Historical newsreel “Liberation of Soviet Belarus”: from a political order to a folk screen saga

Abstract

The article presents the results of a study of one of the most significant works of the Belarusian non-fiction cinema – the historical full-length documentary film “The Liberation of Soviet Belarus”, created by Vladimir Korsh-Sablin and Mikola Sadkovich. Previously unknown archival documents of 1943–1945 are introduced into scientific circulation, the content of unique artifacts is analyzed – the script application and the manuscript of the announcer’s text of this iconic film. New information about the evolution of the screenplay and drama concept of the film “Liberation of Soviet Belarus” is given. In the process of reconstruction of the most important stages of work on the film, the date of its actual completion and release in wide distribution has been specified. The organizational and production priorities of documentary cinematography of the final stage of the Great Patriotic War were subjected to in-depth study.