Cinema of sincerity : Soviet films and culture during the thaw / Viktoria Paranyuk.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Paranyuk, Viktoria, author.

Series:

Wisconsin film studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Motion pictures--Soviet Union--Plots, themes, etc.

Motion pictures.

Motion pictures--Soviet Union--History.

Motion pictures--Plots, themes, etc.

Soviet Union.

Genre:

History

Physical Description:

1 online resource.

Place of Publication:

Madison, Wisconsin : The University of Wisconsin Press, 2025.

Summary:

"Following Stalin's death in 1953 and Khruschev's acknowledgment of Stalin's crimes in 1956, "sincerity" emerged as a cultural imperative in the Soviet Union. Unlike the fare of the Stalin era, the cinema of this period turned inward, insisting on ordinary characters and creating a sense of spontaneity through particular staging methods and cinematic techniques, such as the close-up and interior monologue. These changes shifted the understanding of what "realism" meant and allowed Soviet cinema to reestablish with its audiences the trust that had been corrupted by serving Stalin's cult of personality. Using both theory and close readings of specific films produced in various parts of the Soviet Union during the Thaw, a period known for its relative political and cultural liberalization, The Cinema of Sincerity treats sincerity as both a concept and an aesthetic strategy. Viktoria Paranyuk argues that Soviet cinema's use of sincerity was a reworking of a trend in global cinema that sought to bridge the gap between reality and the filmed image. This period saw increased accessibility to world cinematic traditions, new voices in criticism, and, above all, the multigenerational effort in filmmaking that developed and thrived in centers outside Moscow. Paranyuk demonstrates how these changes allowed Soviet cinema to renew its visual language and use film as a space for collective self-examination"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

“Cinema for us was a way to communicate with the world”

Montage mon amour, or a thinking film : Nine days of one year

Staging sincerity and a promise of community : Ilyich’s Gate

Child’s play on the periphery : Other people’s children

A space for experimentation : The last shot and The girl and the echo

Coda : “Who are you?”.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Online resource; title from PDF title page (JSTOR, viewed April 24, 2026).

Other Format:

Print version: Paranyuk, Viktoria. Cinema of sincerity

ISBN:

9780299354633

0299354636

OCLC:

1549645301