Earth (1930)

When watching Earth, I could feel myself transported to the village in the movie. For a silent movie, I felt the cinematography was both dramatic and ahead of its time. Earth opens with a panoramic view of fruit and waving wheat fields. The movie is centered around a rural Ukrainian village and its problems with the collectivication of the farmland. The hero of the movie, Vasil or Basil, is a farmer who believes the future of farming relies on the tractor. Vasil is later murdered by a greedy farmer named Thomas. The final scene of the movie is impressive. The funeral procession , led by Vasil's father, is brilliantly created by Dovzhenko. Dramatic close ups of singing and crying faces helps convey the remorse felt by the villagers. The very end of the movie includes a similar sequence found at the beginning of the movie. Fruit is again show to the audience before a final shot of a village couple. The village couple at the end of the movie makes me wonder if the entire movie was just a dream. The couple shown closely resembles Vasil and his wife. Vasil's wife wakes up in his arms and looks happy to be with her husband. Could this movie be her dream?

Moscow Does Not Believe In Tears (1979)

While watching this movie, I noticed a striking difference between the way each time period in Soviet history (The Thaw and The Era of Stagnation) was portrayed in the movie. The Khrushchev thaw period of the the late 1950's is were the movie opens. This era in Soviet history was a time of great optimism and hope. These feelings of optimism and hope are reflected in the first part of the movie. The three girlfriends, Katerina, Lyudmila, and Antonina have all come to Moscow to live, study, and work for a better future. The girls are all different by nature and yet still share the same believe that Moscow will help give them the future they want. Katerina is working in a factory and trying to enter the university at the same time, while Lyudmila and Antonina are more interested in the social status of their boyfriends. Each girl has a different hope and idea of what their future should be like. This aspect of the movie best conveys the spirit if the Khrushchev thaw period. The movie later takes place in the era of stagnation, a time directly opposite of the thaw period. This was a period of economic recession. Both the Soviet state and people were worried about the outcome of the future. This is again reflected in the three girlfriends. Though Katerina now has a daughter and has risen to a prominent position at the factory, she at times seems unhappy and empty. Lyudmila divorces her athlete husband Sergei and still believes that "luck" will bring her true happiness. Only Antonina will have a lasting relationship with her husband Nikolai. The bright future the three girlfriends once hoped for would, at least for now, not be. This reality of the three girlfriends reflects the era of stagnation.

Mirror (1974)

Andrey Tarkovsky’s Mirror is one of the most unusual and fascinating movies I have ever seen. Everything about this movie was unique, including the cinematography, lighting, acting, editing, and the musical score. I often found myself lost in the strange images that were projected in front of me. Even though I could not understand what was going on, my interest in the movie was still at its highest level. What I liked most about this movie was the way Tarkovsky connected the old news reels (communist China, etc) with his own cinematic work. This helped give the movie a strange twist to its hidden meaning. The musical score used in Mirror was also powerful. Throughout the movie, the music seemed to harmonize with each individual image. Another unique element of this movie was the poetry segments. Throughout the movie, poetry was recited while a montage of images were being presented to the audience. The biggest question still remains: What does this all mean? Is this simply a movie without a plot or meaning? Or is it just a movie about the supernatural? Does this movie center around a young boy who was reincarnated? Or is it all just a dream? Perhaps the young man in the beginning of this movie is just trying to reconstruct his life and past. Can this movie be a reflection of his thoughts and experiences?

Ballad of a Soldier (1959)

Ballad of a Soldier was an enjoyable movie to watch. One of the most interesting aspects of this movie was the cinematography. I thought the shots and angles implemented in Ballad of a Soldier greatly conveyed the emotion of the actors and actresses. An example of this can be found in the close up shots of both Alyosha and Shura when they are in the train car. This part of the movie, along with the dramatic musical score, helps convey the feelings that Alyosha and Shura have for each other. Another interesting part of this movie can be reflected in its differences with the old Socialist realist movies of the 1930s. Socialist realist movies, such as Chapaev and Circus, were created as both entertainment and propaganda. Socialist realist movies often glorified the values and ideology of a socialist society. (equality, progress, work) Ballad of a Soldier focuses very little on these values. This movie instead focuses on one soldiers experience with the terror and destruction of war. One could say that this movie does not cater to the needs and wants of the Soviet government. Instead, Ballad of a Soldier provides both the director and viewer with a sense of artistic freedom and thought.

Burnt by the Sun

Burnt by the Sun was a powerful movie. Many aspects of the movie, including the cast, music, and setting helped create this powerful effect. What seemed most powerful to me was the way each character interacted with each other. The relationships portrayed in this movie have an international appeal. (family, friends, marriage) As the title of the movie suggests, many of these relationships were destroyed by the Soviet regime. Burnt by the Sun is a title which conveys the terror and totalitarian power that existed during this dark period in Russian history. One could say that overtime, the Russian people were just brutally burnt out by their own government. When watching this movie, I felt it was made not only for the Russian people, but for the world. I really felt this when seeing Col. Sergei Petrovich Kotov and his family. His relationship with his daughter is one that transcends any language barrier. With its reoccurring theme of family and friends, Burnt by the Sun was certainly intended for an international audience. Perhaps the film can serve as a warning from history and help us remember all the victims who were "burnt by the sun."

Circus (1936)

Grigory Alexandrov's Circus was an enjoyable movie to watch. This musical comedy featured many upbeat musical numbers and lots of humor. When first watching this movie, I did not see any particular propaganda value in it. This only became apparent towards the end of the movie, especially with the final scene of singing and marching.
Many aspects of this movie make it art, entertainment, and propaganda. Circus can be viewed as an art film from both its musical and cinematic aspect. As a musical comedy, this movie is also good entertainment. Most importantly, this movie is also propaganda. The propaganda element can be reflected in some of the characters, mainly Marion, her baby, and Von Kneischitz. Marion has a mulatto son who is looked down upon by her country (United States) and by her manager Von Kneischitz. (Germany). This racial element of the movie is used to negatively portray the United States and Germany. These countries, at least in the movie, are viewed as being places of racial inequality and corruption. I think it is interesting that a Soviet movie made in this period (1936) would negatively portray Germany, a future ally of the Soviet Union. Above everything else, I think it is interesting how this movie blends art, entertainment, and propaganda into one form. Perhaps this is the greatest quality of Circus.

Chapaev

In many aspects, Chapaev (1934) is a classic example of both socialist realism and Soviet propaganda. The film is centered around General Vasily Ivanovich Chapaev of the Russian Civil War. (1917-1923) The film was an instant success with the Russian public. During this period, Stalin ruled the Soviet Union with an iron fist. Stalin was eager to control all aspects of Soviet life and culture. To the Soviets, film was an essential tool of both enlightenment and propaganda. Chapaev idealizes the Soviet virtues of work, progress, and equality. Such films were highly regarded because the content was centered around the ideals of the socialist lifestyle.
Chapaev is considered by many to be the first Soviet blockbuster. Many of the technical achievements of this film were guided by the use of sound. Many aspects of this film relied heavily on sound. The great battle scenes of Chapaev are powerful due to the cinematography and use of sound. Sound plays an important role in the battle scenes. The battles come alive while listening to the shooting of artillery and the cries of the soldiers. Such realism was entirely achieved through sound. The battle scenes in Chapaev would have been hard to create in a silent film. With sound, Chapaev conveys a great emotion that could not have been achieved in a silent film.