“Oleg, The Oleg Vidov Story” is an editing feat. As a documentary told in chronological story, no matter how exciting the events, a writer (in this case, Cory Taylor) and director (Nadia Tass) have to spice it up with timely clips that put us in the subject’s milieu. And Oleg does this in a fascinating style.
In a nutshell, Oleg grew up with his aunt and was exposed to arts as a youngster. His experiences of watching American movies and television (swashbuckling Errol Flynn and Johnny Weissmuller respectively) inspired him to become an actor. Sounds difficult enough under the best of circumstances, but try this in a Russian oppressive regime and you have the trials and tribulations Oleg faced.
What makes Oleg special is that he did not just quietly resist for his own sake, but years later, invested in preserving classic Russian animation and introducing contemporary animators to the world audience.
I feel very fortunate to have seen this with the accompanying Q & A with Oleg’s widow, Joan Borsten, an LA Times reporter and film aficionado, whose accolades include interviews with Fellini and Truffaut. I was lucky to be chosen to ask a question, and wanting to let Jane have a moment, queried her about an anecdote from one of her interviews. Jane’s enthusiastic response as well as the superior documentary made for a satisfying evening.
I know that the Sarasota Film Fest Programmers probably scheduled the two showings in order to incorporate the speaker’s availability for Q & A’s, but I do wish the time between could have been spread out in order for word of mouth (or pen as in this review) could have inspired a larger audience. But then again, these days, a streaming venue will probably become available.
Sarasota Film Fest Documentary: Oleg, an Editing Feat
