# Socialist Realism in Film

Socialist Realism was the official doctrine of art produced in the Soviet Union, through which the emerging medium of film took prominence. The doctrine mandated an idealized depiction of society under socialism, with Soviet film of the era conforming to standards approved by the First Congress of Soviet Writers. Lenin would pose cinema as the most important medium of art for the time. Following World War II, communist countries such as China would apply the socialist realist doctrine to their films in order to portray an idealized picture of the country. A major concern of Socialist Realist film was to depict an optimistic view of socialist and classless society. While this style was meant to induce reality, films were often designed to promote a message or paradigm adhering to the socialist vision.

## The Musical Comedy
### Development

During the 1930s, there was doubt in Russia about whether the rapidly advancing country could support film due to the medium's lack of audience support. Throughout the 1920s, foreign films would receive more box-office success in Russia than their domestic counterparts. Advances in sound technology of the time led most positive reception toward the musical, which allowed evolution in the sphere of acting. This shifted the emphasis of film away from montage and towards actors, following the ideological shift towards the individual as a part of collective Russia.
Soviet cinema mirrored guidelines set by the the First Congress of Soviet Writers during the 1930s, meant to portray a positive view of revolutionary reality. In particular, films of the time were designed to both to be understood by and appeal to a general audience. The musical comedy was discovered as an optimal means to depict the socialist utopia. Its main goal was to translate the optimistic possibility of the world on screen to the lives of the audience. In doing so, it would present films that a Russian audience was interested in supporting, rather than being coerced to watch.
The height of the musical comedy in the Soviet Union took place from the mid 1930s to the early 1940s. It's success was closely tied with the advent of Socialist Realist policies in Russia. The genre was most suited to connect an ideal future with present development in the country, while still maintaining the importance of a collective and centralized government. While foreign critiques at this time would dismiss Soviet musical comedies as unrealistic and romanticized, others found that they were able to accurately translate Stalin's ideas for the depiction of Russia in art. Both the rising fame of individual actors and the use of music were closely tied towards the genre's growth during this period.
The late 1940s led to a decrease in the popularity of the musical comedy. This is due to a shifting focus in Soviet film towards the war, after which Khrushchev's "thaw" period in the mid 1950s would loosen restrictions in the Socialist Realist guidelines and allow for a more diverse range of released films. Khrushchev would criticize Soviet film of the time for a false depiction of Soviet prosperity and an overstated emphasis on Stalin. This would signal a shift in the doctrine of Socialist Realism and the utilization of the musical comedy, which eventually led to the genre's decline.