Soviet Screen Research Articles

Texts From the Magazine Soviet Screen on Western Cinema From 1925 to 1991: Content Analysis

The article is a content analysis of texts from the magazine “Soviet Screen” dedicated to foreign cinema in the period from 1925 to 1991 inclusive. When presenting the results of content analysis of texts, the study authors used specific units of counting. They became the following semantic units: frequency of publications related to such genres as film reviews, surveys, analytical articles, articles on the history of cinema, creative portraits of filmmakers, interviews; the percentage of analyzed messages, that is, texts about Western cinema in relation to the total text array of a given publication. The counting procedure complied with standard methods of classification into selected groups using the compilation of special tables (including units of analysis and counting, frequency of use).

Texts from the magazine «Soviet Screen» on Western cinema from 1925 to 1991: content analysis

The article is a content analysis of texts from the magazine «Soviet Screen» dedicated to foreign cinema in the period from 1925 to 1991 inclusive. When presenting the results of content analysis of texts, the study authors used specific units of counting. They became the following semantic units: frequency of publications related to such genres as film reviews, surveys, analytical articles, articles on the history of cinema, creative portraits of filmmakers, interviews; the percentage of analyzed messages, that is, texts about Western cinema in relation to the total text array of a given publication. The counting procedure complied with standard methods of classification into selected groups using the compilation of special tables (including units of analysis and counting, frequency of use).

Western Cinema on the Pages of the Soviet Screen Magazine: 1986–1991

Western Cinema on the Pages of the Soviet Screen Magazine: 1986–1991

Western Cinema on the Pages of the Soviet Screen Magazine (1969–1985): Biographies and Portraits of Western Actors and Directors

Western Cinema on the Pages of the Soviet Screen Magazine (1969–1985): Biographies and Portraits of Western Actors and Directors

Imperial Transnationality: On Soviet Screens

Imperial Transnationality: On Soviet Screens

Western Cinema on the Pages of the Soviet Screen Magazine (1969–1985): Ideologized Articles Emphasizing Criticism of Bourgeois Cinema and Its Harmful Influence on the Audience

Western Cinema on the Pages of the Soviet Screen Magazine (1969–1985): Ideologized Articles Emphasizing Criticism of Bourgeois Cinema and Its Harmful Influence on the Audience

Western Cinema on the Pages of the Soviet Screen Magazine (1969–1985): Reviews of Western Films

Western Cinema on the Pages of the Soviet Screen Magazine (1969–1985): Reviews of Western Films

Некоторые особенности репрезентации образа Сталина в советском игровом кино 1930–1940-х годов

The article analyzes a number of films shot in the 1930s and 1940s, in which the process of gradual sacralization of the image of I.V. Stalin on the Soviet screen can be clearly traced. The main attention is paid to the films which can be included in two different groups. The first group is called “Leniniana” (Lenin films) whose function was to establish Stalin as the only true successor of V.I. Lenin and to legalize the political course for absolute power and the policy of “great terror”. The other group of films is “Staliniana” (Stalin films) which reached its peak in the years after the end of the Great Patriotic War. As part of the analysis of these films, the author also touches upon one of the key myths of Soviet historiography about the defense of Tsaritsyn. Performing in several roles in the 1930s from “earthly”, i.e. political (as the only legitimate successor of Lenin), to symbolic (the all-father of the Soviet people) — in the post-war period the figure of Stalin was literally sacralized, acquiring the features of all three divine hypostases: “god the father”, “god the son” and “the god of the holy spirit” (The Fall of Berlin movie). The process of sacralization manifests itself at all levels: in terms of the plot, figuratively and verbally.

Обсуждение работы журнала «Советский экран» в 1958 году. Кино и критика между идеологией и коммерцией

The article deals with the two packages of archival documents — the 1955 resolutions on the establishment of the popular illustrated magazine Sovetsky Ekran (The Soviet Screen) and the transcript of the discussion of the magazine’s work in the Union of Cinematography Workers in 1958. The author of the article considers the general style of the issues of The Soviet Screen of 1957 and 1958 and the individual materials, in particular, the wishes for the new magazine and the retellings of readers’ letters on the pages of the magazine; analyses and compares the initial goals of the magazine, its real format in 1957, its gradual transformation in 1958, and the evolution of tasks and strategies declared in various documents, published texts, and oral presentations at discussion. Certain contradictions are observed between the stated purpose of advertising Soviet films in order to increase distribution and cinema rental profits, and the ideological requirements emanating from the state cultural management. The author highlights an ambiguous attitude towards mass demands and the creative interests of the intelligentsia. There was a lack of consensus on film journalism, the preferred genres, and themes of the magazine articles both among the ‘ordinary readers’ and the professionals of the film industry — writers, critics, and journalists. The absence of a common vision on almost all the issues raised in the discussion allows us to see the complexity and versatility of tastes and mores among the intelligentsia of the Thaw, to recognise the contradictions between the perception of art and culture by the intelligentsia, on the one hand, and the mass perception, on the other hand. The article also sheds light on attitudes towards commerce, profit, and the social, financial and media success in the late 1950s.

