American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages

The New Century: Has the Russian Pandora's Time Come? Author(s): Irina Makoveeva Source: The Slavic and East European Journal, Vol. 51, No. 2, Special Forum Issue: Resent, Reassess, and Reinvent: The Three R's of Post-Soviet Cinema (Summer, 2007), pp. 247-271 Published by: American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20459476 . Accessed: 23/08/2013 21:54
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Slavic and East European Journal.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 198.91.37.2 on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 21:54:14 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

THE NEW CENTURY: HAS THE RUSSIAN PANDORA'S TIME COME?

Irina Makoveeva, Vanderbilt University

Ifone acceptsthe notionthat theexistence andviability of such"a hybrid con cept" (Butler2) as women's cinema restson thecollectiveefforts of film makers,spectators, critics, and scholars, onemust acknowledge that currently stage.In a 1999 article, Russianwomen's cinema is in itsembryonic Almira Usmanova admitsthat Russianwomen's cinema exists in a po post-Soviet vacuum,because it is alienatedfrom move litical and socio-cultural political ments (includingfeminism) and lacksnot only a mechanism to ensure its financing and distribution, but also a context foritspublicdiscussionand ac ceptance(228).Nevertheless, both the influx ofwomen intothefilm powerful the in era of industry the following collapse theSovietUnion and a gradually increasing on the part treat self-awareness of female cultural producers justify ofwomen's cinemaas a separate ofpost-Soviet ingthe phenomenon facet film. women's occupying Russian/Soviet cinemaneverformally Although opposed in thein otherthanthose of performers, their inclusion as directors positions rather norm. thanthe annalshas been theexception dustry's Maia Turovskaiabegins her chronicle of Russianwomen's cinema'with made herdirectorial debut theyear 1916,whenOlga Preobrazhenskaia with thefilm Baryshnia-Krest'ianka (Mistressinto Maid) (Attwood141-42). The directors double link betweencinemaand thenextcropof female -notably, an actress),andMargaritaBar Yulia Solntseva (originally Vera Stroeva, and their male direc skaia-through their professional activity marriages to
The first version would ers at SEEJ like to thank Helena of this paper was presented and Bozenna Goscilo, for their help with this article. at the 2004 AAASS Daniel convention in Boston. review I Peris, and the two anonymous

term "women's 1. The ambiguous cinema," as I employ it throughout the article, refers to films that are made by women, frequently but not exclusively about women, and only to a cer em In theWest, the term "women's films" ("weepies"), tain extent for women. meanwhile, braces the Hollywood films produced mostly in the 1930-1940s, chiefly for a female audience. Ira K?nigsberg contends that these films "were normally melodramas with a plot dealing with romance, family, or some kind of conflict between self-assertion and self-sacrifice that led to suffering" (463). Vol. 51, No. 2 (2007): p. 247-p. 271 247

much SEEJ,

This content downloaded from 198.91.37.2 on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 21:54:14 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

248

Slavic and East European Journal

tors (Grigory Roshal, AleksandrDovzhenko, and PetrChardynin,respec tively)encourages twopossible and contradictory interpretations. Such an interconnection betweenprivateand professionallives may signaleitherthe long-sought balance between"procreation" and "creation"(Goscilo 45) that the exceptionalepoch of the 1920s attempted to provide for the Soviet marital/male then woman, or theneed forsupplementary to support required in the become a creatrix male domainof film predominantly production.2 as cre During the1930s and40s,women filmmakers yielded their identity atrices to the fameof theircreations.For instance, Tatiana Lukashevich, whose most famousfilm, Podkidysh(TheFoundling,1939),unitedsuch leg Zolushka (Cin whose elegant versionofCinderella, Nadezhda Kosheverova, her long-lasting devotionto thegenreof "the in derella, 1947), inaugurated of Soviet femaledirectors Later generations tellectual fairytale."3 received of their more recognition as theauthors ownworks.Despite viewers'aware ness of such filmmakers as Dinara Asanova, Svetlana Druzhinina,Lana Gogoberidze,Tatiana Lioznova, Kira Muratova, Larisa Shepitko,andAlla a gendered women's films were notperceivedfrom Surikova, however,these of thesamephenomenon. as diverse But thelarge manifestations perspective and growing number of femaledirectors working today may finallyinitiate sucha feminist evaluation. The diversegroup of contemporary femaledirectors unites,on theone auteursasMuratova,whose controversial hand,suchrenowned are fre films of cinematographic quentlyat theepicenter debates,and,on theother hand, suchveterans ofmainstream genresas Svetlana At Druzhininaand Surikova. the verycoreof today'sfemale who started their ca assemblageare creatrices reersin the late 1980s- a group represented byLidia Bobrova,Olga Narut skaia, Natalia Piankova, Svetlana Proskurina,Elena Raiskaia, Larisa Sadilova, and Elena Tsyplakova.Raised and educated during the Soviet in theperestroika epoch, emerging professionally period andmaturing in more thantheir era, they, post-Soviet precursors and successors, best perhaps Theiruniquenessas prod mirrorthe Soviet and the post-Soviet phenomenon. ucts of various epochs makes them ideal representatives of post-Soviet
2. male In her recent article "Amazonki element russkogo (Esfir Shub, Aleksandra Khokhlova, sian cine-avant-garde. Such an attempt to rescue to the society's readiness 3. For avangarda" Elizaveta stresses the fe (2003), Turovskaia Svilova, and Lilia Brik) in the Rus these names from historical oblivion may bear

