The Book, The Film, The T-Shirt
  • Home
  • News
  • Features
  • Movies
  • Books
  • TV
  • Gaming
  • Interviews
  • Competitions
Movies 0

Chuck Norris Vs Communism (2015)

By Joe Morgan · On June 16, 2015


The Gist:

A documentary covering the rise of a black market operation that eventually sparked the uprising that brought down Romanian Communism. What was their merchandise? Drugs? Weapons? No, something far more powerful; films.

The Review:

It’s safe to say that living under Communism is no fun. Karl Marx envisioned it as everyone getting what they needed but, in reality, it never worked out that way. The whole process had a way of stopping at stage one; the state seizing control of everything. Every time; it was uncanny.

The powerful message that Chuck Norris vs Communism delivers, over the course of its run-time, is that it is a single idea that topples dictatorships; the idea that ‘things don’t have to be this way.’ You don’t question your restricted, impoverished life if you don’t realise that life can be better than that. Sometimes it comes from food shortages; the sheer gnawing hunger forces a population to accept that the current system doesn’t work. In Romania, it came from watching illegally imported western films.

The documentary covers the activities of state television translator Irina Nistor as she covertly dubbed illegally imported films for a certain ‘Mr. Zamfir’. Eventually, Teddor Zamfir’s black market operation would make him one of the most powerful men in the country; supplying films even to high ranking party members. Meanwhile, Irina’s dubbing efforts would make her voice a powerful symbol of hope for the many Romanians covertly watching these films.

The film switches seamlessly between interviews with people who lived through those times (including Irina and Zamfir themselves) and actors depicting events being discussed. There’s a power in subtlety; the contrast between the dimly lit scenes and the brightly lit clips of the movies they watched, is a powerful way of communicating the ideological blackout Romanians lived in until 1989. Several interviewees admit that many of them watched these films more to get glimpses of other places and ways of life than for the action scenes.

As the documentary eventually shows, it was these glimpses of a better life that was the driving force behind the 1989 revolution.

The Verdict:

Chuck Norris vs Communism’s greatest strength is that the structure of the documentary doesn’t pull focus away from the story it is trying to tell. The interviewees are all people who lived through the final era of Romanian Communism. There are no experts giving their opinion and putting it in an international context. There are just ordinary people explaining how something as simple as a fresh perspective robbed a harsh regime of its power.

And this is good, because it matches the lesson being considered by the documentary. Irina, as well as all those who gathered in secret to watch the films, did not have some grand plan of revolution. They were simply engaging in small, private acts of rebellion. But these small acts added up and ended up changing the fate of an entire nation. Sometimes the big picture isn’t as important as all the people who make it up.

Certificate: Not yet rated

Director: Ilinca Calugareanu

Starring: N/A

Running Time: 80 minutes

 

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)

Related

Chuck Norris Vs Communism (2015)
Joe Morgan
June 16, 2015
5/10
5 Overall Score

Chuck Norris vs Communism
Share Tweet

Joe Morgan

A film lover and aspiring writer, his first attempted film review was Power Rangers: The Movie when he was ten. These days, he considers himself wiser and more sophisticated and spends his days wandering around the streets of Newcastle upon Tyne, waiting for inspiration to strike. When it does, he's totally going to write that novel

You Might Also Like

  • DVD

    FLIGHT RISK Review

  • DVD

    DEN OF THIEVES: PANTERA Review

  • DVD

    DARK NUNS Review

No Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe & Follow

Follow @thebookthefilm
Follow on Instagram
Colourgraphics
  • Popular
  • Comments
  • Tags
  • The Rise of Lockdown Streaming

    May 3, 2020
  • Salvo (2014)

    September 27, 2014
  • Penny Dreadful S1 EP 3 ‘Resurrection’ & EP 4 ‘Demimonde’ Review

    June 22, 2014
  • Pet Movie

    Spoiler Alert – Top 5 Horror Movie Twists

    March 17, 2017
  • warner bros. for her dvd collection

    Christmas Gift Guide: For Her – Heart Warming DVDs

    December 14, 2016
  • Win a copy of The Apartment on Limited Edition Blu-ray Courtesy of Arrow Academy

    December 23, 2017
David Griffiths marvel Ben Affleck Kyle McGrath J.K. Simmons Amy Adams Jai Courtney Lee Griffiths Hugh Jackman Chris pratt Scarlett Johansson Jason Clarke Daniel Craig Emilia Clarke Henry Cavill keanu reeves benedict cumberbatch Sky Atlantic
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Affiliate Disclosure

ABOUT

Over opinionated and online. The Book, The Film, The T-Shirt was created for lovers of entertainment everywhere. We hope you enjoy it. Don't feed the writers after midnight.

Latest News

  • 3

    FLIGHT RISK Review

    June 22, 2025
  • 3.5

    DEN OF THIEVES: PANTERA Review

    June 22, 2025
  • 3.5

    DARK NUNS Review

    June 21, 2025

SEARCH THE SITE

HIBS100 Index of Home and Interior Blogs
HIBS100

© 2016 Last Exit to Hollywood Media Limited. All rightsreserved. “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”