The “Borat” Phenomenon: A Thermometer of Public Health
The buzz surrounding “Borat” is arguably more captivating than the film itself. In America, this comedy has become a box-office sensation, drawing massive crowds and raking in over $100 million against a modest $18 million budget. American critics have showered it with praise, drawing comparisons to the comedic genius of the Marx Brothers. However, in Russia, the film has been unofficially “discouraged” from release, sparking outrage in the press and accusations of censorship. But what’s all the fuss about?
The film’s full title, “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” hints at its premise. It follows a supposed Kazakh television journalist on a journey to discover America. However, the film’s portrayal of Kazakhstan is largely fictional. Borat himself bears little resemblance to a Kazakh, appearing more like an Azerbaijani, Roma, or Romanian. He’s a lanky figure with a flamboyant mustache, gleefully interacting with everyone he meets and marveling at everything he encounters. His “native village” resembles a Balkan mountain settlement, raising questions about why a television journalist wouldn’t reside in a city with access to a television studio.
A Savage in a Civilized World
Borat’s journey to America with his equally unkempt cameraman forms the core of the film. He mistakes an elevator for a hotel room and attempts to live in it. Upon entering his actual room, his first instinct is to wash his face in the toilet. This “savage in a civilized world” trope is a timeless cinematic theme, reminiscent of films like “Tarzan’s New York Adventure” and “Crocodile Dundee,” albeit with a distinctly American comedic twist.
American Humor: A Matter of Taste
While American cinema boasts a rich tradition of sophisticated comedy, exemplified by figures like Chaplin, Keaton, Capra, Wilder, and Allen, it also embraces a brand of humor that can seem peculiar to European audiences. One of the film’s most memorable scenes involves Borat being welcomed into an American family’s home, where he inquires about the toilet, does his business, and then presents his excrement in a bag to the dinner table, asking where to dispose of it. Another scene depicts him lying naked in bed, enveloped in the folds of his colleague’s fat, his face buried in his enormous backside.
This humor lacks the subtlety of English wit, the elegance of French humor, or the sarcasm of Russian comedy. It’s a simple, visceral form of humor, akin to being tickled. American comedies, particularly those aimed at younger audiences, often feature characters vomiting, making rude noises, and even urinating on each other. For some reason, this is considered funny across the Atlantic. As a line from a great American comedy goes, “Everybody’s got their flaws.”
Borat and the Marx Brothers
The creator and star of “Borat,” Sacha Baron Cohen, bears a striking resemblance to Groucho Marx, both in appearance and comedic style. However, while Chaplin, Keaton, and Allen are widely recognized, the Marx Brothers are primarily known to film scholars and cinephiles due to their specific brand of burlesque humor, which is the foundation upon which “Borat” is built.
With the rise of films like “American Pie,” newer generations of viewers are gradually becoming accustomed to laughing at flatulence. Aesthetically, we may be ready for “Borat.” While this may not be a sign of progress, it is a reality.
A Different Context
However, we are not prepared for the film’s intended reception. In Russia, the film enters a completely different social context.
In America, political correctness has taken root, making it unacceptable to disparage minorities, whether based on ethnicity or sexual orientation. This is made clear to Borat, whose only real flaw is his anti-Semitism. In Russia, political correctness is often mocked, while certain groups take issues of race and ethnicity with exaggerated seriousness, viewing anyone who differs from the majority as inferior and hostile. This trend is spreading, reflecting the current times.
A Mirror for America
For American viewers, Borat is like an alien, Bigfoot, or Spielberg’s ET. Most Americans have little knowledge of Kazakhstan and are willing to accept a man with a fiery Caucasian-Roma appearance as a generic son of the steppes. What matters is the comedic effect that their American way of life has on this fresh, uncorrupted individual. It’s a way to see themselves from the outside and laugh at their own prosperity, indulgence, and foolish prejudices.
A Dangerous Game in Russia
In Russia, however, certain groups will only have their hatred of “others” reinforced. They will revel in their belief in their inferiority and gain new arguments for their propaganda efforts among an already confused population. Therefore, I applaud the courage of the officials who took the unpopular step of “discouraging” the film’s release in Russia. What is healthy for a German is deadly for a country with a sick consciousness and rampant national extremism. “Borat” is like mustard for someone with a stomach ulcer.
The Unexpected Outcome
In America, interest in “others” and sympathy for the “disabled” are so strong and sincere that this, in my opinion, completely unattractive, mentally deficient, and very persistent mustachioed character did not cause rejection (then the picture would not have been successful), but sympathy. And even the government of Kazakhstan, initially very annoyed by the film, has now, as reported, changed its anger to mercy - it has already felt the growing interest in its country in practice: people wanted to see this mysterious Kazakhstan with their own eyes and are now storming travel agencies.
This film lacks important qualities: talent, intelligence, and taste. But it has one, the most important one: kindness, simplicity, and openness to everything unlike.
Let’s get these qualities back - then the time will come to show “Borat” in Russia. Although, by and large, he does not deserve it, remaining easy prey for indiscriminate pirates.