Well, Covenant, what can I say? That was fantastic to watch. How I envy you. I did not have the guts to go inside there. The graffiti has been 'created' not so much by the youth of Pushkin, but by the disaffected conscripts from the nearby barracks. This is why it could be dangerous to walk deep into the parks at night. I was interested to see the use of the Latin alphabet! I really enjoyed imagining the drawing rooms, the auditorium, the loges, the stage, backstage and etc. To see the site where the first Nazi shell struck in Pushkin was amazing. Kuchumov, if I recall, likened the destruction of the Chinese Theatre to the loss of a magical box.
I am fascinated by the Chinese Theatre. Perhaps this is because it is a place where one's imagination can run rampant. It is Tamara Karsavina's Odette/Odile which immediately springs to mind. But why are you more fascinated by this building than by, say, the Arsenal, the Chapelle, even the White Tower. I have climbed over many of the other ruins like the Llama Pavilion - none as daunting as any of the foresaid. I have also had the good fortune to explore the Refectory and Yesinin's Tower in the Feodorovsky Gorodok. Although dangerous, neither seems to have the impression of potential immediate collapse as does the Chinese Theatre.
I believe your film is a very important piece of documentation. I will be fascinated to see where you take it from here.
tsaria
