Beumers, B: History of Russian Cinema

Contents Introduction 1. The Silent Era: The beginnings of Russian cinema (1908-1919) 2. Cinema and the Revolution: art vs the masses? (1919-40) 3. War and Cold War: The Leader and the Enemy (1941-1956) 4. The Thaw: New Beginnings, Individual Lives (1956-64) 5. Stagnation Blockbusters: Comedies and adventures (1964-1986) 6. Between ideology and art (1964-1986) 7. Glasnost and its aftermath (1986-2000) 8. Russian cinema today (2000-) Conclusion Bibliography

Birgit Beumers is Reader in Russian in the School of Modern Languages at Bristol University. She is author of Nikita Mikhalkov: Between Nostalgia and Nationalism and PopCulture: Russia! and editor of Russia on Reels: The Russian Idea in Post-Soviet Cinema and 24 Frames: Russia and the Soviet Union. She is also editor of the journals, KinoKultura and Studies in Russian and Soviet Cinema.

'An indispensable addition to any library, this superbly researched and engagingly written history of Russian cinema will be the standard reference for years to come. Beumers introduces readers to the rich complexity of Russian cinema and convincingly demonstrates the key role played by the 'most important art' in Russian, Soviet, and post-Soviet culture.' Denise J. Youngblood, Professor of History, University of Vermont A comprehensive history of Russian cinema has not been available until the publication of this book. In short, [Beumers] has provided a most effective presentation of Russian movies as art. Slavic and East European Journal This is an excellent resource for students of film and history. P.H. Stacy, CHOICE Magazine As valuable as it is timely and would be ideal for use in survey courses on the history of Russian and Soviet cinema, and periods therein. It deserves a long publishing life, with regularly updated editions. Cultural & Social History The best account to date of Russian cinema in all its forms and guises ... A History of Russian Cinema is the important companion that teachers of Russian cinema have been waiting for. It gives precious reading on all the major films that are likely to be on the curriculum of Russian cinema courses, and Beumers' extensive knowledge of Russian theatre gives the book a personal touch that no existing account can match. A study of the intricate star system of Russian cinema could find no better pen than Beumers'. Europe-Asia Studies