ЖУРНАЛ «СОВЕТСКИЙ ЭКРАН» В ЭПОХУ «ПЕРЕСТРОЙКИ»

The authors based on content analysis (in the context of historical, socio-cultural and political situation, etc.) of the texts published in the "thaw" period of the "Soviet Screen" magazine (1986-1991). ), the authors concluded that the materials on the subject of Western cinema at this stage can be divided into the following genres: ideologized articles emphasizing criticism of bourgeois cinema and its harmful influence on the audience (1986-1987); articles on the history of Western cinema; biographies and creative portraits of Western actors and directors; interviews with Western filmmakers; reviews of Western films; articles on international film festivals and foreign film weeks in the USSR; reviews of the current repertoire of Western national cinemas.

The Ideological Topic in the Magazine Soviet Screen: 1957–1968 (Western Cinema Aspect)

The Ideological Topic in the Magazine Soviet Screen: 1957–1968 (Western Cinema Aspect)

Western Cinematography on the Pages of the Soviet Screen Magazine: 1928–1930

Western Cinematography on the Pages of the Soviet Screen Magazine: 1928–1930

Western Cinema on the Pages of the Magazine Soviet Screen: 1957–1968

Western Cinema on the Pages of the Magazine Soviet Screen: 1957–1968

Антисоветская этика и эстетика фильма М. Захарова «Убить дракона» в дискуссиях на цифровых площадках

The study of the temporal transformation of attitudes to the ethical and aesthetic values of the Perestroika era in post-Soviet Russia is proposed through the analysis of the modern audience reception of its film products. Feature films are defined as a source of information about the dominant meanings of the era when they were created. The main attention in this article will be paid to the ethical and aesthetic components of the film "To Kill the Dragon" (directed by M. Zakharov), which was released on Soviet screens in 1988, as well as its reading by Russians in the 21st century. The present research contributes to understanding the nature of the modern perception of ethical and aesthetic ideas, important during the period of Perestroika and encoded in M. Zakharov's film script. The study of the factors of critical (and insufficient) attention to the film now contributes to understanding the relevance of the period of Perestroika for understanding the processes of the 21st century. As a result of the analysis of the modern reception of Mark Zakharov's film in the media space (in particular, in the form of reviews on the Kinopoisk, reviews of Yandex and others), three strategies of audience comment were identified: philosophical, film critical and political science. The analysis of the modern reception of Mark Zakharov's film allows us to conclude not only about its relevance in the 21st century, but also to identify factors that make it difficult to perceive it positively. The film disgusts young viewers with its aesthetics, and experienced ones with its opportunism. The free interpretation of the play by Evgeny Schwartz, the director's departure from the spirit and letter of the original source in our time has become much more sharply criticized. Viewers are upset by Mark Zakharov's lack of a direct forecast of the development of history after the victory over the Dictatorship of the Dragon.

Creating the Polish enemy on the Soviet screen, 1925-1939

ABSTRACT This article examines the presentation of Polish characters in Soviet cinema from 1925 to 1939. It argues that the many films made on the so-called ‘Polish theme’ in these years reveal a persistent Soviet anxiety towards Poland, which appears as a potential aggressor representing a military and ideological threat to the USSR in its western borderlands. Through close analysis of selected films from the corpus, the article demonstrates how Soviet cinema processed the perceived threat from Poland by means of gendered characterisations of Poles, Ukrainians and Belarusians. Most commonly, these characterisations take the form of depictions of sexual violence committed by male Poles against female Ukrainians and Belarusians, a repeated narrative feature designed to convey to Soviet audiences the danger posed by Poland to Eastern Slavs on either side of the Polish-Soviet border. Likewise, though, the films seek to alleviate spectatorial concerns by portraying a corrupted patriarchal hierarchy among Polish protagonists that represents a parodied inversion of heteronormative gender standards. By conveying the Polish danger to Soviet nationalities and simultaneously disavowing it through insinuations of Polish societal weakness, Soviet filmmakers aimed to strike a balance between communicating and assuaging spectatorial anxieties towards their western neighbour.

