Cinema and Soviet Society: From the Revolution to the Death of Stalin

by Peter Kenez

Overview

The story of Soviet film over the period covered by Peter Kenez is central to the history of World Cinema. In this revised, updated paperback edition of his classic text, Peter Kenez explores the roots of Soviet cinema in the film heritage of pre-Revolutionary Russia, tracing the changes in content, style, technical means and production capacities generated by the Revolution of 1917; the constraints on form and subject imposed from the 1930s in the name of Socialist Realism; the relative freedom of expression accorded to film-makers during World War Two; and the extraordinary repression during the final years of Stalin era. Based on original research both in the former Soviet Union and elsewhere in the primary sources of Eastern Europe, this is the essential student text on the period which produced the major films of such 'greats' as Eisenstein, Vertov, Kuleshov, Pudovkin and many more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781860646324
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	12/15/2000
Series:	KINO - The Russian and Soviet Cinema
Edition description:	New
Pages:	264
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Peter Kenez is Professor of History at University of California at Santa Cruz.

Table of Contents

Part 1 The golden age: cinema before October; the birth of the Soviet film industry; the films of the golden age, 1925-9; reaching the people, 1925-9. Part 2 The age of Stalin: the cultural revolution in cinema; the industry, 1933-41; censorship, 1933-41; socialist realism, 1933-41; films of World War II. Part 3 The death of Soviet film: film hunger, 1945-53; the nadir, 1945-53; conclusion.

Editorial Reviews

Kenez, who is not identified, incorporates his earlier (no date noted) into a history of Soviet cinema that extends to 1953. His field is history rather than film criticism, so he looks at films that represent trends and conditions in the country rather than necessarily at those of high artistic quality. Distributed by Palgrave. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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