La mise à l'écran des œuvres littéraires emblématiques de l'époque soviétique : une tentative de révisionnisme historique ?

Abstract

Some famous novels treating the first half of the twentieth century such as Doctor Zhivago, The Master and Margarita, The Moscow Saga or The First Circle have been recently adapted for television. This article will analyse differences regarding the image of the USSR between the adaptations and the original texts. Firstly, we shall consider some flagrant modifications in the plot that mock or, on the contrary, improve the image of certain social groups. Secondly, we shall note the episodes omitted in adaptations : some embarrassing issues of Soviet history described in the novels seem to be systematically "forgotten" in the televised versions. Lastly, we shall see how even literary protagonists can be subjected to important modifications that elicit radically different interpretations of Soviet history. The images of the country conveyed in the adaptations differ markedly from those in the novels : everything becomes simple and flat. Moreover, contrary to the novels, their televised versions leave no room for ambiguity and, thus, regrettably, they invite no participation in making sense on the part of the viewers.