Russia’s newest citizen has sent a letter to the media about his future.
Here’s the full text:
Appeal to Russian journalists:
Yes, I made a request for a passport, and I am pleased that my request has been accepted. I love your country, Russia, your people, your history, your writers. I like to make films here, in which I work together with such actors as Vladimir Mashkov. I love your culture, your way of thinking. My father was once a communist, and listened to the radio in Moscow! This is also part of my culture. well live in Russia. Not necessarily in Moscow, which for me is too large urban area. My favorite village in Russia, I know wonderful places. example, there is one place that I love. There, where the State Film Fund, managed by my friend Nicholas Borodacheva. There, near the birch forest, I feel fine. I’ll learn Russian. I have talked about this with our President, Francois Hollande. I do this all he said. He knows that I love your President Vladimir Putin, and it’s mutual. And I told him that Russia – the country of the great democracy, it is not a country where the prime minister could be called a citizen of the country of his miserable man. I’m good to the press, but at the same time, it brings sadness, because it is usually presented only one idea. Out of respect for your President and your great country, I have no more will be added. Also one, for Russia, it is a passage of prose that has come into my head …. Only in such a big country we are never alone Because every tree and landscape brings us hope. Russia has no pettiness, it is full of great feelings. And these feelings hidden great virtue. Your majesty, I never feel alone,Glory to Russia! Thank you! Aux Journalistes Russes: Oui J’ai fait Cette demande de Passeport et le Plaisir J’ai été acceptée qu’elle AIT. J’adore votre Pays la Russie, ses Hommes, Son histoire, ses écrivains. J’aime faire des Films y Où J’aime tourner avec vos Acteurs Comme Vladimir Mashkov. J’adore votre Culture, votre Intelligence. Mon Père était UN communiste de l’époque, IL écoutait Radio Moscou! C’est aussi ma Cela Culture.En Russie IL y fait bon vivre. Forcément Pas à Moscou qui Est une grande mégapole trop pour moi. préfère Je la Campagne, JE et des Endroits connais Merveilleux en Russie. Par exemple, IL ya UN endroit Que J’aime, Où SE Trouve Gosfilmofond dirigé par le mon AMI Nikolai Borodachev . Au Bord de des forêts bouleaux, JE m’y Sens bien. Et JE vais apprendre le Russe. J’en AI parlé même à mon Président, François Hollande. Je lui tout DIT AI Cela. Il sait Que J’aime beaucoup votre Président Vladimir Poutine et Que c’est réciproque. JE Et lui AI DIT Que la Russie était une grande démocratie, Que et CE n’était Pas UN Pays Où UN premier Ministre de citoyen traitait UN minable. J’aime bien la Presse, mais aussi c’est très ennuyeux, IL Car ya une trop souvent Pensée Unique. Par Respect pour votre président, et pour votre grand Pays, JE n’ai donc Rien à Ajouter. Si JE Veux Encore Ajouter sur la Russie, une prose qui me Vient à l’esprit ……. Que UN Pays aussi dans grand on n’est jamais Seul.
With Riccardo Muti in Salzburg, 2007. Photo courtesy and (c) operachic.com
ER…not quite, e.g should be ‘My dad was a communist, and listened to Radio Moscow’. Also the video comment ends at ‘I’m going to learn Russian’ – and the French transcription ends ‘in a country so big one is never alone’, i.e. without the rather bizarre stuff at the end of the English version…Will the real Gerard please stand up?
Interesting that he seems to equate Communism with present-day Russia … at least one has the impression that he hopes to gain sympathy with Russians because “his father was a Communist and used to listen to Radio Moscow.”
As to “I’m going to learn Russian”… well, he’d better do so! Even Catherine the Great had to learn Russian after being “imported” from Germany by Tsarina Elisabeth.
Except that they all spoke French – only the “peasants” spoke Russian. But then, Depardieu is one.
