Longing for the Empire: State and Orthodox Church in Russian Religious Films

Abstract

The “history of empire” in Russia has turned out to be a perennial theme in East European studies of the last two decades. In modern society, the general audience often gets its knowledge of the past from the screen rather than from books. To quote Clive Marsh, the audience uses films and other cultural audio-visual products (TV, radio, and MP3 production) to undertake its “meaning-making,” namely, to clarify its personal identity, and to gain an “understanding of social location. Author argues that both the so-called “imperial” and “religious” turns in Russian cinema affect political and historical debates in the country. Instead, most of the films discussed elaborate the church-state relationship in Russian history and its future perspectives. The role of religion in this context is as omnipresent as subordinate. Keywords:cinema; East Europe; empire; orthodox church; Russian religious