The Gor´kii Film Studio in the Stagnation Period

In this work-in-progress seminar, SSEES MPhil/PhD candidate Serian Carlyle will discuss her research into the Gor´kii Film Studio in the Stagnation period of the Soviet Union.

One of eighteen Soviet film studios, the Gor´kii Studio is perhaps most famous for its controversial films The Commissar (Komissar, Askol´dov, 1967/1988) and Little Vera (Mal´enkaia Vera, Pichul, 1988). However, for much of its history, the studio primarily saw the release of more “lowbrow” cinema, aimed to appeal to a wide audience, many of which remain popular with audiences today. In her research, Serian explores trends in the Stagnation period through case study films from significant genres from the studio’s output.

The Brezhnev period saw an increasing focus on profitable cinema from the state, which is reflected in the studio’s prolific output of popular films. In addition to the pressure for wide attendance facing the industry as a whole, the studio was also ostensibly tasked with the production of youth cinema through its title as the Central Gor´kii Studio for Children’s and Young People’s Films (Tsentral´naia Kinostudiia detskikh i iunosheskikh fil´mov imeni Gor´kogo). Over the next decades, genres aimed at children, young people, and families, such as fairy-tale, science-fiction, adventure, and school films, received greater attention within the studio. However, the studio also continued to make films for adults. Through her research, Serian aims to develop a historic understanding of the studio’s aims, function, and development in this period, including the extent to which output was affected by the studio’s nominative focus on youth cinema.

In this presentation, Serian will provide an overview of her project and work to date. She will explain the rationale for this focus as well as its potential benefit to the field. She will then outline her methodology and future research plans. Feedback and advice are welcomed and appreciated.

Image credit: Serian Carlyle (edited)