When the Villages were Big: Imaginary Spaces on the Soviet Screen. Review of: Mazur, L. N., & Gorbachev, O. V. Soviet Films about the Village: An Attempt at Historical Interpretation of the Artistic Image. Moscow: ROSSPAN. 349 p., il.

Abstract

This article presents an attempt to comprehend Soviet rural cinematography as a mechanism of forming imaginary space. The Soviet cinema is analysed as one of the mechanisms of identity formation and place attachment based on Benedict Anderson’s concept. The cinema becomes an important mechanism for transforming nature and territory into environment and space. Examining Soviet Films about the Village: An Attempt at Historical Interpretation of the Artistic Image, a monograph by Lyudmila Mazur and Oleg Gorbachev, the article emphasises the authors’ innovative approach to understanding cinematography as a historical source, which makes it possible to reconstruct several aspects of life in the Soviet village at different periods of its existence. The authors offer a critical reflection on the concepts of Lyudmila Mazur and Oleg Gorbachev and an expanded comprehension of Soviet films on rural themes.