The Western World in Soviet and Russian Cinema (1946–2016)

Abstract

Cinema has always represented a powerful medium for influencing audiences (including in political and ideological ways). Therefore, exploring how the image of the Western world has been transforming in Soviet and Russian films is still relevant today. This study seeks to accomplish the following: define the role and place of the changing portrayal of the Western world in Soviet cinema between 1946 (the start of the postwar ideological confrontation) and 1991 (the break-up of the Soviet Union) while comparing these developments with trends from the modern era (1992–2016); study the political, ideological, social, and cultural context as well as the main stages, trends, and goals of filmmakers; study the concepts that these filmmakers used to interpret this theme in Soviet and Russian films; and classify and perform a comparative analysis of the ideology, content models, genre modifications, and stereotypes of Soviet and Russian cinema that came to be associated with the portrayal of the Western world. To achieve these goals, we have used theoretical methods, including classification, comparison, analogy, induction and deduction, analysis and synthesis, modeling, etc., as well as empirical research methods, including the collection of information about the topics that are addressed in the study. The chronological scope of this study was limited to films produced between 1946 and 2016 and excluded documentaries, animated films, television programs, and an extensive set of feature films related to the topic of World War II (though these films are very specific, and they deserve a separate conversation). As a rule, international co-productions with Russia that reflect how the West views the Russian world were also excluded from this analysis.