Victory, Victory, Victory!
The Apotheosis of the Second World War in Russian Cinema
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Feature films about the Great Patriotic War have been experiencing a boom in Russia for several years. Thanks to generous support from state funds, a flood of new productions has emerged that form part of the country’s general martial and patriotic mental rearmament. These films increasingly pay homage to an unadulterated cult of victory. Productions that are critical of war as such have disappeared. Instead, today’s films and television series often present combat as a (computer) adventure enriched with special effects. The new cinematic canon is characterized not only by a romanticization of war, but also by a revival of Stalin and a close connection to the Orthodox Church.
(Osteuropa 12/2022, pp. 165–181)