Western Cinematography on the Pages of the Soviet Screen Magazine of 1925−1927

Western Cinematography on the Pages of the Soviet Screen Magazine of 1925−1927

The waning of the young sincere hero in Averbakh and Maslennikov’s The Private Life of Kuziaev Valentin

ABSTRACT The article discusses the 1967 film The Private Life of Kuziaev Valentin, directed by Il’ia Averbakh and Igor’ Maslennikov. The film belongs to the Thaw period of Soviet filmmaking, defined by cineastes’ pledge to sincerity. This idea aligned with the cultural transformations launched by the Khrushchev administration at the end of the 1950s, which encompassed radical changes in the attitudes and behaviour of the Soviet youth. Sensitive to the current political climate, Soviet filmmakers populated their narratives with the new, honest and self-reflective young heroes. Our detailed analysis of The Private Life of Kuziaev Valentin demonstrates how it critically interrogates and destabilises the popular sincerity discourse of the time. Engaging in a complex dialogue with Marlen Khutsiev’s iconic 1962 production Ilyich’s Gate, the film also foreshadows the imminent appearance, on the Soviet screen, of a radically different character. In the 1970s, the introspective flaneurs of the Thaw are slowly replaced by their cynical and shallow, two-dimensional copies. Remarkably, this evolution of the contemporary protagonist coincided with similar tendencies in French and British cinema.

Современные подходы к исследованию советской и постсоветской экранной культуры. На материале 53-го конгресса ASEEES, США

The article is devoted to the study of the works of researchers from the USA, based on the material of the 53rd Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) International Annual Congress, which belong to various branches of humanitarian knowledge, but directly related to the study of Soviet and modern screen culture in Russia or other countries (Eastern Europe, India, Cuba, etc.) that have experienced its direct or indirect influence. The interest in the research of American representatives of the humanities, whose share in the total number of participants in congresses is very significant, is due to the fact that for decades, full of dramatic trials, to which the cultural ties of the USSR/ Russia and the USA were subjected, the screen cultures of both countries mutually aroused close interest, although its background could be different. Numerous representatives of various branches of the humanities in the USA pay great attention to screen culture per se or as a source of valuable information about other segments of culture, society, politics, history, etc., especially to segments of feature and documentary films, animation, newsreels, television programs of various formats (TV series, information programs, journalistic programs, especially investigative journalism, etc.) and new media (social networks, especially YouTube, streaming). The article concludes with the conclusions obtained, including: the increased interest of the American scientific community in the study of the mechanisms of formation and reproduction of ideology, power in the history of the USSR/Russia; cardinal points of contrast between the social, political, and cultural agendas of modern Russia and the United States (and other foreign countries); search and analysis of crisis phenomena in society, culture, and politics of the USSR/Russia, reflected in the phenomena of screen culture.

Рецепция шахматного спорта в отечественном кино 1970–1980-х годов

In this article, the author analyzes the image of chess in the Soviet films of the 1970s–1980s. The relevance of the topic is associated with the renewed interest in chess and its history in modern films and television series. The author focuses on the Soviet back story of films about chess players, which until recently remained on the periphery of research. The subject of the article is the reception of chess in three Soviet films of the selected period: Grandmaster, White Snow of Russia, and Capablanca. The choice of the films under analysis was motivated by their thematic unity, which consists in translating the image of chess not as a game, leisure activity, or a way of communication but as a sport. The novelty of the research lies in studying insufficiently explored material, comparing the film plot with historical events, and identifying conceptual patterns of how a personality is perceived in late Soviet art. The main characters of the films are professional chess players, two of them based on real people. The film Grandmaster depicts an image of a Soviet intellectual who finds a game of chess to be a form of self-reflection. White Snow of Russia is based on the facts from the life of the chess player Alexander Alekhine. As presented in the film, for the protagonist chess is a vocation and the only suitable mode of existence. Although the narrative is centered around the political aspects of Alexander Alekhine’s biography, he is portrayed as a typical character of late Soviet cinema, involved in a personal conflict. The third film is a biographical melodrama about the idealized historical figure of the Cuban chess player José Raúl Capablanca, which presents a mixture of real historical facts and fiction. In all three films, the filmmakers focus on the international sport of chess, which appears to be inseparable from politics. In Capablanca, the political theme is the least developed one, but it is still important for the plot. Through the analysis of the semantic layers and expressive means of the films, the author of the article points out specific features of the presentation of chess in the Soviet screen culture. This allows identifying three different patterns of the development of the image of chess: a way of self-knowledge and self-development for the character, a sport for the intelligentsia based on the triumph of reason, and an allegory of love relationships between a man and a woman.

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.

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.