Actual films of the Cold War: comparative analysis

Volume 3, Number 4, 2018, P. 79–83

[ SOCIOLOGICAL SCIENCES ]

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Abstract:

This article, based on sociological surveys and American and Russian ratings of films from the period of the Cold War, is devoted to an analyzing which films of the period under review retain their significance today. The author comes to the conclusion that the deteriorating assessments of relations between Russia and the United States contribute to an increase in the estimates of the likelihood of the resumption of the Cold War between the two countries. In connection with the prevailing state of public opinion, we can talk about the preservation of the relevance of the films of the Cold War period. Cinema was one of the tools in the struggle between the two countries to form the image of the enemy in the minds of viewers. Films created during this period still influence the opinions of those who watch them. As shown in the analysis of film ratings, Americanmade films are to a large extent regarded as Cold War films. Most often, the lists featured American films made in the 1960s, namely, in the years of worsening relations between the two countries. The American films of the Cold War period show open opposition between the USSR and the USA, as well as between communist and capitalist worlds in general. In the ratings of Soviet films of the Cold War period, although they include films about the open confrontation of the two states, more often they include films showing the negative aspects of the American way of life.

Keywords:

Russian-American relationship, Soviet cinema, American cinema, Cold War

Author:

Karusheva Yu.M., Saint Petersburg State University grant Contractor, PhD student, Chair of sociology and human resources management, Ivanovo state university, Russia

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