The Cinema of Russia & the Former Soviet Union

by Birgit Beumers (Editor), Rachel Morley (Contributor), Ian Christie (Contributor)

This volume explores the cinema of the former Soviet Union and contemporary Russia, ranging from the pre-Revolutionary period to the present day. It offers an insight into the development of Soviet film, from 'the most important of all arts' as a propaganda tool to a means of entertainment in the Stalin era, from the rise of its 'dissident' art-house cinema in the 1960s through the glasnost era with its broken taboos to recent Russian blockbusters. Films have been chosen to represent both the classics of Russian and Soviet cinema as well as those films that had a more localised success and remain to date part of Russia's cultural reference system. The volume also covers a range of national film industries of the former Soviet Union in chapters on the greatest films and directors of Ukrainian, Kazakh, Georgian and Armenian cinematography. Films discussed include Strike (1925), Earth (1930), Ivan's Childhood (1962), Mother and Son (1997) and Brother (1997).

Genres: Film

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Meihan Liu · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be more precise this book provides no much insights into the "development of Soviet cinema" as the description states, but rather insights into each film chosen, as each review was penned by different author so there is no much consistency between them. But, alas, the review for the Ballad of a Soldier is enough to make it a five star book. "Alesha expects people to live up to his own moral standards...His own integrity assumes honesty in others; his own simplicity ill-prepares him for the complexity of others, especially the convoluted human emotions of love." Yes, yes, yes, that's the way it is and what makes him so charming and his perishing in the war so heart-wrenching. Many thanks for the editor to choose this one over the Cranes are Flying. I don't understand people's praise for it except for its cinematography. The biggest problem of that film is its peculiar universality. Feels too...Western.