Kenez, Part Three

Cinema and Soviet Society: From the Revolution to the Death of Stalin
By: Peter Kenez
Part Three: The Death of Soviet Film


The Soviet people hoped that they would be rewarded after WWII by being allowed to live in a less repressive order. It was exactly the opposite. Newspapers and periodicals discussed fewer and fewer meaningful issues. The gap between public discussions and reality further widened. 


After 1951, a large percentage of the films were only filmed versions of plays. The major reason is that Stalin liked plays, and didn't like cinema as much. 


After the war, as the economy recovered, the number of films decreased. In 1948, a resolution of the Council of Ministers criticized the Ministry of the Film Industry for paying too much attention to quantity as opposed to quality and called for fewer but better films. This could never happen with the way in which films were approved. Stalin himself watched and decided the fate of every film. 


This shortage of film was going on when people craved cinematic entertainment. Only one other form of entertainment was considered more popular: vodka. 


In 1947, audiences saw more foreign than Soviet films because (1) there was a shortage of films, (2) money could be made off of them, (3) they were "trophy films," films gained during wartime conquests. 


There was still a problem getting the movies to the peasants. Before the war, there was a slightly successful system in place. The war cut that network in half. New technology (sound, color) could not be kept up with. As late as 1947 about half of the projectors used in the countryside could still show only silent films. 


The films that were made during this period were less impressive, and those that were impressive, were banned. 


The Anti-cosmopolitan campaign (1948-9) was initiated against the cosmopolitanism that devastated Soviet intellectual life, arts, and sciences. Two main things were emphasized: anti-semitism and the insistence on the superiority of Russian ways. 


The growth of the zionist movement after the war created fear: Stalinists were suspicious of people who might harbor a dual loyalty (Ironically--well, let's say it was on purpose--Dziga Vertov was Jewish).  


Life in the Soviet Union during Stalin's last years appears almost surreal--the fear is everywhere. 


This age of film produced movies in three categories: artistic documentaries, publicistic films, and film biographies. Artistic documentaries were essentially films of the Stalin cult, of which the director Chiaureli was the most well-known. Publicistic films were films in which the Soviet hero defeated a foreign enemy. Film biographies were the best vehicle for conveying the most important propaganda messages. The director could focus on a hero from the past, avoiding the touchy topic of the present. Also, the industry of film biographies developed quite a pattern, which made making one easy. 


After Stalin dies, films don't become as awesome as they were in the golden age, but at least they are worth watching.