Soviet Propaganda: Communism’s Shining Future

Soviet Propaganda: Communism’s Shining Future: Documentary series examining the art of the animated propaganda films of the Soviet era From SKYarts Network http://www.skyarts.co.uk/film-docs/article/soviet-propaganda-communisms-shining-future/ Narrator Alexi Sayle Contributors Igor Kokarev; Professor of Film Sociology, Russian State Film School Fyodor Khitruk; director and animator, Soyuzmultfilm Vladimir Tarasov; director and animator, Soyuzmultfilm Boris Yefimov; satirist, artist and writer Time Forward (1977) Vladimir Tarasov (Soyuzmultfilm) A thought provoking, complex and visually compelling film, based on the ideological poems written by the Vladimir Mayakovsky in the 1920s, as well as advertisements Mayakovsky created during the New Economic Policy, with avant-garde artist Alexander Rodchenko. Soviet Toys (1924) Dziga Vertov (Goskino USSR) Produced as a silent film. Considered to be the first animated Soviet film, Soviet Toys was made by the acclaimed director, Dziga Vertov. It is based on political caricatures by V. Deni which appeared in the newspaper Pravda Victorious Destination (1939) Leonid Amalrik, Dmitry Babichenko & Viktor Pokolnikov (Soyuzmultfilm) A political cinema poster celebrating the achievements of the Bolshevik Locomotive and Stalin's first five year plan. The film applauds the Party's destruction of millions of peasant farmers (kulaks), who were considered to have a capitalist psychology. It trumpets the achievements of workers like coal miner Alexei Stakhanov, who exceeded norms for productivity. Some of the original music, written specifically for the film to underscore the Stakhanov sequences, was not restorable. It was replaced with a popular song based on a line from a speech Stalin gave about the Stakhanov movement; Life Is Getting Better and Happier. Lenins Kino Pravda (Truth in Cinema) (1924) Presumed to be directed by Dziga Vertov Made as a silent feature. According to this film, the capitalist countries celebrated Lenin's death in 1924, because they expected it would bring about the demise of the USSR. Instead, another 100,000 Soviets joined the Russian Communist Party. Join the Collective Farm (1925) Director unknown Made as a silent feature. This film extols the virtues of working together and collectivization. Samoyed Boy (1928) V. and Z. Brumberg, N. Khodataev, O. Khodataeva (Third Factory of Sovkino) Made as a silent feature. In the Soviet Union everyone was suppose to have equal opportunities. In Samoyed Boy, a Nenetz (Eskimo) boy exposes the tricks of the shaman whom members of the tribe believe can cure them by putting animal spirits into their bodies. Humiliated, the shaman drives the boy from the village. He is rescued by a Soviet ship and taken to Leningrad where he studies at a special University for Northern Peoples under the portraits of Marx and Lenin. Plus Electrification (1972) Ivan Aksenchuk (Soyuzmultfilm) Executed with Disney-like animation by one of Soyuzmultfilms leading directors for children. Plus Electrification is about the USSRs drive to bring electricity to every town and village. It was a tenet of Vladimir Lenin that electrification plus Soviet power would lead to Communism. Electricity is also shown uniting the economies of USSR and the Eastern bloc countries through the production of consumer goods like Czech crystal and Hungarian buses. Hot Stone (1965) Perch Sarkissian (Soyuzmultfilm) Based on a story by A.Gaidar. An old man's memories about the glorious civil Bolshevik Revolution. Songs of the Years of Fire (1971) Inessa Kovalevskaya (Soyuzmultfilm) Dedicated to the Glorious Red Army, this spirited film animates some of the most famous songs from the Civil War period like Tachanka; Meadowlands; Polushka Pole, and White Army, Black Baron. War Chronicle (1939) Dmitry Babichenko (Soyuzmultfilm) The story of Russias invasion, during the revolution, by foreign troops: including American, Canadian, British, Japanese, Czech and Polish forces. Little Music Box (1933) N. Khodataev (Soyuzmultfilm) Based on a chapter of the famous novel Story of One Town by Saltikov-Shedrin. This novel, about the inane bureaucracy of the Russian government under the Czar during the mid 19th century, was banned during Stalin's reign; as were all books by Saltikov-Shedrin. The original sound track was received in terrible condition, and was restored as much as possible.