Russian please!

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Television series
German title Russian please
Original title Požaluista; Kapusta Master
Country of production Finland
original language Finnish
length 30 minutes
Episodes 30 in 1 season
German-language
first broadcast		 1990

Russian please! is a 30-part Russian course at the Telekolleg , in which the Cyrillic alphabet, Russian grammar and basic Russian vocabulary are taught. The individual programs are 30 minutes long and are moderated by Olga Barbian (known as Astrid) and accompany Heikki Kinnunen on a trip to the Soviet Union in the 1980s.

construction

The series consists of 30 episodes, which roughly corresponds to a broadcast year (the Telekolleg paused during the holidays). Like other language courses such as Les Gammas! Les Gammas! , the broadcast has three levels.

In the first, from episode 4, viewers follow the lead actor's journey from Helsinki Central Station via Vyborg to Moscow . Through him they get to know the Russian language and the peculiarities of the country.

On a second level, the presenter Olga Barbian explains the films, translates text passages and explains the associated words and grammar. So the sub-films are understandable even for the inexperienced viewer.

In episodes 1–10, the Dyba family is added as a third level, which, like the audience, begins to grapple with Russian. Grandfather, however, has already traveled to Russia and has a basic knowledge of the language.

The Finnish original

The German course was created in 1990 under the direction of the NDR . In fact, it is based on two Russian courses offered by the Finnish television station Yleisradio , in which Kinnunen participated in the 1980s. The first four episodes, which are essentially about the Russian script, took over elements of the Russian course "Kapusta Master" by Heikki Kinnunen, which was broadcast around 1980 and covers basic things like the Russian alphabet.

From lesson 4, a film will be shown in stages in which Heikki travels to Moscow and on the way gains friends and an insight into the Russian language. This film was originally shot for the Finnish show "Požaluista", which was broadcast from 1985 to 1986. Episode 4 is based on both series. International sales may have already been considered, as one of the first conversations includes the words “Finnish” and “Russian” as well as “German” and “English”.

The title song of the Finnish original is not the male chorale of the German episodes, but rather comfortable instrumental music made up of piano and guitar, which is also often used as background music in the German episode films.

Episodes 4 to 30 are an almost identical adaptation of the Finnish original “Požaluista”. The idea of ​​the family learning on the screen (consisting of father, mother, daughter and grandfather) is adopted as well as the theoretical explanations on a blue background or details such as the incorrect pronunciation of “ ресторан ” (“pektopah” instead of “restoran”) or Gospodin Rooster. (In the original Gospodin Kukko : The Aapiskukko is a rooster with a pointer well known in Finland.)

Since Heikki Kinnunen occasionally makes contact with the moderator of the Finnish course Astrid and addresses her by name, Olga Barbian had to use this name as a "nickname", so to speak.

occupation

In the original, the television family is portrayed by Hannele Laaksonen (mother), Vilma Melasniemi (daughter), Olli Ikonen (father), Tauno Lehtihalmes (grandfather Jonas).

Educational concepts

  • The viewer learns the language together with the main actor. This is also improved from time to time by the moderator if something is not completely correct.
  • The viewer not only gets to know the language, but also the special features of the country: How does the border crossing into the Soviet Union happen? What are the characteristics of a Russian hotel? How do you pay the fare on buses? How do you go to the doctor? How do you pay in Soviet shops?
  • In the course of the trip, the viewer gets to see the country and some sights. In addition to Moscow, the central locations for action are the cities of Vyborg and Yalta .
  • Most of the scenes are shown several times, according to the Russian proverb " Повторение - мать учения " (translated in the course as "repetition is the mother of wisdom")
  • Many of the dialogues spoken in everyday Russian are clearly repeated and translated by the moderator so that the viewer understands the texts better when they are repeated.
  • The grammar and many vocabulary are introduced seemingly on the side, so that relaxed learning is possible and the content of what has been learned is well motivated.
  • The journey begins at Helsinki Central Station and the first episode of the original (which corresponds to the fourth episode of the German broadcast) still contains a few words of Finnish. From an educational point of view, the Finnish viewer is picked up in this way .
  • Individual persons keep recurring in the storyline. So Heikki meets Boris and Nikolai in Gorky Park , in Yalta, as if by chance, Mr. Petrov again. The chance acquaintance Anja turns out to be the sister of Nikolai. A feeling of familiarity arises with the characters in the story.

The history

The actor Heikki Kinnunen starts from the train station in Helsinki on a trip to the Soviet capital. He was invited to a working visit by Mosfilm . At the train station in Helsinki he met Mr. and Mrs. Petrow, as well as Nikolai Alexejewitsch Saizew. These are part of a tour group from Moscow, who in turn had visited the Finnish capital and are now on their way home. You will now become Heikki's returning travel companion through the Soviet Union and the Russian language. Various everyday situations - such as a visit to a doctor, an invitation to a party, a phone call at home or a visit to a sanatorium in the Crimea - are part of the trip and the opportunity to get to know and use the associated vocabulary and expressions as practically as possible.

On the way, other people turn up, some of whom he meets again and again on his trip: These include, for example, Alexander's sister Anja, whom he runs into in Gorky Park , or the Finnish-Russian traveling salesman Boris Orlow, who is on a stopover at Zuges in Vyborg recognizes Heikki as the presenter of the “Zakuska” programs, as well as the daughter and granddaughter of Petrov, who lives in Vyborg.

Now and then Heikki talks to Astrid from his films - breaking through the fourth wall - in both Russian and Finnish. Here he follows a bit his style from the Zakuska times, in which a presenter assisted him from the off. In the passages in which he speaks Finnish, he had to be dubbed by a German speaker.

Pieces of music used

Well-known pieces of music are repeatedly incorporated into the Russian course.

  • Heikki Kinnunen sings the piece Zakuska, written for his own Russian course.
  • An ABC song teaches viewers the Russian alphabet.
  • In the second episode you can hear the song Schwanentreue ("Лебединая верность").
  • The fourth episode will be with the song My address is Soviet Union ("Мой адрес Советский Союз").
  • During the train ride, shortly before Moscow, you can hear the song Moscow Nights (“Подмосковные Вечера”) on the radio as an instrumental piece.
  • In episode 13, the riddle (food to be guessed) is accompanied by "Magic Fly".
  • In addition, a well-known children's song ("День рождения") by the crocodile Gena was used.
  • The song about black eyes ("Очи чёрные") is interpreted by Heikki,
  • just like My Black Sea ("Черное море моё").
  • Мой костёр в тумане светит ("My fire shines in the night"), a Russian gypsy song , can be heard in the 20th episode.
  • The Finnish love song Niin minä neitonen sinulle laulan is sung by Heikki in episode 24.

Accompanying material

The accompanying material was written by Ulrike Patow and Gabriela Stelzig. However, the original is only available as an antiquarian. The two volumes were reissued in 2009 by Harald Rempt by Cicero-Verlag.

Trivia

  • The passports are checked on the train; the camera briefly films the real Soviet passport of actor Anatoly Solowjow (in the film Yuri Borisowitsch Petrow).
  • While Heikki says on the train that he has a wife and son, and later also buys souvenirs for his family, he is quite clearly tinkering with Anja, Nikolai's sister.
  • On the train, it still looks as if Nikolai and the Petrovs will meet for the first time. In episode 9, however, the three people on vacation in Helsinki are shown on a city tour in front of a building by Alvar Aalto (presumably the Finlandia Hall ).

Web links