Soviet censorship. Who banned films and how?

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

“Of all the arts, cinema is the most important for us,” asserted the Soviet regime, for which cinema became an instrument of propaganda, and for directors it was hard labor. The authorities checked the scripts, supervised the work of the film crews, and the films themselves underwent numerous checks before screenings. However, then Soviet cinema reached a new level, and films turned from propaganda tools into works of art. The article describes how censorship developed in the USSR and who and how banned films.

Soviet censorship in cinema of the 20s

During this period, cinematography was not a separate art form, but an instrument of propaganda - the idea is embodied in the famous phrase of the leader "You must firmly remember that cinema is the most important of all arts for us." All films were pre-screened in several stages, counter-revolutionary ideas were immediately rejected.

In 1918, the Bolshevik government organized the State Commission on Public Education, which, among other things, was involved in the development of cinema. It promoted Bolshevik ideas and assured people of a happy future that could only be achieved through communism. The Moscow and Petrograd film committees were created. A "propaganda" train was launched, in which film crews, a printing house and actors literally lived. He traveled to the cities of Russia, collected footage from different villages, and all this turned into a general propaganda film. By 1935, there were over 1,000 mobile cinemas that were spreading Bolshevik ideas, including to ordinary workers.

During the Civil War (1917-1923), the cinema deliberately ignored the October Revolution, the works did not reflect reality at all. In this indirect way, the directors tried to express their negative attitude towards the revolution and the Bolsheviks.

In 1919, a decree was signed on the nationalization of cinema, according to which all photographs and films were under the control of the committee under A. V. Lunacharsky. There were private film companies, but the authorities watched over them too. August 27 was celebrated in Soviet times as the Day of Cinema.

The main directions in cinematography were newsreels and propaganda films. Dramas were popular among genres, documentary films were completely different from modern ones: they had a clear script, the operator did not interfere in the process, and the “inappropriate” events that fell into the frame were cut out. The directors had practically no opportunity for self-expression, and they acted according to the approved plans. A popular chronicle in those days was the film "Proletarian Holiday in Moscow", in which Lenin was filmed.

Nevertheless, it was from the 1920s that the history of documentary cinema began in Russia. In 1922 Dziga Vertov's film "The History of the Civil War" was released. It showed the hostilities and battles of the Red Army, which, as planned by the authorities, heroically saved the country from leftist ideas.

In 1920, at the VIII Congress of Soviets, Lenin showed a short film about peat mining to showcase developing industrial work. This was the first time that a movie was used as part of a presentation.

Anti-religious films also became popular, for example "The Tale of the Priest Pankrat", "Spiders and Flies". With the help of these films, the authorities talked about the dangers of religion, its negative impact on consciousness and, in contrast, promoted Bolshevik ideas. Most of the films were military-related, they called to join the Red Army and openly showed a hostile attitude towards deserters.

In the 1920s, film adaptations began to appear for the first time. One of the first was the film by Alexander Razumovsky "Mother" based on the novel of the same name by Maxim Gorky. It told about the torment of the protagonist: from arrests to the death of his father. The motion picture was considered "revolutionary" because it was the first to show the brutality of the Bolsheviks. The same director filmed The Thief Magpie based on Herzen's story.

All films that were shown in the RSFSR had to be registered and numbered in the People's Commissariat for Education. Private cinemas also began to appear, but they showed only "reviewed" works, and for the authorities it was primarily income in the form of rent.

In 1924, the Association for Revolutionary Cinematography (ARC) was founded. Her task was to attract young directors who were able to create something new and unconventional. Within the framework of this organization, the Society of Friends of Soviet Cinema (UDSK) was created, in which discussions and conversations with moviegoers were held, whose opinion was heard for the first time. Art began to focus not only on power, but also on the interests of the people, but films continued to be censored. In the 1920s, the "Repertoire Index" appeared, which regulated theatrical performances and films, and also presented a list of forbidden topics.

With the advent of Sovkino, censorship intensified: censorship of scripts was introduced, and the process of reviewing films began to be controlled

However, even in such harsh conditions, names began to appear that went down in the history of Soviet cinema. The "innovators" Dziga Vertov, directors Lev Kuleshov (1899-1970) and Sergei Eisenstein (1898-1948) became famous - it was they who began to develop socialist realism, the idea of which was to show not reality, but the future, to which the Russian people will come.

