Onward to the Shining Future: Animation and the Big Soviet Lie

• Main Author: FFH
• Format: Moving Image (Video)
• Language: unknown
• Published: Films for the Humanities & Sciences 2006
• Subjects: Communications; samoyed*
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2374.OX/185410

Soviet film studios worked hard to portray their government's system as idyllic and forward-looking. This program showcases animated films designed to promote that utopian vision. Soviet Toys, the earliest known example of Soviet animation, condemns Lenin's New Economic Policy; The Victorious Destination celebrates the achievements of Stalin's first five-year plan; Samoyed Boy praises the Soviet educational system and the casting-off of antiquated traditions; and Hot Stone, Music Box, and Songs of the Years of Fire rejoice over the passing of Czarist imperialism and the establishment of a new, benevolent society. Eleven films total, plus commentary from Russian State Film School professor Igor Kokarev, political cartoonist Boris Yefimov, and director/animator Fyodor Khitruk. (135 minutes) Portions are in Russian with English subtitles.