War movies have long been the most influential genre in Russian
cinema, so much so that in the Soviet Union's militaristic society,
"cinema front" was used to describe the film industry itself.
Denise J. Youngblood, an internationally recognized authority on
Russian and Soviet cinema, provides the first comprehensive guide
to this long-neglected genre.
Youngblood explores more than 160 fiction films on Russian
conflicts from World War I to Chechnya. These movies represent a
wide range of cinematic styles and critical receptions. While not
ignoring classic war films like "Chapaev" and "The Cranes Are
Flying," Youngblood introduces readers to the films that shaped and
reflected Soviet views of war, like the rousing World War II
favorite "Two Warriors," the Thaw classic "The Living and the
Dead," and the Brezhnevian extravaganza "Liberation." This
remarkably humanistic body of work was often at odds with official
policies and depicted the futility of war. Youngblood is especially
insightful regarding the relationship between Stalinism, Socialist
Realism, and filmmakers in creating the war film genre during an
era marked by increasing militarization, conformism, and state
terror and by the importance of cinema in the World War II
propaganda effort. Stalin's obsession with movies led to the
"revisioning" of his role in the Civil War and the "Great Patriotic
War."
Yet, Youngblood argues, Soviet filmmakers were not mere puppets
of repressive regimes. Indeed, some filmmakers subtly subverted
official politics and history in the guise of art or
Hollywood-style entertainment. She brings the story to the present
by showing how post-Soviet Russian filmmakers have not only turned
a critical eye on the recent wars in Afghanistan and Chechnya but
are also revisiting the complex realities of World War II.
Youngblood tells a fascinating story that will appeal equally to
film aficionados and history buffs. By tracing the evolution of
cinema through the twists and turns of both Soviet and post-Soviet
society, she helps us understand the role movies played in
20th-century Russia, not only in the making and unmaking of
political myths but also in the "writing" of history.
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