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Cinema of the Soviet Union

Cinema of the Soviet Union. A very, very exciting view of why the communists were better than everyone else. Imperial Treatment of Film. Nicholas II hated film: “I consider that cinema is an empty, totally useless, and even harmful form of entertainment.”

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Cinema of the Soviet Union

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  1. Cinema of the Soviet Union A very, very exciting view of why the communists were better than everyone else

  2. Imperial Treatment of Film • Nicholas II hated film: “I consider that cinema is an empty, totally useless, and even harmful form of entertainment.” • Nevertheless, film managed to attract an audience because of its novelty, not because of any real artistic greatness • Although Nick hated films, most Russian people, particularly peasants, loved film and wanted it to prosper • Film was originally created by western power, so Russia not having a lot of movie theatres is behind the times • Father Sergius was the last significant film in the Russian Empire, but was released in Soviet Russia

  3. Father Sergius

  4. Cinema under Lenin • Lenin and others recognized the potential of film to be a propagandist medium, to spread primarily Soviet values to the common people • After communists took power, filmmakers began to be heavily censored; if party officials found content not to their liking, they re-cut or removed those parts • However, the advances in technique and style of Russian filmmakers increased; before the best films were imported • Stalin was heavily influenced by Lenin’s positions on film, notably the fact that film should be a representation of the revolutionary zeal of the government

  5. Cinema under Stalin • Stalin ferociously controlled the media circulating during his reign, even more so than Lenin. • Many great films came out of this time period, most notably by Sergei Eisenstein • Were acclaimed abroad as well as at home, despite being blatantly pro-communist propaganda • The Battleship Potemkin, Alexander Nevsky, and yes, Ivan the Terrible were all Eisenstein films • Made groundbreaking and shocking use of violence, new techniques in cinematography, and sound • However, some censorship permeated the works throughout; kept censoring ‘til his death in 1951

  6. Cinema under Stalin Ctd. • The USSR banned foreign films from entering in 1931 because they exposed people to dangerous capitalist ideals • Embraced socialist realism as the primary form of film. • In other words, while the world was seeing the best of Russia, Russia was only seeing Russian films. • Film was seen as the province of civilization; if a nation has movies they’re advance and civilized. Russia has films->is advanced=We are powerful.

  7. Admiral Nakhimov & Alexander Nevsky

  8. Cinema under Khrushchev • After the death of Stalin, Nikita Khrushchev took over the USSR and its nationalized film industry • Was more lenient than Stalin about certain things; felt okay to move away from socialist realism • However, the advent of the Cold War hampered criticism of the government • Still made significant advances in the arena of government criticism; however still expected to repeat the party line • During this time filmmakers were more concerned with artistic triumphs than financial ones, because they were paid by the state • Animation and science fiction, in addition to tragicomedies, took off during this time • Some really epic pieces produced in this time

  9. Cinema towards the End • After Khrushchev loses power, state control over industry “waynes” • State control finally slips in 1981; filmmakers embrace newfound freedom • Can finally make films without government approval; criticism goes much higher than previously • Contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union • Are still making movies

  10. For your viewing pleasure… • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLEE2UL_N7Q The B. P. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVSOnvNYU-8 Boris G • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SVC_9V8K5YYes, they did kill horses… and probably actors too for all I know • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Tob56MebI8 Solaris

  11. Works Cited • Sieglebaum, Lewis, Khrushchev’s Secret Speech, Seventeen Moments in Soviet History, http: //www.soviethistory.org/index.php?page=subject&SubjectID=19 56secret&Year=1956 • Cinema of the Soviet Union, WorldLingo, http://www.worldlingo.com/ma/en_wiki/ en/Cinema_of_the_Soviet_Union. • Federal Cinema: The Soviet Film Industry, 1924-1932, Kepley, Vance Jr.; Indiana University Press, Indiana, 1996. • Film Propaganda in Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany, Taylor, Richard; St. Marten’s Press, New York, 1979.

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