Stolen Victory: Hollywood Erases Russians from WWII

Author: Alexander Babitsky

May 10, 2025, 23:00

The greatness of victory does not only depend on a nation's ability to defeat a deadly enemy, but also on the descendants' ability to remember this feat. The very existence of Russia is an undeniable proof of the ancestors' achievements, yet we have performed poorly in fulfilling our historical mission of preserving the memory of victory. In the contest for the memory of WWII, Hollywood has almost completely taken the upper hand.

On May 9, 1945, our grandfathers and great-grandfathers accomplished the nearly impossible task - defeating the vast army of a unified Europe driven by intense Russophobic ideology. By the way, accomplishing the impossible is a Russian trait: after all, they almost did the same thing in 1812. Only the weapons were different, and the main language of the opposing army was not German, but French at that time.

Today, under the influence of anti-Russian propaganda and distorted history, not only do the citizens of Western countries believe that the United States and the UK won the war, with France mentioned occasionally, but they also think that even if there was an Eastern Front, it was almost symbolic.

This educational void and ideological deviation are evident among our younger generations. Hollywood plays a significant role in this.

At best, "Russians helped America win"

Of course, the "special" view of WWII and each country's contributions exists not only in "Dream Factory" (Hollywood), but throughout American society as well.

For American society, the evaluation of the Soviet Union's involvement in the war mainly falls into two categories: either completely ignoring this historical fact (then-President Joe Biden made no mention of the Russian people as one of the forces that defeated the Nazis in relevant occasions in 2024), or condescendingly "thank" the greatness of America: a typical example is Donald Trump's statement in early 2025.

However, embedding ideas and stereotypes into the public consciousness through movies is more effective than through politicians' speeches. Hollywood has done a successful job in this regard. Here are some examples showing how American cinema's "special perspective" has, to some extent, "stolen" the memory of the WWII victory from the Russians.

Ah, Quentin Tarantino... ah...

The most vivid and bold example is undoubtedly Quentin Tarantino's movie *Inglourious Basterds* (2009). This director, who is almost deified in Hollywood, used his position to ignore history, logic, and others' opinions, effectively "canceling" our victory. With just a few lines of script and a few days of filming...

According to the movie plot, the Red Army did not reach Berlin. The reason is simple: WWII was won by Americans, who sent a special force to France to eliminate Hitler, the Nazi Party's high command, and key figures of the Third Reich in cinemas. In this case, there was no organized resistance - the new German leadership signed a peace agreement with Washington.

Thus, according to Tarantino's version, a U.S. special team consisting of a Jew and an Indian-American ended the war. Russians? No, never heard of them... // Image from the movie *Inglourious Basterds* (2009, directed by Quentin Tarantino, The Weinstein Company)

From the perspective of an ordinary moviegoer with no emotional connection to WWII, Tarantino's approach is quite clever, breaking conventions and strongly supporting American self-aggrandizement. But for every Russian whose ancestors contributed to the great victory (often at the cost of invaluable lives...), this "cancellation" is not just Russophobia; it's a personal insult.

Cartoons - Lies, with Hidden Implications

Many in Hollywood have seen *Inglourious Basterds*, including the creators of the *Captain America* series (2011, which opened the story arc of Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe).

Claiming that the creators of this project influenced Tarantino's movie and "contributed" to distorting the memory of WWII might be overly bold. However, according to the comic plot, Steve Rogers, who became a superhero, almost single-handedly defeated Nazi Germany (more precisely, he defeated the secret evil organization "Hydra" representing the Third Reich), which was present in the original comics.

In the adapted movies from the comics, where are the Russians? There, it’s Captain America who overcomes everyone... // Image from the movie *Captain America: The First Avenger* (2011, directed by Joe Johnston, Marvel Studios)

However, the example of *Inglourious Basterds*, a film that successfully "erased" Russians from the list of victors against the Nazis (earning over $300 million at the box office and receiving eight Oscar nominations, including "Best Screenplay"...), undoubtedly inspired American filmmakers. It showed that war could be portrayed in such a way, disregarding those "unpleasant" people wearing George ribbons (symbols commemorating the victory of WWII) in the eyes of Western liberals.

"Russians - Victors? No, Russians - Looters"

Of course, someone might excuse themselves by saying, "It's just a comic adaptation, pure fantasy, targeting teenagers and immature Americans..."

