Soviet Cinema: Politics and Persuasion Under Stalin

by Jamie Miller

When the Bolsheviks seized power in the Soviet Union during 1917, they were suffering from a substantial political legitimacy deficit. Uneasy political foundations meant that cinema became a key part of the strategy to protect the existence of the USSR. Based on extensive archival research, this welcome book examines the interaction between politics and the Soviet cinema industry during the period between Stalin's rise to power and the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. It reveals that film had a central function during those years  as an important means of convincing the masses that the regime was legitimate and a bearer of historical truth. 

Miller analyzes key films, from the classic musical Circus to the political epic The Great Citizen, and examines the Bolseviks', ultimately failed, attempts to develop a "cinema for the millions."  As Denise Youngblood writes, "this work is indispensable reading not only for specialists in Soviet film and culture, but also for anyone interested in the dynamics of cultural production in an authoritarian society."

 

Genres: Film, Russia, History, Art

240 pages, Paperback

First published November 25, 2009

Reviews

[Casey Lehman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five stars for the historical information, three for what little analysis there was, and two for writing style and editing. Seriously an embarrassing amount of typos.

[Matt Micucci · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little too academically written to be enjoyable. The insight is priceless. However, oftentimes it risks repetitiveness.