Josephine Woll - Böcker

This text investigates and analyzes Soviet cinema of "the thaw", from the aftermath of Stalin's death in 1953 to the late 1960s, during Khruschev's rule. Josephine Woll explains how Soviet industry and film-makers strove to satisfy audiences' hunger for films, whilst accommodating politics.

Tengiz Abuladze's allegorical film, made in Georgia, is the best known film of the perestroika and glasnost years. With its outspoken and controversial reference to the Stalin era and Stalin's place in the Soviet psyche, 'Repentance' was originally shelved but ultimately released in 1986 to widespread popular and critical acclaim. This _KINOfile_ investigates the production, context and critical reception of the film, the people who made it, and provides an analysis of the film itself and its place in world cinema.

Arguably the first masterpiece of post-Stalinist cinema, "The Cranes are Flying" is an intersection of politics and art. A product of Khruschev's "Thaw", its sympathetic portrayal of human beings affected by World War II, and its highly individual style won awards worldwide. Josephine Woll examines questions of theme and genre, the controversial representation of heroism and the audience reaction to these issues, as well as production, content, style and context.