The Wild East

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The Wild East (Russian: Дикий восток, Dikiy vostok, Dikij vostok) is a Russian-language film created in Kazakhstan shortly after the dissolution of the Soviet Union released in 1993. It was written and directed by Rashid Nugmanov and was inspired by The Magnificent Seven, an American remake of Akira Kurosawa's film Seven Samurai.

In this version of the famous plot a group of midget circus runaways decide to form their own community to flee the chaos but come under attack from Mongolian motorycling ruffians. In response, of course, midgets hire seven tough guys to defend them. The film was shown in many international film festivals as both a fun movie and an oddity. It was billed as "The Last Soviet Film."

A notable quote is when the midget patriarch says "remember there is no sex in our country." The phrase is a quotation of a famous episode from the perestroika-era TV show US-Soviet Space Bridge hosted by Vladimir Pozner when an American asked a question about sex in the Soviet Union, and a Soviet lady proudly answered "There is no sex in the USSR!" In fact, she said "There is no sex in the USSR... on TV", but the last two words drowned in an outburst of laughter, creating a still-popular catchphrase. It should be noted that in the Soviet mindset the word "sex" was considered dirty by many—nearly synonymous with pornography.