Chuck Norris vs. Communism - Trailer
1980s Romania: thousands of American movies were smuggled through the Iron Curtain, opening a window into the free world. A black market racketeer and a courageous female translator brought the magic of film to the people, and helped spark a revolution.
Previews + Extras
Chuck Norris vs. Communism: Keeping Romania In Ignorance
S17 E5 - 1m 6s
In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Chuck Norris vs Communism, Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceau?escu limits television to a single, government-run channel, which only broadcasts two hours a day. As one Romanian puts it: denying 20 million people access to information was a way to "keep a whole country in ignorance for years."
Chuck Norris vs. Communism: Underground Movie Screening
S17 E5 - 2m 58s
In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Chuck Norris vs. Communism, a Romanian citizen who lived through the repressive '80s remembers how he managed to smuggle in a video player (which cost as much as a car) and host word-of-mouth underground screenings of American films in his apartment. Dramatic recreations bring it all to life.
Chuck Norris vs. Oxygen: "The Films Were My Oxygen"
S17 E5 - 1m 54s
In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Chuck Norris vs. Communism, Irina Nistor, a translator whose distinct voice captivated Romania in the '80s and became a symbol of freedom, reflects on how she became addicted to dubbing American films on VHS for culture-deprived Romanians. She often dubbed six-to-ten films in a row.
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