FORMATION OF SOVIET IDENTITY BY MEANS OF DOMESTIC CINEMATOGRAPHY IN THE 1920–50S: TO THE PROBLEM STATEMENT

Abstract

The article substantiates the need for a comprehensive study of the processes of the formation of Soviet identity by means of cinema in the 1920–50s. The article analyses the possibilities of feature films as a special instrument of influence, as an important semantic technology that helped to consolidate the postulates and principles of a new era in the public consciousness, and to model an impeccable image of the country. Cinema constructed a new social reality, laid the basic values of the emerging Soviet reality, formulated a civilisational super-task, created ideal behavioural patterns, gave birth to socio-cultural stereotypes and guidelines that determined the worldview, ideological, political, economic, economic, aesthetic content of the new living space; all the said instead of reflection of numerous realities of the Soviet era. The article substantiates the choice of the chronological framework of the study and gives a historiographical analysis of the problem. It reveals the cross-cutting themes of the Soviet cinema of the 1920–50s, the period that influenced the formation of a new identity. It also formulates possible approaches to the scientific understanding of the proposed topic and outlines a circle of the most promising research tasks. In particular, it notes the need for a systematic study of the methods, techniques and forms of representation of Soviet reality and everyday life by cinema in its key sociocultural models (family, everyday life, school, work, leisure, holiday, etc.) and concepts (“peoples’ friendship”, “happy Soviet Motherland”, “labour feat”, “public enemy”, “proletarian solidarity”), which acquired the qualities of the life coordinates of a Soviet person and largely determined its world outlook. The conclusion is made about the complexity, multidimensionality and multi-level nature of the proposed topic, which covers different aspects of life – everyday, historical, ideological, socio-cultural, artistic and creative ones. The choice of an interdisciplinary approach is substantiated as the optimal methodological basis for research, which combines the cognitive arsenal of history, social philosophy, cultural anthropology and history of arts.