In fact Catherine the Great was instrumental in compelling the aristocracy to cease their use of “French” at court (a usage which was exceedingly inaccurate in any case), and use Russian, Sarah. She herself learned Russian perfectly, as Robert mentions – to the extent of composing poetry and opera libretti in Russian.
There is extensive information about Catherine’s works as an opera librettist on WikiPedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_II_and_opera
She was most insistent that French was *not* used at Court, and where she could do so – for example, as the soirees at her Hermitage – she banned it entirely. She even introduced a humorous penalty – having to recite a very long extract of very dull epic Russian poetry – for those who failed to keep the rules.
Nevertheless she was quite fluent in French herself, and held long discussions with Voltaire – her personal guest in Russia – on the nature of monarchy and the correct rule of a nation.
Of course, she was more than happy to have an opportunity to speak German, her native tongue, when the occasion presented itself. But it is indeed curious how many of the Russian rulers used languages other than Russian “at home”, so to speak — Nicholas II and Alexandra used English among themselves quite a bit. Peter the Great, being an admirer of Dutch seamanship, was fluent in Dutch. Paul was also enamoured of Dutch culture and language and even put the Russian currency on a silver standard based on the Stuiver (Dutch unit of currency).
While on the subject of Catherine II (“the Great”), I can recommend these books without reservation which really make the history of this ruler come to life:
“Catherine the Great — Portrait of a Woman” by Robert K. Massie (publ. by Random House, ISBN 978-0-345-40877-8);
and
“Love and Conquest — Personal Correspondence of Catherine the Great and Prince Grigory Potemkin”, edited and translated by Douglas Smith (publ. by Northern Illinois Univ. Press, ISBN-13: 978-0-87580-607-S)
Spahseebah bolshoi, Gerard. And that doesn’t mean: I shall see you at the ballet.
Funny that you should put a picture of GD with Muti. GD’s rendition of Lelio was so catastrophic : the guy was most certainly drunk on stage, and he just could not read one word after the other. It was a very sad thing to watch, even more since Muti’s interpretation was magnificent. I have never been a fan of Depardieu’s, but this was his lowest for sure.
The Reuters story on GD’s impending emigration /:-P includes this apropos bit:
Muscovites said they would welcome Depardieu. “He is a normal guy. He is fond of drinking too, I suppose, the Russian way, so let him come here,” said one resident, Lev Nikolaevich.
Evidently, GD is already well-known in Russia: his films were popular there in Soviet days and he has made several TV commercials there in recent years.
Mathieu says:
January 3, 2013 at 7:03 pm
“Funny that you should put a picture of GD with Muti. GD’s rendition of Lelio was so catastrophic : the guy was most certainly drunk on stage, and he just could not read one word after the other. It was a very sad thing to watch, even more since Muti’s interpretation was magnificent. I have never been a fan of Depardieu’s, but this was his lowest for sure.”
Well. just wait a little bit. Apparently, there is a movie coming out with Depardieu as Rasputin! Nothing against overweight people (which I am myself), but Rasputin was a very tall, muscular guy. Depardieu is completely miscast in that role.
Why do I have the feeling that this isn’t going to last?
I have a gut feeling that Depardieu is deeply in love with Russia’s 13% top income tax rate and am disappointed he is not direct about it.
He doesn’t need to be direct about it. (That might be too vulgar even for him.) Considering the way he’s been yammering on about the coming tax increase in France, I don’t think there’s much doubt in people’s minds about his motivations.
Fair enough, but to me all that rambling sounds ridiculous and dishonest.
Have you followed Depardieu much over the years? Rambling is simply what he does.
(Not to say that his rambling isn’t dishonest, of course. Though I do think he’s sincere.)
Last week when the news was of GD buying a house across the border in Belgium and applying for residency there, I kept thinking that if/when Belgium does finally break up, Wallonia (the French-speaking half) will annex itself to France and GD will be right back where he started.
Maybe Russia is Plan B.