Svalbard in Polish Documentaries (1930s–2020s): A Conceptualized Inventory

• Published in: Slavonic and East European Review
• Main Authors: Rogatchevski, Andrei, Szymala, Jacek
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Project MUSE 2023
• Subjects: Literature and Literary Theory; Linguistics and Language; Sociology and Political Science; History; Language and Linguistics; Cultural Studies; Svalbard
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/see.2023.a923983

Abstract: This article presents the first catalogue and analysis of over fifty Polish documentaries about Svalbard, filmed during the ninety years of Polish presence on the archipelago. Four distinct periods of such documentary-making have beenidentified and characterized: the heroic (in the 1930s), the exotic (in the 1950s–1960s), the routine (in the 1970–1990s)and the ethical (1990s to the present). Common and specific trends for these periods have been detected and comparisons with other nations' films about Svalbard (predominantly Russian and Norwegian) are drawn, while possible future directions and topics for Polish film-making about Svalbard are considered.