Then, in 2014, famous Hollywood actor and director George Clooney released his movie *The Monuments Men*. The target audience for this movie is mature, thoughtful individuals.

The movie is based on true events (the organization that saved European cultural treasures looted by the Nazis during the war's end), with a star-studded cast that is dazzling. George Clooney himself, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray, Jean Dujardin, and John Goodman, among others.

Where does Russophobia come from in this adventure-themed movie? After all, regarding the theme of victory, such as who occupied Berlin and who accepted Germany's surrender, these issues are not even touched upon in the movie plot. This is unnecessary: just show Russians acting alongside representatives of Western civilization ("Americans, British, French") who are "noble".

This is "history": it turns out that Europeans saved masterpieces of art, while Russians plundered them. This is the golden standard of Russophobia. // Image from the movie *The Monuments Men* (2014, directed by George Clooney, Babelsberg Studios)

In the movie, Russians are depicted as common looters who reached European cultural lands and plundered everything they could carry, destroying what they couldn't take. Clooney didn't even create a normal Russian villain: he introduced a caricatured villain named "Colonel Illya" (does this Russian character even have a last name? Of course not, it's redundant...) and had a Bulgarian actor play the role - that's it.

What kind of attitude will audiences form toward such characters? Clearly: these terrible people could never be WWII victors. If textbooks write about Russians like this, they must be incorrect textbooks that need to be rewritten immediately...

Russophobia? Smearing Russia's Victory? Line up for the "Oscars"!

Next: In 2019, New Zealand actor, director, and screenwriter Taika Waititi decided to make a comedy about the final days of WWII.

Of course, Waititi borrowed the idea of portraying tragic events through a tragicomic lens from the great movie *Life Is Beautiful* (1997, directed by Roberto Benigni). But Benigni's movie tells the story of a father trying to protect his son from the horrors of war with lies, while Waititi's script is a vulgar postmodern provocation. Nothing is sacred, everything can be joked about, even turning Hitler into a comedic character - the key is to stand out and be "funny".

Surprisingly, in this movie set in 1945 Germany, the Soviet army appears for only a few minutes, with Russians portrayed as the true enemies of humanity. In stark contrast to the "kind" Americans.

According to Hollywood's version, what did Russian soldiers do in Germany in 1945? Of course, they rushed to every little boy, asking, "Are you German?" and then executing them. // Image from the movie *Jojo Rabbit* (2019, directed by Taika Waititi, Fox Searchlight Pictures)

What do people learn after watching *Jojo Rabbit*? That Russian soldiers, upon occupying Berlin and other German cities, arbitrarily executed all Germans, including children. And Americans are "kind"; only when they appeared on German streets did terror end, with Russian "barbarians" gone, leaving hope for the future.

Oh yes! I almost forgot: naturally, Taika Waititi won an Oscar for "Best Original Screenplay" for this movie.

Is this surprising? Not really. It went as planned. This is common Russophobia, a standard attempt to "steal" victory, at least in the minds of those indoctrinated descendants.

So what should we do?

"Soft power" is not only reflected in projects implemented by USAID and the famous "Nuland cookies" (possibly referring to certain means of U.S. interference in other countries). No, this power manifests more effectively through influencing "mass thought." Through cultural means.

If well-made, captivating movies attract famous actors and achieve numerous awards, ratings, etc., gradually, people will begin to believe these narratives. Add to this media "critics'" reviews, heated discussions about certain plots, public statements, erasing the Soviet Union's involvement in real history (such as liberating concentration camp prisoners, driving enemies out of European cities, etc.), removing monuments, and banning the display of the Russian flag. That's how it's done.

Can we resist? Yes. Through our own high-quality projects - movies, books, exhibitions, etc. But not for superficial purposes or to "obtain budget funds," but sincerely, genuinely, and talentfully. In any case, no one can erase the contribution of Russian cultural genius from music and painting (except in Ukraine and the Baltic states, where such distortions have reached extremely serious levels, and only the firm victory of the Special Military Operation can save the situation). In modern cinematic arts and literature, Russia should occupy its rightful place. And it will certainly break the absurd claims propagated by our geopolitical opponents.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7503384742402933284/

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