Staged
The First World War in Soviet and Russian Cinema
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
In the former Soviet Union, films about the First World War mark the start of the century of images. The abundance of documentary and feature films in the interwar period refutes the thesis that the war was ignored. Next to literature, film was the most popular art form; it gave contour to the trauma endured and provided distraction. But film was also instrumentalized; it conveyed propaganda and criticism of capitalism. With the start of the “Great Patriotic War”, the focus of attention shifted.
(Osteuropa 2-4/2014, pp. 339–350)