Soviet Cinema Politics and Persuasion Under Stalin

by Miller Jamie

• ISBN13: 9781848850095
• ISBN10: 1848850093
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-01-15
• Publisher: I. B. Tauris

Summary

When the Bolsheviks seized power in the Soviet Union during 1917, they were suffering from a substantial political legitimacy deficit. Uneasy political foundations meant that cinema became a key part of the strategy to protect the existence of the USSR. Based on extensive archival research, this welcome book examines the interaction between politics and the Soviet cinema industry during the period between Stalin's rise to power and the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. It reveals that film had a central function during those years as an important means of convincing the masses that the regime was legitimate and a bearer of historical truth. Miller analyzes key films, from the classic musicalCircusto the political epicThe Great Citizen, and examines the Bolseviks', ultimately failed, attempts to develop a "cinema for the millions." As Denise Youngblood writes, "this work is indispensable reading not only for specialists in Soviet film and culture, but also for anyone interested in the dynamics of cultural production in an authoritarian society."

Author Biography

Jamie Miller is Postdoctoral Research Fellow in History at the University of Toronto, Canada.

Table of Contents

List of Illustration	p. xi
Acknowledgement	p. xiii
Note on Transliteration	p. xv
Introduction	p. 1
Film Administration and Industry Development	p. 15
Censorship	p. 53
The Purges	p. 71
Thematic Planning	p. 91
Representation and Reach: Cinema Unions and Socities	p. 105
A Tale of Two Studios: Mezhrabpomfilm and Mosfilm	p. 121
Film Education and Training	p. 139
Film-makers and Film-making	p. 154
Conclusion	p. 179
Notes	p. 185
Biliography	p. 203
Filmography	p. 211
Index	p. 215
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