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Putin - In Ten Pictures review: An unsettling portrait of a Bond villain made flesh
🇮🇪 Ireland /Culture & Society

Putin - In Ten Pictures review: An unsettling portrait of a Bond villain made flesh

From Irish Times · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • A BBC documentary offers a new perspective on Vladimir Putin through ten key photographs.
  • The program portrays Putin as an intimidating yet often ridiculous figure, comparing him to a Bond villain.
  • Interviewees generally express dislike and a lack of respect for Putin, highlighting his brutality and paranoia.

The BBC's "Putin - In Ten Pictures" presents an unsettling portrait of the Russian president, framing him as a figure who is both intimidating and a caricature of egotism. The documentary explores his rise to power, drawing parallels to historical figures like Nelson Mandela and Amy Winehouse, but emphasizes the destructive impact of Putin's actions.

He did it on purpose. … He was quite pleased with himself.

— Bridget KendallRecalling Vladimir Putin's behavior when deflecting a question during her time as BBC Russian correspondent.

The program suggests that Putin, a former KGB agent, brought the brutality and paranoia of his secret police days into his political career. This is echoed by interviewees, none of whom appear to like or respect him. One anecdote from former BBC Russian correspondent Bridget Kendall recalls Putin's smugness when deflecting a difficult question by inquiring about the cost of her jewelry.

What does that say about the new world order? It elevates him in a way that places him on a more imperial footing – makes him look like a world power.

— Hettie JudahAn art critic commenting on the impact of Vladimir Putin's 2007 Time magazine 'Person of the Year' cover.

Photographs depict a slight, dark-eyed boy, a figure resembling a mafia consigliere in his St. Petersburg days, and the infamous Time magazine "Person of the Year" cover from 2007. Art critic Hettie Judah interprets this image as elevating Putin to an imperial status, suggesting a "new world order." The documentary distinguishes between an "early Putin" and the politician who returned as president in 2012, becoming, in the words of Pussy Riot co-founder Nadya Tolokonnikova, "a dictator unleashed."

Back in the hot seat, he was a dictator unleashed.

— Nadya TolokonnikovaCo-founder of Pussy Riot describing Putin's return to the presidency in 2012.

Marina Ovsyannikova, a former Russian state TV producer, states that criticism became forbidden in this new Russia. She asserts that Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 marked the completion of a journey from a chaotic "Mafia state" to a "totalitarian hellscape." Ovsyannikova's own six-second protest against the war during a live broadcast is presented as an act of defiance in the face of suppressed truth.

My protests lasted only six seconds – someone had to stand up and tell the truth.

— Marina OvsyannikovaA former Russian state TV producer explaining her motivation for protesting the war in Ukraine.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Irish Times. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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