OLEG: THE OLEG VIDOV STORY, US, 2022. Narration by Brian Cox. 90 minutes. Directed by Nadia Tass. No rating.
Most audiences will initially ask who is Oleg Vidov? And most will enjoy the 90 minutes of answer here. There are three strands of Oleg’s story intertwined – his cinema history, the experiences of life in the Soviet Union and the dimensions of his personal life.
For cinema buffs, his cinema history will be something of a treat. He began to get screen roles in his early 20s, in the 1960s, quickly becoming popular because of his screen presence. Good-looking, he was dubbed the Russian Robert Redford. There were magazine articles and fans. What is particularly interesting is the range of clips from the Russian films of the 1960s and 1970s, unfamiliar to Western audiences, something of a revolution in their themes and style. And, throughout, there are interviews with a range of Russian directors as well as actors and actresses.
While there was success, there was the ideology of the use of film, dating from Lenin and his enthusiasm, propaganda for the Soviet Union, instruction for the audiences in socialism. Somewhat stifling for the creative film community.
Another interesting aspect is the beginning of international collaboration. Oleg is scouted for a Danish film, The Red Mantle. On his first trip abroad, the openness of Western society came as a shock. More acceptable was filming in Tito’s Yugoslavia in 1967, working with stars like Yul Brynner and Orson Welles, the Battle of Neretva. There are also glimpses of 1970s Waterloo with Rod Steiger and Oleg portraying an English soldier.
After moving to the US, he appeared in a number of films. This documentary uses a clip from Red Heat, co-starring with Arnold Schwarzenegger, then his playing the role of the Russian Undersecretary of the UN in the Cuban Missile drama, Thirteen Days, with Kevin Costner.
One of his substantial contributions to cinema culture was his winning the rights to a wide range of Russian animation; including films that he grew up with. With his wife, Joan Borsten, he persuaded celebrities such as Mikael Baryshnikov to support their restoration, dubbing (with stars such as Bill Murray and Charlton Heston). Together they produced numerous series based on animation they digitally restored from the animation library they had required the rights to and introduced Russian animation to the world. However, a Russian company, taking the name of the previous company, sued for the rights to these films. There were difficult times in courts, appeals, but judgment was finally on the side of Oleg and his wife.
Those of a more historical/sociological frame of mind will be interested in Russia and Oleg’s early life there. Born in 1943, Russia (the Soviet Union) was under the dictatorship of Stalin. After WWII, the Russians were cut off from the rest of the world and the arts heavily censored. There was a flourishing film industry, but it was at the service of the state. Oleg’s early years of cinema were of the Kruschev era but with the coming of Brezhnev there was a return to repressive government. As indicated, Oleg experienced repression leading to his defection to the West, and eventually finding his way to the US.
There is also then, underlying everything, Oleg’s personal life. He was dependant on his mother, who was a staunch Communist with responsible jobs that included travel to places including China and Mongolia, while Oleg lived with his aunt in Kazakhstan. On return to Russia his ambition to be an actor was kindled, and competing against hundreds of would-be actors he was accepted for the state film school. From there he quickly gained popularity as an actor.
He encountered Brezhnev’s daughter Galina and her close friend Natalia Vasilievna Fedotova, an actress. They married and had a child, but were later divorced. Vidov was given permission to live in Yugoslavia with his second wife, a Yugoslavian actress. With the urging of a co-star who could move comfortably between Yugoslavia and Austria, he escaped (a comic scene where the border guards are watching a football match and just as a goal was scored, their being waved through).
He was successful in America, where he met and was helped by the daughter of a critic, journalist Joan Borsten. They married in 1989 enjoying a happy life which included charity work, and the promotion of Russian animation as mentioned previously. There are home movies of his final years and the unexpected joy of making contact with his son who moved to the US and then, the discovery of another son from a liaison he had had in the 1970s.
The film was directed by Nadia Tass, celebrated Australian director (Malcolm, Amy). She was personally selected for the direction by Joan Borsten.
SBS
Released 24 June