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Mates,Well, this one is probably just for you Victor!
I have long been interested in weapons and weapons systems- and it's intriguing to me how weapons come about and evolve. There was a great series on the History Channel awhile back "Tales of the Gun" and the evolution of guns as machines, the effect on tactics and society is fascinating. There are of course so many issues with wepoans as one can see them as creating some elegant machine that we can admire for it's cleverness, cratsmanship- which has to be of a much higher order than most everyday objects, and appearance, ergonometrics, detail etc- but at the same time this machine is for killing people.
"Automatic Kalashinokov" is probably the best documentary on weapons I've come across- intelligently done and goes through the entire range of thouught and emotion surrounding the AK-47. The wonderful feature is that this is done without rant or constant battering home of the "point", but is allowed to reaveal itself gradually on all these different levels. It's a strangely quiet movie, respectful and a bit dark. I liked in particular the way the biography of Kalashnikov himself is into the story and the references to the American designer of the M16 and the Isreali inventor of the UZI. As a designer myself (of houses), it is interesting in itself that guns designers become really famous. At one point in the movie, Kalashnikov receives a letter from Germany with a Dollar bill in it and writing, "It would be an honour to have your autograph".
Kalashnikov is present throughout giving his very philosohical viewpoint interwoven with technical considertions. One can see better how an enginner could become fascinated with weapons such that it overshadows there qualms in the irony of creating desruction. Interestingly, Kalshnikov only won Soviet honours for his work and hardly made two pence from the design.
There was another interweaving too of shots of Afghan rebels. At one point, a very articulate rebel refers to the AK-47 and says in effect that the AK47 was brought in by the USSR, but the rebels captured these in huge numbers and eventually used them against the Russians to great effect- a kind of highly ironic "thanks".
I am against the massive number of weapons generally- and the American public has proven through 10,000 murders per year (=three WTCs yearly) they don't deserve the right to own them, but there is no question as objects they are important as shapers of history and understanding of all their implications is critical. "Automatic Kalashnikov" is a very satisfying, well-layered and objective look at this important object and the man behind it.
There have been 75,000,000 AK-47s produced.
Cheers,
Bambi B
Follow Ups:
I saw bits of it several times, and of course I am quite familiar with the story. You are absolutely right, weapons design is fascinating just like the design in any other field - bridges, airplanes, rockets, watches, cars. In the weapons case there is additional element - their scary and dangerous nature that actually attracts many people to them.As a person, Kalashnikov is unremarkable. His views are primitive and he si basically someone who outlived his era. He is a very simple person and is living modestly today.
His weapons always fascinated the West, and for solid reason, and it was great idea to make a film about him and his creations.
Victor,Your comment on Kalashnikov being "unremarkable" is interesting. There is a sense of him as a quiet, thoughtful person and also inscrutable, not very revealing, and he also seems generally modest and self-critical. Kalashnikov seems to view his achievements as inevitable as though he was only building on other designs, rather than spectacular innovation.
One of the final scenes is of him fishing on ice sitting on an old wooden box. He lands a fish about 4" long and has this quizzical "That's life" persona.
I knew something previously about K. but I found this one quite unexpectedly striking.
Cheers,
Bam
I read his book, and I also have seen his appearances on Russian TV several times. He is inarticulate and basically still repeats all the stail stuff from the Soviet era - although he has been changing slightly lately, slower than most people.I have nothing against him, he is a product of his era, who has been absorbed in his professional activity under the warm wing of the authorities that treated him well.
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