Russ3003: Russian and Soviet Cinema Until 1948 Instructor: Alec Brookes,
[email protected] Office Hours: MWF 1-2pm, Tu 12-2pm, or by appointment RUSS3003 Russian and Soviet Cinema Until 1948 Fall 2016, MWF 10-10:50, A1049 Screenings: Fridays 3pm-5pm A1046 “Cinema is an art of illusion, yet it dictates its laws to life itself.” Joseph Stalin Beginning with the origins of film in Russia in the late imperial era, this course proceeds to follow the development of film in Russia and the Soviet Union, which played a crucial role in the Soviet Union and the life of its people between 1917 and 1948, an era that included a communist revolution, civil war, the rise of fascism in Europe, and the Second World War. Besides close formal analysis of the screened films, we will discuss the shifting artistic, cultural, historical, and ideological contexts in which these films were made, and their enduring relevance in current Russian and global contexts. All movies will be screened with English subtitles. All screenings are optional but recommended. Films will be placed on reserve at the QEII Library for review and/or are available on the internet, in which case links will be provided on d2l. Course Objectives This course aims to familiarize students with Russian and Soviet film until the death of director Sergei Eisenstein in 1948, with emphasis on films from the twenties and thirties. We will develop a robust way of talking about film in its own terms, and develop a way of understanding the reciprocal relationship between film and their contexts.