Michael Commane
I went to see Red Army at the IFI cinema in Dublin's Temple Bar.
The film is about the Soviet Hockey Team, which was the best in the world in the years leading up to the demise of the Soviet Union.
It throws light on the transformation of Russia from Soviet times to its current status under Vladimir Putin.
The story centres on Viacheslav Fetisov, who was a star player and captain of the Soviet Hockey Team. With the introduction of Perestroika and Glasnost he went to the United States, where he continued his hockey career.
He leaves his homeland and then later returns to Russia, now a different country. He finds the new reality difficult to understand.
After the 2002 Winter Olympics Vladimir Putin appointed him Minister of Sport, a job he retained until 2008.
The film begins with Ronald Reagan warning people about the dangers of communism. Later, President Jimmy Carter is seen addressing US citizens about the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan where he refers to the Soviet Union as an atheistic nation.
I was at the cinema before my friend. On his arrival he went straight to the ticket desk. Minutes later I went over and bought my ticket.
Heading for the cinema door he asked me what I had been doing at the ticket counter. I said I had bought a ticket and then he explained that he had booked two tickets in advance, including mine. I returned to the desk, explained my story. I was told that it was house policy not to give refunds.
The only way I could get my money back was if someone happened to come along to whom I could offer to sell the ticket.
A minute or two later a woman arrived. I explained my story to her but was told by the staff member that as she was going to a different film in the complex I could not sell her my ticket.
Eventually a young man arrived, who was going to ‘Red Army’. I was able to get rid of the ticket.
I remonstrated with the staff but they insisted it was house policy that they did not offer refunds. The idea that I could not exchange my ticket to someone who was going to another film in the same complex is surely bizarre.
I had arrived at the IFI complex ten minutes before the beginning of the film and decided to head to the toilet where I discovered the door was locked and one needed a password to gain entrance.
There are pros and cons for having such a system in place but when I experienced all the drama about trying to get a refund on my ticket I made the decision that I’d be slow to head back there to watch a film.
I suppose people might often accuse me of being somewhat brash, maybe cheeky even rude. At the ticket desk on Friday I did find myself sounding somewhat loud. It got me nowhere.
What must it be like for people who constantly feel they are being mistreated, and believe the odds are always stacked against them? They must end up feeling alienated.
Surely that plays a significant role in causing so many people to behave in an anti-social manner. I’m not trying to justify bad behaviour but if people feel well treated they will respond accordingly.
The world and its mother knew that the Soviet Union had no real interest in the individual. Is it any different in our system? Seeing the film in the context of my ticket ordeal was an interesting juxtaposition.
It throws light on the transformation of Russia from Soviet times to its current status under Vladimir Putin.
The story centres on Viacheslav Fetisov, who was a star player and captain of the Soviet Hockey Team. With the introduction of Perestroika and Glasnost he went to the United States, where he continued his hockey career.
He leaves his homeland and then later returns to Russia, now a different country. He finds the new reality difficult to understand.
After the 2002 Winter Olympics Vladimir Putin appointed him Minister of Sport, a job he retained until 2008.
The film begins with Ronald Reagan warning people about the dangers of communism. Later, President Jimmy Carter is seen addressing US citizens about the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan where he refers to the Soviet Union as an atheistic nation.
I was at the cinema before my friend. On his arrival he went straight to the ticket desk. Minutes later I went over and bought my ticket.
Heading for the cinema door he asked me what I had been doing at the ticket counter. I said I had bought a ticket and then he explained that he had booked two tickets in advance, including mine. I returned to the desk, explained my story. I was told that it was house policy not to give refunds.
The only way I could get my money back was if someone happened to come along to whom I could offer to sell the ticket.
A minute or two later a woman arrived. I explained my story to her but was told by the staff member that as she was going to a different film in the complex I could not sell her my ticket.
Eventually a young man arrived, who was going to ‘Red Army’. I was able to get rid of the ticket.
I remonstrated with the staff but they insisted it was house policy that they did not offer refunds. The idea that I could not exchange my ticket to someone who was going to another film in the same complex is surely bizarre.
I had arrived at the IFI complex ten minutes before the beginning of the film and decided to head to the toilet where I discovered the door was locked and one needed a password to gain entrance.
There are pros and cons for having such a system in place but when I experienced all the drama about trying to get a refund on my ticket I made the decision that I’d be slow to head back there to watch a film.
I suppose people might often accuse me of being somewhat brash, maybe cheeky even rude. At the ticket desk on Friday I did find myself sounding somewhat loud. It got me nowhere.
What must it be like for people who constantly feel they are being mistreated, and believe the odds are always stacked against them? They must end up feeling alienated.
Surely that plays a significant role in causing so many people to behave in an anti-social manner. I’m not trying to justify bad behaviour but if people feel well treated they will respond accordingly.
The world and its mother knew that the Soviet Union had no real interest in the individual. Is it any different in our system? Seeing the film in the context of my ticket ordeal was an interesting juxtaposition.
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