Back in The USSR

I’ve been having a go at something a little different in the Grumpy Git Productions studio this week. The idea was to take a straightforward photo album, create a film with the pictures, and then set it to a suitable soundtrack. Although I’ve got plenty of albums to choose from, I wanted something a little out of the ordinary and an exciting challenge. For that, I turned to my 2008 holiday in Minsk, Belarus as I managed to amass a large number of photos from the trip. The city is a fascinating place, and well off the beaten tourist track – to me, one of the main attractions. In a whole week I didn’t see a single size 46 Man-U shirt with McKetchup dribbling down the front. That’s what I call a holiday.

The gothic splendour of the Stalinist era architecture knocks you sideways when seen for the first time, and this contrasts remarkably with the quiet and tranquil parks and public spaces that abound in Minsk. The holiday was covered extensively in the book that I wrote upon my return, whilst the full photo album with detailed captions may be seen here, should any further information about the scenes in the film be desired.

To make the film work, a suitable multi-layered soundtrack was required. The natural way to begin was the strident Belarussian National Anthem, and I used this piece to introduce the city and its imposing buildings. This is followed by one of several pieces of music created by Yann Tiersen that has a distinctive Russian folk flavour to it – heavy on violins and trumpet with a fast beat for dancing. This section took in some of the many monuments dotted around the city, mostly relating to the Second World War. During this conflict, known locally as ‘The Great Patriotic War, Minsk was flattened to the ground by the German forces, and the citizens suffered a cruel and terrible occupation.

The next section takes in the beautifully laid out and well tended parks, with the various autumnal hues bring many pictures to life.


This is accompanied again by music from Yann Tiersen that leads into the fourth movement – the suburbs of Minsk with the dominating apartment blocks showing four decades of design. The bleak Stalin era grey blocks contrast markedly with the contemporary designs.

Finally, to finish off, a quick tour of Minsk by Night plays out to the Anthem of The Soviet Union that builds up to a rousing conclusion.

The music by Yann Tiersen was originally created for use in the film Goodbye Lenin. I was so impressed with the score that I purchased the DVD. Yes, I actually spent some money! It’s a German film with English subtitles – I prefer this to dubbing any day. The story is set in East Germany at the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and is a quirky drama story with some excellent dialogue and some very funny moments. The cast excel throughout with realistic performances, and the film is well worth watching. But for now, I present: Minsk, City of Contrasts. Enjoy, Comrades!