Soviet Cinematography, 1918-1991: Ideological Conflict and Social Reality

by Shlapentokh,Dmitry

• ISBN13: 9780202304625
• ISBN10: 0202304620
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 1993-12-31
• Publisher: Routledge

Table of Contents

Preface	xiii
Acknowledgments	xv
PART I Theoretical and Historical Introduction
Social Reality and Ideology in Interaction	1	(244)
Soviet Movies and the Objectivist-Constructionist Controversy about Realities	3	(4)
The Concept of Reality in This Book	7	(1)
Movie Reality as a Source of Information about Society	8	(3)
Ideology and the Content of Movies	11	(6)
Methodology	17	(2)
Notes	19	(2)
State, Ideology, and Film in Soviety History
Soviet Movies As the Main Weapon of Soviet Ideology	21	(1)
Fictional Reality in Movies and Soviet Life	22	(1)
The Choice of Ideology	22	(2)
Soviet Movie Directors and Truth	24	(1)
How Filmmakers Were Controlled	25	(6)
The Gradual Release from Fear	31	(1)
Conclusion	32	(1)
Notes	33	(6)
PART II Soviet Movies in the Revolutionary Period (1918-1928): Cordial Acceptance of Official Ideology
Soviet Movies in the Aftermath of the October Revolution: The Civil War
The Ideological Climate	39	(1)
Revolutionary Ideology and the Movies	39	(1)
General Characteristics of the Movies	40	(4)
Anti-Bolshevik Movies	44	(3)
Notes	47	(2)
The Partial Restoration of Capitalism (1921-1929)
The Ideological Climate and the Movies	49	(2)
Movies in the Early 1920s	51	(10)
Heroes in Private Life and Heroes As Lovers	61	(3)
First Hidden Critics from the Inside	64	(1)
Private Life as a Device	65	(2)
The Historical Device	67	(3)
Conclusion	70	(1)
Notes	71	(4)
PART III Movies During Stalin's Time: Total Submission to the Official Ideology
Stalin and Soviet Movies
Stalin's Infatuation with Cinema	75	(3)
Soviet Cinematographers and Stalin	78	(2)
Notes	80	(3)
Industrialization and Collectivization (1929-1934)
The Ideological Climate	83	(3)
The Praise of Technology and Collectivism	86	(2)
The Old Enemies: The Members of the Old Classes	88	(3)
New Nationalists	91	(2)
Notes	93	(2)
Time of Mass Terror (1934-1941)
Ideological Climate	95	(4)
Soviet Cinematographers in the Time of Terror	99	(16)
Notes	115	(2)
The Great Patriotic War
War Ideology: The Focus on Russian Nationalism	117	(1)
The Unity of People in the War	118	(1)
The Glorification of Great Russians from the Past	119	(2)
Stalin's Postwar Years
The Ideological Climate	121	(4)
Conclusion	125	(1)
Notes	125	(4)
PART IV The Game with Official Ideology
Movies during the First Thaw (1954-1968): Timid Challenges to Official Ideology
A New Ideological Atmosphere	129	(1)
Coding and Decoding Works of Literature and Art	130	(1)
The First Thaw	131	(1)
Ideologically Loyal Movies	132	(1)
The Praise of Intellectuals	133	(1)
Social Conflicts and Flaws in Soviet Life	134	(1)
The Legitimation of the Individual and His or Her Private Life	135	(4)
The First Movies about Love	139	(1)
A New Type of Hero-True Russians	140	(5)
Notes	145	(2)
Movies in the Period of Conservatism (1968-1985): The Use of Diversified Official Ideology for Social Critique
The Political and Ideological Situation in 1968	147	(2)
The Political Behavior of Filmmakers	149	(1)
The Major Actors in Movies of Brezhnev's Time	150	(21)
Conclusion	171	(1)
Notes	172	(5)
PART V Soviet Cinematographers Reject Official Ideology: Cinema during the Last Years of the Soviet Empire
The First Years of Freedom: The Beginning of the Offensive against Official Ideology
Moviemakers and the Political Struggle in Gorbachev's Time	177	(1)
The Self-Defense of the Old Cadres	178	(2)
The Idols of the Soviet Movie Industry	180	(1)
The Political Struggle around New Movies between 1986 and 1989	181	(1)
The First Movies in the Spirit of Glasnost (1986-1988)	181	(1)
Notes	182	(3)
Movie Heroes 1986-1989
Bureaucrats	185	(2)
Bureaucrats As the Enemies of Perestroika	187	(1)
``Democratic Bureaucrats'' in Gorbachev's Time	188	(1)
Soviet Youth in the First Years of Perestroika	188	(6)
The Masses	194	(1)
Disbelief in the Success of Perestroika	195	(1)
Notes	196	(1)
Total Freedom from Totalitarianism and Its Ideology
The Radical Ideological Shift (1989-1992)	197	(1)
The Emergence of a New Ideology in Movies	197	(3)
The Absurdity of Soviet Reality	200	(1)
Russian Critics Discover Socialist Realism in American Movies	200	(1)
The Triumph of Existential Nihilism	201	(1)
The Extent of Pessimism in Russian Movies	202	(2)
From the Conquest of the Cosmos to the Flight to the Cosmos	204	(1)
The Lack of Hope in Movies	205	(2)
Pessimist Ideology As a Reflection of Russian Reality	207	(1)
Another Source of Ideological Inspiration: Popular Hedonism	208	(1)
The Russian Question in the Movie Industry	208	(2)
Privatization, Marketization, and Ideology	210	(1)
The Emergence of New Bosses	211	(1)
The West and Ideology in Russian Movies	211	(1)
Russian Directors in the West	212	(1)
New Heroes of Russian Movies (1989-1992)	213	(1)
Former Negative Heroes	213	(13)
Former Positive Heroes	226	(7)
Notes	233	(6)
Russian Movies After the Fall of the Empire
Nostalgic Views of Filmmakers in 1992	239	(1)
Russian Viewers Refuse to See Sozart Movies and Prefer American Movies	240	(1)
The Sudden Effect of the Old Stalinist Movies	241	(1)
Conclusion	242	(1)
Final Notes	242	(2)
Notes	244	(1)
References	245	(6)
Illustrations	251	(6)
Filmography	257	(10)
Director List	267	(7)
Index	274