Russian, and then Soviet, cinema is distinguished by its epic scale, philosophical depth, and innovative visual language. It often explores history, ideology, and the human psyche, with a tradition of psychological realism and artistic experimentation. It has contributed revolutionary theories of editing and, later, a spiritual approach to film language. It remains known for combining formal experimentation with profound explorations of endurance and belief.
The films we will study also offer insight into Soviet life both explicitly (through depiction of daily life in interiors and landscapes) and implicitly (through what is and isn’t shown and how the effects of state censorship can or cannot be felt). One potential throughline will be to address the question of what picture we get of the Soviet Union from the 1920s to the late 1980s in these films? Do the films demonstrate the role played by the “State Committee for Cinematography” (in its various iterations), which had jurisdiction over production?
This SDG will be a serious film study course that explores ground-breaking films by Vertov and Eisenstein in the 1920’s up to the brilliance of Tarkovsky and creativity of many others through the 1960 - 80’s. Many will be Russian, but we may expand broader in the USSR. Our discussion will include storyline, cultural significance, and cinematic elements, and we will share selected excerpts of the films for discussion in class.
1. Dziga Vertov, Man with a Movie Camera, 1925
2. Sergei Eisenstein, Ivan the Terrible, Part 1, 1944
3. Mikhail Kalatozov, The Cranes are Flying, 1959
4. Grigoriy Chukhray, Ballad of a Soldier, 1959
5. Sergey Bondarchuk, War and Peace, Part 3, 1965
6. Leonid Gaidai, Operation Y and Shurik’s Other Adventures, 1965
7. Andrei Tarkovsky, Andrei Rublev, 1966
8. Andrei Tarkovsky, Stalker, 1979
9. Vladimir Bortko, The Heart of a Dog, 1988
10. Krzysztof Kieslowski, The Dekalog (Parts1&2) 1989
Other background material will be supplied on the syllabus and/or by participants each week.
There is no core book. The following may be helpful resources.
• Giannetti, Louis, Understanding Movies, 13th Edition, Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2013 (General film-making practice, concept and terminology reference)
• Wikipedia for most films. Imdb.com and Rotten Tomatoes for facts and critiques
• New York Times, Sight and Sound, Senses of Cinema, for in-depth critiques and reviews