Russia and its Other(s) on Film: Screening Intercultural Dialogue (Studies in Central and Eastern Europe)

This volume applies two fashionable theoretical paradigms--"The Other" and "intercultural dialogue"--to Russian film and television. Russia's Interactions With The West Have Been A Perennial Theme Of Slavic Studies, And Of Russian Culture And Politics. Likewise, Representations Of Russia Have Shaped The Identities Of Many Western Cultures. No Longer Providing The 'evil Empire' Of Twentieth-century American Popular Consciousness, Images Of Russia Have More Recently Bifurcated Along Two Streams: That Of The Impoverished Refugee And That Of The Sinister Mafia Gang. Focusing On Film As An Engine Of Intercultural Communication, This Is The First Book To Explore Mutual Perceptions Of The Foreign Other In The Cinema Of Russia And The West During, And After, Communism. The Book's Structure Reflects Both Sides Of This Fascinating Dialogue: Part I Covers Russian/soviet Cinematic Representations Of Otherness, And Part Ii Treats Western Representations Of Russia And The Soviet Union. An Extensive Introduction Sets The Dialogue In A Theoretical Context. The Contributors Include Leading Film Scholars From The Usa, Europe And Russia.--jacket. Scant Sign Of Thaw : Fear And Anxiety In The Representation Of Foreigners In The Soviet Films Of The Khrushchev Years / Julian Graffy -- 'the Italians Are Coming!' Italy And The 'other' In Soviet Cinema / David Gillespie -- In The Cuckoo's Nest : From A Postcolonial Wondertale To A Post-authoritarian Parable / Mark Lipovetsky -- Sokurov's Russian Ark : Reflections On The Russia/europe Theme / Isabelle De Keghel -- The New American Other In Post-soviet Russian Cinema / Seth Graham -- Lost In Translation? Early Soviet Sound Film Abroad / Jeremy Hicks -- Cinema Thinking The Unthinkable : Cold War Film And The Non-reality Of Russia / Irina Sandomirskaia -- Bilingualism, Miscegenation And Incest In East/west And Indochine : Russia's Place In The French Postcolonial Imagination / Stephen Hutchings -- Through The 'other' Lens? Russians On The Global Screen / Birgit Beumers -- Russian Marital Migrants In Contemporary Film / Karin Sarsenov -- Angle, Avenger Or Trickster? The 'second-world Man' As The Other And The Self / Mark Lipovetsky And Daniil Leiderman. Edited By Stephen Hutchings. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 226-232) And Index. Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Introduction....Pages 1-24 Front Matter....Pages 25-25 Scant Sign of Thaw: Fear and Anxiety in the Representation of Foreigners in the Soviet Films of the Khrushchev Years....Pages 27-46 ‘The Italians are Coming!’ Italy and the ‘Other’ in Soviet Cinema....Pages 47-61 In the Cuckoo’s Nest: From a Postcolonial Wondertale to a Post-Authoritarian Parable....Pages 62-76 Sokurov’s Russian Ark: Reflections on the Russia/Europe Theme....Pages 77-94 The New American Other in Post-Soviet Russian Cinema....Pages 95-110 Front Matter....Pages 111-111 Lost in Translation? Early Soviet Sound Film Abroad....Pages 113-129 Cinema Thinking the Unthinkable: Cold War Film and the Non-Reality of Russia....Pages 130-147 Bilingualism, Miscegenation and Incest in East/West and Indochine: Russia’s Place in the French Postcolonial Imagination....Pages 148-165 Through the ‘Other’ Lens? Russians on the Global Screen....Pages 166-183 Russian Marital Migrants in Contemporary Film....Pages 184-198 Angel, Avenger or Trickster? The ‘Second-World Man’ as the Other and the Self....Pages 199-219 Conclusion....Pages 220-225 Back Matter....Pages 226-242 Russia's interactions with the West have been a perennial theme of Slavic Studies, and of Russian culture and politics. Likewise, representations of Russia have shaped the identities of many western cultures. No longer providing the 1Evil Empire2 of 20th American popular consciousness, images of Russia have more recently bifurcated along two streams : that of the impoverished refugee and that of the sinister mafia gang. Focusing on film as an engine of intercultural communication, this is the first book to explore mutual perceptions of the foreign Other in the cinema of Russia and the West during, and after, communism. The book's structure reflects both sides of this fascinating dialogue : Part 1 covers Russian/Soviet cinematic representations of otherness, and Part 2 treats western representations of Russia and the Soviet Union. An extensive Introduction sets the dialogue in a theoretical context. The contributors include leading film scholars from the USA, Europe and Russia.--Résumé de l'éditeur