Soviet Auteur Cinema After the Thaw

Following Stalin's death, Soviet film—like Soviet culture—changed in meaningful ways. Emerging from a system that had stymied individual, creative voices, prominent directors now found their own respective styles, as they embraced their personal visions to produce works that diverged significantly from the mainstream. Grounded in auteur theory, this volume explores how these filmmakers expressed themselves through creative cinematic means rather than through a narrow emphasis on narrative or in accordance with popular—and governmental—whims.

Each chapter focuses on a specific filmmaker, from well-known auteurs Aleksei German Sr., Kira Muratova, Andrei Tarkovsky, Sergei Parajanov, and Larisa Shepit'ko, to others less familiar in the West: Sergei Solovyov, Roman Balayan, Otar Iosseliani, Tengiz Aduladze, and Ali Khamraev. Hailing from a range of Soviet republics, they all impacted the Soviet cinematic sphere despite harsh censorship and the repression of artists throughout the nation. By integrating cinematic and theoretical perspectives into a discussion of auteur Soviet films, this volume illuminates the significance of a cinematic trend that took place in both Soviet culture and international film history.

Contributors: Robert Efird, Tim Harte, Lilya Kaganovsky, David Gomiero Molina, Lida Oukaderova, Elizabeth A. Papazian, Marina Rojavin, Rita Safariants, Sydney Stotter, Sergey Toymentsev