HIEU 1502, Section 2

Russian History through Film
Mr. Geraci

In this introductory seminar, first- and second-year students will become familiar with some of the major events and eras in the history of Russia and its empire through detailed analysis of some of the most important films produced in and about Russia in the past century.  Besides being an introduction to Russian history and culture, the seminar aims to get students thinking about the fundamental problems historians grapple with as they reconstruct and represent the past.   

We will be asking two different sets of questions about the interaction between history and film in Russia.  1) First, how have films acted as secondary historical sources, i.e. to portray historical reality and disseminate it to a broad public (not only within Russia but internationally)?  What are the principal challenges of making and interpreting films about past eras and major historical events?  Is there a discernible line between the educational and propagandistic uses of historical films?  2) Second, how can films (not only “historical” films but more broadly) be used as primary sources for understanding Russia’s 20th- and 21st-century history?  What exactly can they tell us about Russian/Soviet society that other sources cannot, or not as effectively?  

The dozen or so films we focus most closely on will include several of the following, many of which are considered masterpieces of world cinema:  Andrei Rublev (Andrei Tarkovskii, 1966); Ivan the Terrible (Sergei Eisenstein, 1944-1945); War and Peace (Sergei Bondarchuk, 1967); The Battleship Potemkin (Eisenstein, 1925); Agony/Rasputin (Aleksey Petrenko, 1975); Doctor Zhivago (David Lean, 1965); Bed and Sofa (Abram Room, 1927); Circus (Grigorii Aleksandrov, 1936); The Cranes Are Flying (Mikhail Kolotozov, 1957); Burnt by the Sun (Nikita Mikhalkov, 1994); Siberiade (Andrei Konchalovskii, 1979); Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears (Vladimir Menshov, 1979); Repentance (Tengiz Abuladze, 1987); Little Vera (Vasilii Pichul, 1988); Brother (Aleksei Balabanov, 1997); and The Vanished Empire (Karen Shakhnazarov, 2008).  For historical context, we will be using Gregory L. Freeze, ed., A History of Russia; Birgit Beumers, A History of Russian Cinema; and articles on specialized topics.  For conceptual purposes we will be reading Robert Rosenstone, History on Film / Film on History.  

Students will write graded essays both on assigned films and a film of their own choice, and will be expected to engage in seminar discussion.  No exams will be given.  No previous knowledge of Russian history, culture, or language is required.