In 1928, the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR adopted a resolution "On the main directives for drawing up a five-year plan for the development of filmmaking in the RSFSR." From now on, foreign films were completely banned, while the production technical base of cinematography began to actively expand, which provided new opportunities for filming and allowed cinema to reach a new level. For example, Eisenstein's films became popular abroad as well: sketches of a bright socialist future were supposed to present the country in the best possible light.

Censorship in the war and post-war period

In 1941-1945, all cinema was aimed at covering military events and maintaining a fighting spirit: the ideas of national patriotism and assurances of the unconditional victory of the Russian people were actively promoted. Famous films were “Mashenka” by Y. Raizman, “Zoya” by L. Arnshtam, “Two Soldiers” by L. Lukov.

After the war, cinema participated in the creation of the personality cult of Stalin, who was shown as a genius commander and strategist: many films were considered by the leader personally, and censorship was also concentrated in his hands. For example, the second part of Eisenstein's famous film about Ivan the Terrible was banned by Stalin due to the distortion of historical facts. “Ivan the Terrible was a man with a will, with character, while Eisenstein has a kind of weak-willed Hamlet,” wrote in a review in the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks. The film was released only in 1958, after Stalin's death.

Since all cinematography was funded by the state, and the work of private film crews still got previewed by the authorities, the films continued to be of a political orientation and it was impossible to show "opposition" works. The scripts were tested, the plots were forbidden to use professions that required a higher education, the films told about the importance of ordinary workers, the role of the collective farm was elevated.

Cinematography got off the ground only after Stalin's death. In 1956, N. Khrushchev made a report in which he exposed the personality cult of Stalin and the totalitarian regime. The Central Committee of the CPSU continued to view cinema as the main form of art, but now measures were taken to increase the production of films, the development of private film crews, and the abolition of total control over the process of film production itself was introduced. By the end of the 50s, about 400 films had been created.

Nevertheless, despite the relaxations from the authorities, the ideological commissions of the Central Committee continued to check films and, in fact, remained censors.

Foreign films began to appear on the screens again, but more attention was paid to Soviet ones, new names sounded: Marlene Martynovich Khutsiev, Yakov Alexandrovich Segel, Eldar Alexandrovich Ryazanov.

In 1957, Mikhail Konstantinovich Kalatozov's film "The Cranes Are Flying" was shot, which received the "Golden Palm" at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, which was the first time for Soviet cinema. In 1959, the film "The Fate of a Man" was released, it received the main prize at the Moscow International Film Festival (MIFF) in 1959.

Thaw

In 1961, representatives of the Central Committee declared: "The party solemnly proclaims: the current generation of Soviet people will live under communism!" The authorities decided to enter a new cultural level: "Soviet literature, music, painting, cinematography, theater, television, all types of art will reach new heights in the development of ideological content and artistic skill." Cultural figures have become freer, they have an opportunity for self-expression, new genres have begun to appear, for example, comedy.

During the thaw, directors paid attention to children and young people for whom a new free world was opening up. The Thaw Manifesto was the film “I’m twenty years old” (or “Ilyich's Outpost”) by Marlen Khutsiev, in which the director showed the conflict between fathers and children, the generation gap and alienation from military ideas. The film was released in the 60s, but it was removed from the box office after the words of Khrushchev.

Scientists also began to be shown on the screens: earlier they tried to show the audience only collective farm workers. For example, the film Nine Days in One Year told about the life of young nuclear physicists - it was a new, almost fantastic genre, where the focus was not on the problem of science, but on the person himself and his attitude to work.

In the 60s, documentary cinema became a full-fledged form of art, and the authorities stopped interfering in the work of documentary filmmakers.

The thaw in Soviet cinema became an important period in the development of art in general. The dialogue "director - spectator", "person - person", and not "power - citizen" was built. In the films, they stopped imposing the ideas of the party leadership, and in the center was a man with his experiences, a lost state, freedom with which he did not know how to handle. For the first time, humanistic ideas began to be promoted, and artists had the opportunity to express themselves.