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Rescripting Stalinist Masculinity: Contesting the Male Ideal in Soviet Film and Society, 1953-1968

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Rescripting Stalinist Masculinity: Contesting the Male Ideal in Soviet Film and Society, 1953-1968 View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Carolina Digital Repository RESCRIPTING STALINIST MASCULINITY: CONTESTING THE MALE IDEAL IN SOVIET FILM AND SOCIETY, 1953-1968 Marko Dumanĉić A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of History Chapel Hill 2010 Approved by: Donald J. Raleigh Louise McReynolds Beth Holmgren John Kasson Chad Bryant © 2010 Marko Dumanĉić ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT MARKO DUMANĈIĆ: Rescripting Stalinist Masculinity: Contesting the Male Ideal in Soviet Film and Society, 1953-1968 (Under the direction of Dr. Donald J. Raleigh) This dissertation traces the evolution of a new type of cinematic masculinity in the fifteen years following Joseph Stalin‘s death and examines how controversial post-Stalinist movie heroes became a battleground for the country‘s postwar values and ideals. During the 1950s and 1960s, postwar Soviet leadership faced the kinds of sociopolitical ruptures that were also evident on the other side of the Iron Curtain; the Communist Party leadership struggled to moderate the combined destabilizing effect of consumerism, a recalcitrant youth (sub)culture, and Cold War anxieties. Nowhere was the angst of the postwar period more obvious than in the way Soviet filmmakers portrayed their movie heroes. Unlike their hard- bodied and zealous Stalinist counterparts, post-Stalinist protagonists conveyed physical imperfection and ideological ambivalence. Stalin‘s successor, Nikita Khrushchev initially promoted the turn to more realistic protagonists as part of his de-Stalinization campaign. His inconsistent and unclear policies, however, gave filmmakers the leeway to project a post- Stalinist vision that went beyond Khrushchev‘s agenda. For a group of the nation‘s major filmmakers, the struggle to define post-Stalinist masculinity therefore represented a self- conscious mission to discredit the system‘s reliance on rigid dogma, moral conservatism, and suffocating collectivism. In an ironic twist, reformist filmmakers took advantage of the Soviet iii leadership‘s intention to humanize the Communist system and turned it into a broader conversation about the system‘s ethical and political principles. My dissertation demonstrates the indispensability of masculine images to the state‘s propaganda mission and identifies the processes that governed the production of gendered images within a censorship regime. I also reveal the porousness of Cold War borders by analyzing the momentous effect of American and West European cinema on Soviet filmmakers. Moreover, this research identifies the critical influence ―peripheral‖ East European regimes exercised on the Soviet center. Moscow‘s aggressive assimilation of so- called satellites ironically allowed Czech and Polish experimental cinematography to act as a conduit for liberal ideals. Overall, the interdisciplinary and transnational approach I employ allows me to go beyond the Cold War flashpoints of the 1950s and 1960s, to reveal a society engaged with the outside world and engrossed in a public renegotiation of its collective identity. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation evolved from an honors thesis I completed at Connecticut College. During those two semesters of my senior year Prof. Marc Forster patiently and judiciously guided me through my first steps in making sense of the historical processes underpinning the creation of post-Stalinist masculinity. I was incredibly fortunate to continue working on this project with Prof. Donald J. Raleigh. His unsurpassed erudition, encyclopedic knowledge, and keen editorial eye not only improved the quality of the final product but also provided me with high professional standards to emulate. In addition to being an unparalleled dissertation mentor, Prof. Raleigh generously provided moral encouragement when it was most needed. Without the generous help and advice from Prof. Louise McReynolds, this dissertation would be weaker in its treatment of films. In fact, some of my most stimulating conversations during my graduate school were those I had with Prof. McReynolds about the 1950s and 1960s film movements. Prof. McReynolds thankfully continues to prod me to think both more deeply and more broadly about my project and its theoretical implications. Professors Beth Holmgren and Chad Bryant shrewdly encouraged me to consider the effect the Polish and Czechoslovak film industries and cultures exerted on Soviet cinematography. Without their input during the early stages of the project, the dissertation would have lacked the transnational viewpoint. Prof. John Kasson‘s work on masculinity in a broader cultural context not only inspired parts of this dissertation, but also guided much of my overall thinking on the evolution of post-Stalinist masculinity. v The generous funding from the UNC-Chapel Hill Graduate School and the UNC History Department proved crucial in executing the research and the writing of this dissertation. The Graduate School Off-campus Dissertation Research Fellowship enabled me to conduct necessary archival research and the Dissertation Completion Research Fellowship gave me the opportunity to focus exclusively on completing the manuscript. A Mowry Fellowship from the History Department enabled me to carry out the necessary pre- dissertation research. I owe an enormous debt to all those who helped me make the most of the time I spent in Moscow and its archives. Liudmila Ivanovna Stepanich made my research in RGANI not only productive but also a truly enjoyable experience. Her familiarity with Soviet cinema, politics, and film stars proved as enlightening as the documents I was studying. I was also lucky that Rósa Magnúsdóttir and Nick Ganson were conducting their dissertation research in Moscow when I was entering archives for the first time. Their guidance, advice, and camaraderie transformed a daunting experience into a productive and stimulating one. Many thanks also to Juliane Fürst and Christine Evans, who offered many invaluable insights as we shared our elations/frustrations about both the discoveries and silences the archival material offered. Since my very first trip to Moscow, Mikhail Stakanov became my guide through the labyrinth that is Russian culture; his eclectic but erudite familiarity with Soviet cultural tropes helped me glean aspects of Soviet ethos that would have otherwise remained hidden from (my) view. Outside of the archives my fellow Russianists—Emily Baran, Michael Paulauskas, Adrianne Nolan, Daniel Giblin, Mary Mellon, Edward Geist, Andrew Ringlee, Aaron Hale- Dorrell, Gary Guadangolo, and Gleb Tsipursky—provided continuous intellectual stimulation, vi levity, and encouragement. During Sunday brunches, conferences (which we attended as a true collective), and seminars my ―comrades‖ made my time in graduate school one to remember and cherish. Having begun graduate school at approximately the same time, Jenifer Parks, Cypriane Williams, Michael Huner, Joshua Davis, and Phillip Stelzel have closely followed the trajectory of my project and at different times offered both words of wisdom and the humor necessary to get through the more challenging times. Despite being an Americanist by training, Anne Berler charitably offered feedback on multiple chapter drafts; her editorial advice was rarely off the mark and served me very well in both the short and long term. In the last two years of the project Paula Michaels provided me with both the confidence and insights that enabled me to go further, faster. No less important were the many delicious dinners and engrossing conversations I shared with four cherished friends and counselors: Sarah Shields, William Merryman, Martine Antle, and Sahar Amer. This inimitable quartet provided much-needed life perspective and professional advice. Finally, my deepest gratitude goes out to three extraordinary women in my life: my mother Vera, my sister Katja, and my dear friend Violet. Their unshakeable faith in the success of this project, their unconditional support during all the stressful times, and their selfless support in general have not only made this project possible but have also made me a better person. It is to them that I dedicate this dissertation—with a grateful heart and much love. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter................................................................................................................................ Page INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................1 An Intelligentsia Resurgent…........................................................................................8 Theoretical and Methodological Considerations .........................................................19 Historiography..............................................................................................................28 Dissertation Outline .....................................................................................................35 1. DETHRONING THE STALINIST HERO.................................................................39 The Soviet Film Industry: Continuity and Change.......................................................44 Soviet Celluloid Heroes: Their Development and Differences....................................57 Conclusion....................................................................................................................62
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