Communist party sees red over Indiana Jones
Saturday, 24 May 2008 11:54
Communist party sees red over film
The Communist party of St Petersburg has warned the cast of the new Indiana Jones movie to steer clear of the Russian city.
Hollywood actors Harrison Ford and Cate Blanchett were accused by party leaders of promoting ant-Soviet propaganda in the 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' film.
The Communist party declared the movie "an insult to the Soviet and Russian people, who remember the difficult 50s", when the country was "concluding its reconstruction after the Great War".
Party officials wrote in a letter to the cast: "You have no future in Russia any more.
"Speaking plainly, it is better for you not to come here. You will be beaten and despised."
The new Indiana Jones movie, which is directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by George Lucas, pits the archeologist against a menacing KGB agent.
Indy fights against the Russian, played by Blanchett, as she leads a sinister team of Soviet spies in the pursuit of a magic skull.
The plot has made the Communist party's ideology committee see red and residents of Russia's second city have been advised to boycott the film altogether.
However, if recent reviews are anything to go by St Petersburg filmgoers may have had a lucky escape.
Film critic Kaleem Aftab gave the movie just two stars out of five in his review for the Independent newspaper.
He wrote: "There are none of the character clashes that spiced up previous films [and] Ford seems to be going through the motions."