Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Cinema
By (author) Peter Rollberg
Publication date:
20 July 2016Length of book:
890 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersISBN-13: 9781442268418
Russian and Soviet cinema occupies a unique place in the history of world cinema. Legendary filmmakers such as Sergei Eisenstein, Vsevolod Pudovkin, Dziga Vertov, Andrei Tarkovsky, and Sergei Paradjanov have created oeuvres that are being screened and studied all over the world. The Soviet film industry was different from others because its main criterion of success was not profit, but the ideological and aesthetic effect on the viewer. Another important feature is Soviet cinema’s multinational (Eurasian) character: while Russian cinema was the largest, other national cinemas such as Georgian, Kazakh, and Ukrainian played a decisive role for Soviet cinema as a whole. The Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Cinema provides a rich tapestry of factual information, together with detailed critical assessments of individual artistic accomplishments.
This second edition of Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Cinema contains a chronology, an introduction, and a bibliography. The dictionary section has over 600 cross-referenced entries on directors, performers, cinematographers, composers, designers, producers, and studios. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Russian and Soviet Cinema.
This second edition of Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Cinema contains a chronology, an introduction, and a bibliography. The dictionary section has over 600 cross-referenced entries on directors, performers, cinematographers, composers, designers, producers, and studios. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Russian and Soviet Cinema.
Rollberg has produced a well-researched second edition, significantly expanding the first edition (2009) with 130 new entries and an additional 100 new cross-references beyond the original 500-plus entries. Designed to promote Russian and Soviet cinema to scholars and the general public, this volume packs a wealth of information on a diverse selection of directors, screenwriters, actors, composers, designers, producers, cinematographers, studios, genres, and scores of individual art house and popular films into concise, one- to three-page entries. A prefatory 12-page chronology helpfully identifies first film screenings and feature-film productions, the founding of major studios, and international award-winning films of the now-independent former Soviet republics of Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, and Lithuania, among others. The author's meaty 18-page introduction explores the impact on cinema of historical, cultural, and political events, including two World Wars, Stalinization, and the Soviet Union's breakup in 1991. A richly substantive bibliography of reference works, national cinematographies, monographs, diaries, letters, memoirs, and journals (largely in English, Russian, French, and German) concludes this noteworthy resource to encourage further research along this fascinating cinematic byway.
Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels.
Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels.