FAVz042 Imperial Visions - Soviet cinema in the Caucasus and Central Asia

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2014
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Lars Karl (lecturer), doc. Mgr. Pavel Skopal, Ph.D. (deputy)
Mgr. Šárka Jelínek Gmiterková, Ph.D. (assistant)
Mgr. Jan Trnka, Ph.D. (assistant)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Jiří Voráč, Ph.D.
Department of Film Studies and Audiovisual Culture – Faculty of Arts
Supplier department: Department of Film Studies and Audiovisual Culture – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
each odd Thursday 10:50–14:05 C34
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
Based on the lectures and screenings, students will learn about cinema history of the non-Russian Soviet republics, mainly Georgia and Armenia. Students will be able to discern and analyse how the Caucasus cinema was used in various discourses during perestroika and after the collaps of Soviet Union.
Syllabus
  • For many years academics in the West saw the Soviet Union as a vast monolith, whose centralist philosophy led to the multi-ethnic peripheral regions of the Caucasus and Central Asia being degraded as “backward nations”, without a history of their own. However, right from the start the Soviets realised the political significance of using cinema to civilise and modernise these supposedly “primitive” peripheral nations. Moreover the attractions of the mysterious Asiatic east generally proved greater than any purely propagandist intention, though this was definitely effective in drawing attention to newly emerging questions of progress and civilisation. Beyond what was going on within the Russian-Eurocentric film world, movie production in the non-Russian Soviet republics underwent a revival from the beginning of the Sixties, a phenomenon later described as the “emancipation of national cinematographies”. Having struck out on their own path early on, film production in Georgia and Armenia, in particular, underwent a renaissance during the “thaw period” – followed, after some delay, by the traditionally Muslim republics of the Soviet Union. During perestroika the non-Russian part of the Soviet Empire provided a backdrop against which it was possible to criticise a civilisation, promote ecological awareness and lament the loss of cultural traditions. After the collapse of the Soviet Union it was principally the Caucasus and its myths which provided a cinematic indicator of the plight of a shattered Russian society and of nostalgia for the return of its empire. The aim of this event is to show a selection of Soviet films on this theme, followed by a comparative analysis and discussion. Screenings: 1) Three Songs about Lenin (Tri pesni o Lenine, SU 1934; R.: Dziga Vertov) (Russian with English subtitles) 2) Storm over Asia (Potomok Chingiz-Khana, SU 1928; R.: Vsevolod Pudovkin) (Russian with English subtitles) 3) The Fires of Baku (Ogni Baku, SU 1950; R.: Alexander Sarchi/Jossif Chejfiz) (Russian with German subtitles) 4) Repentance (Pokajane/Monanieba, SU 1987; R.: Tengiz Abuladze) (Georgian with English subtitles) As an extra in the double lecture: The Colour of Pomegranates (Sayat-Nova, SU 1968; R.: Sergei Parajanov) (Armenian with English subtitles)
Literature
  • Josephine Woll: Real Images. Soviet Cinemas and the Thaw. I.B. Tauris, 2000
Teaching methods
Lectures, commented screenings.
Assessment methods
Full time students: 100% presence at the lectures is required. Distance students: two absences are tolerated. Introductory test (before the first course lecture, based on selected readings of prescribed literature). Final test (during exam period).
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2014/FAVz042