SOVIET CINEMATOGRAPH AS A HISTORICAL SOURCE IN CONTEMPORARY RUSSIAN HISTORIOGRAPHY

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the use of soviet cinema as a historical source in modern Russian historiography. The purpose of the study is a definition of current trends and main streams in this field of historical science. The author considers some methodological aspects and most popular topics raised by the researchers, highlighting the works of a historical perspective. The following approaches in historiography are distinguished: the study of cinema as a historical source of daily and political history of a particular era; cinematography as a tool of official soviet ideology and indoctrination; reflection in films of society’s dominant views on historical events of pre-revolutionary Russia and USSR; cinematography as a teacher suggesting “correct” patterns of behavior for Soviet Union’s citizens; the creation of an actual image of “enemies” in cinema.