Borat in Armenia
Artyom will be pleased. Finally, I managed to track down a copy of Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan on DVD in Yerevan. Up until now, shops only had it in Russian and it most definitely wasn’t shown at the cinema here.
Anyway, it was well worth the wait, had me bursting out in laughter on quite a few occasions, and the bonus features on the DVD are great too. Still, interesting to note that many shop assistants here advised against the film saying it was stupid.
Basically, as with comments about South Park from the same shop assistants, most just didn’t seem to get it. Not enough CGI effects, guns and shooting, probably, if the stock of most DVD shops in Yerevan is anything to go by.
Anyway, yes, Azamat Bagatov (Ken Davitian) is great. Interestingly, there’s a great article on Davitian in which he says he pretty much based the character of Bagatov on many of the Armenians he grew up with in the Diaspora.
When his 28-year-old son, Robert, a cinema major at California State University Northridge, heard that “the great Larry Charles from ‘Seinfeld’ ” was directing a picture with the guy from “Da Ali G Show,” he insisted his dad read for the part of the “frumpy Eastern European.”
“My perfect character!” said Davitian, sitting on a white pleather banquette one recent morning in an empty nightclub in the Hollywood & Highland complex, where the Oscar ceremony is being held Sunday night. The club is next door to Davitian’s second Dip location. “All my relatives are frumpy Eastern Europeans, Armenians with accents. This is the character I have been doing since I was a child,” he said, lapsing into broken English to prove it.
Anyway, as a big Da Ali G Show fan, glad to have finally seen it. Great stuff.
ah! i’d love to see it too… will check the shops. where did you get it from - discland?
Comment by Observer — May 28, 2007 @ 5:07 pm
The DVD shop on Mashtots just past the Tumanian intersection.
Comment by Onnik — May 28, 2007 @ 5:40 pm
It was shown at the cinema.
Comment by hagop — May 29, 2007 @ 3:34 am
At the cinema in Yerevan?
Comment by Onnik — May 29, 2007 @ 3:40 am
Apparently: http://www.akumb.am/showthread.php?t=3021
Comment by hagop — May 29, 2007 @ 5:05 am
My Armenian isn’t good enough to read through two pages of posts and responses without making a mistake, I admit, but from what I can see it looks like Sahak saw Borat, but it doesn’t say where.
Just that he saw it a few days earlier.
All I can tell you is that one local friend of mine here who is a big Borat fan watched it on DVD and not at the cinema, and I didn’t hear anyone saying it was shown at either of the two cinemas here.
I’m guessing that like me, those who have seen the film here saw it on DVD. Like most films, Borat was available on DVD in Russian as soon as the film started showing in Western cinemas.
Since Sunday, however, there now appears to be English version DVDs floating around albeit only in one shop so far.
Comment by Onnik — May 29, 2007 @ 12:57 pm
Jagshemash!
I am a Jonny the Monkey, #1 most popular celebrity in all Kazakhstan! Borat be good friend of Jonny, and hope now that hims movie DVD be in Armenia that he move up in popularities ranking (he still only #4 most famous celebrity in country).
Jonny very interested when you say videos store in Armenia seem like “…CGI effects, guns and shooting” because Jonny star in many pornos film that include “King Khram” which *filled* with the CGIs and shootings!
In final scene of movie, Jonny stand bucks naked on top of tallest structure in Kazakhstan - the Almaty city water tower - to fights with Kazakh airforce hangs-gliders who swoop at Jonny. Pilots shoot pistol while fly by and at very end Jonny character fall entire 5 stories height off water tower! …although of course movie film use hairy midget gypsy stunt man for that part.
So if you in adults section of Armenian videos stores where display of films with wild sexy times, please look for film “King Khram” and have rental!
Chenquieh.
NOTE: This comment was ‘hand signed’ by Jonny the Monkey to his gypsy assistant Batyr, who then translated and posted those words here.
Comment by Jonny the Monkey — May 29, 2007 @ 10:02 pm
eeez nice! wawaweewa. i am glad finally got to see the michelangelo of comedy, the great, the irreplacable, the hilarious, one and only, the national treasure of kazakhstan. what ataturk was for turkey, borat is for kazakhs. eeez nice! jinkuye!
Comment by artyom — May 30, 2007 @ 9:39 am
*Gasp*
You say Jonny from Tajikstan be big insult because well known fact they eat dog, ring bell, and biggest competitor Kazakhstan for make export of human pubis!
Tell apart because Tajik woman have hair on back (like you say) but Kazakh woman hairy on chest. They shave to add to pubis area - which consider VERY sexy - and keep there until annual pubis harvest for making of exports.
Jonny suggest you buy Borat book of travel guide that come out in Fall, so you learn more about glorious country Kazakhstan and also about insignificant nation U.S. and A. which also in book.
Chenquieh!
NOTE: This comment was ‘hand signed’ by Jonny the Monkey to his gypsy assistant Batyr, who then translated and posted those words here.
Comment by Jonny the Monkey — May 31, 2007 @ 8:04 pm
I loved the movie!!! However, I must say that Azamat’s constant cursing in Armenian was somewhat distractive. We are not used to hearing so many F***** words in Armenian in a movie…
Comment by Nanul — June 1, 2007 @ 8:22 pm
are you kidding? i brought a copy from [country name deleted] through georgia when i came down in january! it should be sitting on a desk somewhere in BEM. it was part of my research on Jewish /Armenian cultural interactions
Comment by Mark — June 11, 2007 @ 11:31 pm
are you kidding? i brought a copy from [country name deleted] through georgia when i came down in january! it should be sitting on a desk somewhere in BEM. it was part of my research on Jewish /Armenian cultural interactions
Comment by Mark — June 11, 2007 @ 11:33 pm