CINEMA IN EVERYDAY LIFE OF THE INHABITANTS OF DROHOBYCH REGION IN THE POSTWAR PERIOD (1944 – 1958)

Abstract

For party leaders, cinema was an instrument of propaganda. Therefore, the opening of new cinemas was one of the most important tasks. In the first postwar years, the number of cinemas grew. However, most of the cinemas were unsuitable for use. There was a disastrous lack of furniture, film technology and tools to repair them. The managers of the cinemas did not have a separate workplace or room. Often the office and accounting department of the cinema worked in the manager’s or cinema cashier’s flat.For the purpose of ideological influence on the population, propaganda films that praised Soviet life were shown to the inhabitants of the region with comedies and music films being the most popular. Movies, plays and ballet films were also shown. Cinemas demonstrated Italian, Mexican, German, Finnish, Austrian, Czechoslovak, Belorussian, and Indian films. During the celebration of Soviet holidays, film festivals were organized in the region’s cities. All the films, within the framework of the festival, were devoted to communist leaders, the history of the USSR, and the struggle against the Nazis during the war years. It was reported in the press, on radio and on advertising stands.To attract more viewers, the Soviet leadership reduced the price of tickets. In 1948, the ticket price ranged from 2 to 4.50 rubles. And it was much lower than the price of a theater ticket the maximum cost of which was 12 rubles.Movie theaters for children were organized in the cinemas of the region as well. During the holidays, cinemas showed films of Soviet cinematography for pupils. In children’s cinemas, cartoons were shown apart from full-length films.The films were shown not only in the cities but also in the villages. Each stationary cinema had several travelling cinemas for servicing the villages of the area. In the villages, cinema shows often were disrupted because of the lack of cinema mechanics, fuel, and the failure of cinema equipment. Often, the screens, which were used to show films in villages, were a white canvas or just a sheet. Sometimes, travelling cinemas did not have motor vehicles for transportation. Senior officials often used cars which were the property of the cinema for their personal needs. Film equipment from one village to another was carried on a cart which was taken from a collective farm. The movie was a means of russification. That is why the Ukrainian Insurgent Army’s (UIA) representatives obstructed the organization of cinema shows in the villages.For ordinary inhabitants of the region, cinema was a means of satisfying cultural and aesthetic needs. In the postwar period, cinema was accessible to all segments of the population. It was visited by people of different age groups, residents of cities and villages. It was a popular form of leisure and recreation for the inhabitants of the area.