SLAV 0872 - FILM CENSORSHIP AND RUSSIAN + SOVIET CULTURE

Minimum Credits: 3
Maximum Credits: 3
Long Description This course focuses on Russian and Soviet films that were not released upon production due to censorship issues but played a significant role in film history. We will start with the pre-cinematic period and cinema of the early 20th century, move to the 1920s when censorship was relatively mild, and discuss the ups and downs of the state control over cinema of the later period. The course will cover both canonical masterpieces such as Sergei Eisenstein's Ivan the Terrible (Part 2) and lesser-known films like Margarita Barskaia's Father and Son (1941). These films represent a wide range of genres including melodramas, comedies, animated films, and adaptations. We will talk about them in the context of other films of the period that were not banned by censorship. This way we will have a chance to discuss various concepts that are crucial for understanding the history of Russian and Soviet cinema, such as "polka," "avant-garde," "socialist realism," etc. Last but not least, we will be talking about censorship in connection to the major shifts in the history of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union opening a wider discussion about the relationship between art and the state power. The course will introduce students to the key concepts and periods of Russian and Soviet history such as "the Silver Age," "the Thaw," and the "Stagnation" era. We will also talk about the connection between Soviet film censorship and the major historical events including the October revolution, the Great Purge, and World War II.
Academic Career: Undergraduate
Course Component: Lecture
Grade Component: LG/SNC Elective Basis

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