA...youre making Russians look bad pal!

[eugeneonegin09]

@doctorkazoo americans ARE the least cultured people on earth

[doctorkazoo]

@eugeneonegin09 OK...so go hang out on a Russian web site! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA Maybe a good Indian site?? Hmm...how about Uruguay? Yeah! Go find that web site from Uruguay that's taken the civilized world by storm! LOL OK...I have to go...I'm enjoying this too much!

[eugeneonegin09]

@doctorkazoo this is a russian web site

[doctorkazoo]

@eugeneonegin09 yes! I know! it's a Russian world! (singing) "Be glorious, our free Fatherland, Age-old union of fraternal peoples, Popular wisdom given by our forebears!" HAHAHAHAHAHA Hey... where was the Internet invented? Oh...RUSSIA!!! All those animation milestones, Gertie the Dinosaur, Mickey Mouse, Snow White, Fritz The Cat, Who Framed Roger Rabbit...ALL RUSSIAN!!! Allegiance to our Motherland gives us strength. So it had been, so it is, and so it always will be! HAHAHAHAHAHHA

[eugeneonegin09]

@doctorkazoo you can have that american mediocrity. give me beautifully crafted, well thought out and educational russian cartoons anytime. when i said that this a russian website i meant that these are russian cartoons. you can like them or not. i like them

[doctorkazoo]

@eugeneonegin09 You're probably a nice person in real life but you are VERY ignorant about many things. I think I made my point and I think you know I did. Peace!

[Verbeke1992]

@maltiskisokol

Don't you have a glorious bread line of the worker to go wait in?

[maltiskisokol]

In Ussr there was the best Musioc, opera,

etc etc etc....The highest culture,,,Of course jazz is inferior to real art!

[iriewaregl]

You are obviously a byproduct of such blatant propaganda. Most accomplished classical musicians, if honest, will tell you, that there are riffs associated with jazz that cannot be taught in a classroom studio -- you have to feel it, experience the power, go into a mental creative zone. And well, a major component in that process -- and why American music (technology, etc) dominates the world & influences so many has its roots in FREE THOUGHT! Shit like this personifies why the USSR is DEAD!

[Fawful5]

Wow; this is really flipping America the bird!

[LochNessa91]

And I'm not trying to defend this cartoon, I just think that... it is a cartoon with cute birds.. relax about the propaganda xD it does not matter any more

[LochNessa91]

It could be just any kind of different music really... This cartoon is nothing like a nazi cartoon that Disney made once.. This is birds..

[LochNessa91]

Don't know. Never seen that movie when I was younger and lived in Ukraine, but honestly if they had shown it on television, I wouldn't even think about propaganda. I would think of something more like " don't try to act so smartass towards others". It is like most fairy tales also tells kids that being blond and having blue eyes means that you are a nice person... come on..it could as well have been some Mongolian throat singing

[alexi626]

I lived in Estonia in my early years... And I agree with you.

[Cainmak]

I think film makers tried to say that everything that came abroad it's something bad. The magpie's song was some kind of jazz, jazz is from America, so this mean 'listening to America's music is something impermissible'

[VegetativeHorse]

agreed, obviously this wasn't done just to refer to music but foreign culture in general. it's very funny how they edit the jazz tune though, you hear a repeated note in trumpet and when it becomes more melodic, they either edit it out or arrange it so that nice melodies are buried under the talking birds. seems like they were afraid people would like jazz otherwise ;-)

[Cainmak]

Yes, russian goverment hated everything that was from the west side of the Iron Curtain. So the music must have been unattractive. People were thinking Americans are a bunch of troglodytes without style.

[VegetativeHorse]

Another thing is that their usual point in anti-american propaganda films is about racism against blacks and slavery, even presenting themselves as incredibly tolerant, yet here they choose jazz to make a point about "inferior cultures", which is primarily black people's music. I find this contradiction mildly entertaining.

[thequietkid10]

I'm confused, this seems a rather backwards piece of propaganda. In 1949, Communism was the new phenomenon and capitalism was the old one. Or is this just a warning against any change which would have threaten Stalin.

[Cainmak]

There's no matter what polity was older - for Russians capitalism was something new and if somebody might have shown them the real face of it, they would have been interested in. So the goverment tried to show the American culture as something awful and worse.

I hope you understand ^^'

[Duvmasta]

Birdies!!!

[juliaisafilmbuff123]

This is cute!

[witzbolt]

this is a lot, but definetly not cute.

it is a very sad propaganda, where someone with a different view on the world gets mocket, beaten up and kicked out of the community; all enforced by an elderly; tyrranic individual.

i guess it is supposed to tell you to fit in, or you will be "sent away". and i guess you know what that did mean in russia back in the early 50ies...

[silbitnuoc]

Totally agree.

[jackhyland999]

and the USA (mccarthy)

[ar4216]

Well said.

[Pseudologic]

I hate to break it to you, but it's "FIT IN OR ELSE" anywhere in the world.

[silbitnuoc]

Can I see your papers comrade? I'm afraid you'll have to come with me to the gulag...

Yeah, real cute.