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Soon after the cinemas first opened in Russia in 1910, moviegoing became the primary entertainment for people of all social classes. In the 1920s avant-garde writers, theater directors, and musicians fell in love with the movies, encouraging the brilliant formalist experiments of directors like Eisenstein. By the end of the 1920s Soviet leaders had realized the power of movies to communicate their beliefs to the citizens of the Soviet Union. They had already nationalized studios and theaters, so it was easy for them to impose tight control over the political-ideological content of movies. Nevertheless, throughout the Soviet period, Russian movies created a vision of continuity and change that was broader and richer than the ideological formulae of Communist politics. They also provided a venue for cultural media such as popular songs that, in other countries, might lead a more independent existence outside the movies. This course will look at the culture-building role of Russian movies from its beginnings in Tsarist times through the Soviet period and into the post-Soviet present.
COURSE FORMAT: Lecture/Discussion
Level: UGRD Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: HA RUSS Grading Mode: Student Option
Prerequisites: NONE Links to Web Resources For This Course.
Last Updated on MAR-19-2004
Copyright Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459