The Spy Russians Do Not Want To Love (Press, 27 July 1977)

On 27 July 1977, a report by Dennis Barker for the Guardian highlighted the ongoing challenge faced by United Artists in screening James Bond films in Eastern bloc countries, especially Russia. The firm has seen significant financial success from the Bond series, grossing $600 million, but efforts to introduce these films to Russian and other Eastern cinemas have consistently faced resistance. Pawsey, a spokesperson for United Artists, noted that the obstacles to screening Bond films in these regions are quite severe, likening the difficulty of negotiating distribution rights to "having teeth drawn." The underlying issue appears to be related to cultural and political sensitivities. For instance, while Bond films such as "Diamonds Are Forever" do not seem inherently political, their portrayal of characters and narratives is problematic for Russian film buyers. The portrayal of defectors and villains who stray from traditional Russian representations has been particularly problematic, with Pawsey pointing out that the presence of defectors in the plot is unacceptable to Russian audiences. To explore the sentiments from the Eastern bloc, Barker consulted representatives from different embassies. Valery Zemskov from the Russian Embassy expressed hesitance to debate the topic but indicated that the films did not meet their standards for "film art." In contrast, Edit Abri from the Hungarian Embassy was more candid, describing the Bond films as "silly" and lacking in quality, suggesting that some socialist countries reject them due to their perceived absence of cultural value. She acknowledged the interest and adventure inherent in the films but maintained that they do not represent worthwhile artistic merit. The financial aspect also plays a role in the rejection of Bond films. The Russian market might be more receptive if they could engage in a reciprocal exchange, offering some of their films in return. However, United Artists operates on a strict commercial basis and asserts that their measures for evaluating Russian films often lead to disappointment, given that they struggle to find financially viable options among them. With Bond movies being costly to produce, a successful deal seems unlikely if Russian distributors are unable to offer fair compensation. As things stand, despite Bond's growing popularity elsewhere, the likelihood of the famous British agent appearing in Eastern cinemas remains low.

The text on this page is created, in the most part, using Generative AI and so may contain errors or omissions. It is supplied to you without guarantee or warranty of correctness. If you find an error or would like to make a content suggestion please get in contact

The text on this page is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 New Zealand