«I don’t want to watch every Sunday how I slash someone again»: The Memory of the Civil War, the Cinema and the Viewer’s Reception in the 1920s
Journal: Connexe les espaces postcommunistes en question(s)
Year: 2021

During the 1920s in the USSR, the theme of the Civil War became an essential part of the mass culture of the period, and more specifically of Soviet film production. Produced in a context of shortages – experienced filmmakers and celluloid were lacking –, these films, which portrayed a simplified vision of events, had an essential propaganda purpose for the new Bolshevik regime. This article analyses the reception of these films on the basis of public discussions and opinion polls in cinemas amo