Cinema of The Soviet Union - 1960s-70s

1960s-70s

The 1960s and 1970s saw the creation of many films, many of which molded Soviet and post-Soviet culture. They include:

• I Step Through Moscow (1963)
• Operation Y and Other Shurik's Adventures (1965) and its sequel, Kidnapping, Caucasian Style (1966)
• War and Peace (1966-67) Sergei Bondarchuk's adaption of Tolstoy's novel, with a budget of 8.5 million rubles, a running time of seven hours, and utilizing thousands of extras. It was the first Russian film to receive an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
• Andrei Rublev (1966) won various international awards, such as FIPRESCI.
• The Colour of Pomegranates (1968) had a limited release inside the Soviet Union and wasn't seen abroad until years later, but has received critical acclaim since.
• The Diamond Arm (1968), the last four comedies, especially Diamond Arm, have contributed a lot of humorous quotes.
• White Sun of the Desert (1970), a classic "Eastern", although with dubious stereotyping of central Asians. It is ritually watched by cosmonauts before launches, and has contributed many quotes to the Russian language such as 'The East is a delicate matter'. Its theme tune became a huge hit.
• Solaris (1972)
• Gentlemen of Fortune (1972) starring Yevgeny Leonov
• The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath! (1975)
• Office Romance (1977)
• Moscow Does Not Believe In Tears (1979) won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1980.

Soviet films tend to be rather culture-specific and are difficult for many foreigners to understand without having been exposed to the culture first. Various Soviet directors were more concerned with artistic success than with economical success (They were paid by the academy, and so money was not a critical issue). This contributed to the creation of a large number of more philosophical and poetical films. Most well-known examples of such films are those by directors Andrei Tarkovsky, Sergei Parajanov and Nikita Mikhalkov. In keeping with Russian character, tragi-comedies were very popular. These decades were also prominent in the production of the Eastern or Red Western.

Animation was a respected genre, with many directors experimenting with technique. Tale of Tales (1979) by Yuriy Norshteyn was twice given the title of "Best Animated Film of All Eras and Nations" by animation professionals from around the world, in 1984 and 2002.

In the year of the 60th anniversary of the Soviet cinema (1979), on April 25, a decision of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR established a commemorative "Day of the Soviet cinema". It was then celebrated in the USSR each year on August 27, the day on which Vladimir Lenin signed a decree to nationalise the country's cinematic and photographic industries.