endary women

as Agnia

Barto, Rina

Zelenaia,

and Faina Ranevskaia;

or

witness

instance, Oleg Dal, orable films: Staraia, staraia theymade him more famous

to perceive its film history in gendered terms. one of the Soviet cinema's mythic figures, acted in her most mem skazka (Old, Old Fairy Tale, 1968) and Ten' (Shadow, than their director. I would like to disagree with David 1971). And Gillespie's films" (101).

are "generally undistinguished works after Zolushka judgment thatKosheverova's Theatrically staged and masterfully performed within the artificial realm of fairy tales, most of her films wittily narrate stories about contemporary vices in accordance with the traditions of allegorical tales for adults, and, to a certain extent, anticipate Mark Zakharov's films.

This content downloaded from 198.91.37.2 on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 21:54:14 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

The New Century: Has theRussian Pandora's Time Come?

249

context. Of these,the threeI discuss inde women's cinema in a historical tail- Sadilova, Piankova, andBobrova-have much in common,including their moderationinchallenging Soviet traditions. a list cine-creatrices would be incomplete Simultaneously, of contemporary women directors -Ekaterina Grokhovskaia, without thenames of younger Vera Storozheva, and Marina Razbezh RenataLitvinova, AvdotiaSmirnova, I argueagainst critical attention. kina-whose first films garneredimmediate (assumingthattheterm post-Sovietsig their statusas post-Soviet directors even ifone of dismissal,to the Soviet era) because,when nals a relationship, ex itas their past.To a certain they visualize the Sovietpast, they failto treat are estranged gazes and voices are freefromit. tent, they fromit,and their paper. Therefore their works arenot at thecoreof this ofAnglophoneSlavists in the Russian cinemaduring Thanks to theinterest ofwomen's writingas a con lastdecade and thesimultaneous legitimation now address"women's issues"as projected ceptualcategory, diversestudies aredou on thescreen.In examining male-oriented films, thesestudies mostly on the one hand, Russian/Soviet cinema'sprevail bly revealing. They reflect, of femalestoriesto male authority,4 ing tendency to entrust thearticulation on theother AmericanSlavic film studies'acceptanceof and attest, hand, to male discourse to represent the femalevoice.While I concurwith Ann women are notnecessarily more progressive or for Kaplan that "biological terms than are men, and the 'male' and 'female' do biological ward-looking sex to or or link masculine feminine behaviours not automatically biological confine my discussion to films certain filmgenres" (25), I nevertheless and directed bywomen. scripted perspective, todis This approachreflects my desire to localize thefemale itfrom the male pointof view,and toreveal despitethe polyphonic tinguish topost-Sovietcinema-a sufficient number nature ofwomen's contribution to a women's films justify gendered of similarities dissection of the among cinematic "body."My centralconcern is whetherRussian androgynous their have liberated counterpart women directors "gaze" fromitscontrolling themselves aswell as the women in theaudi and succeeded in"revisioning" ence and on thescreen.Films bymale Soviet directors serveas the litmus paper inmy textualanalyses. In other Berger's words, I explorewhether
such films as Oleg Frelikh's Prostitutka 1927), Alek (The Prostitute, Chlen pravitel'stva 1937), Vladimir Batalov's Baby (Member of the Government, 1940), Pavel Liubimov's Zhenshchiny (The Women, 1965), Gleb Pan (The Village Women, the Floor, Strannaia zhenshchina filov's Proshu slova (May I Have 1975), Yuly Raizman's 4. Suffice it to name sandr Zarkhi's zhenshchina Krishtofovich's Odinokaia zhelaet poz 1977), Viacheslav (Strange Woman, nakomit'sia Woman Viktor Seeks Aristov's Trudno pervye sto (Lonely Life Companion, 1986), Sergei werkh 2003), Livnev's Kiks (The Miss, Stanislav Strizhenov and Sergei Ginzburg's 1991), Aleksandr Upast' Govorukhin's zhenshchinu (Bless the Woman, Blagoslovite

Interdevochka let(The First 100 YearsAreDifficult,1988),PetrTodorovsky's 1989), (Intergirl,

(Fall Up, 2002), and others.

This content downloaded from 198.91.37.2 on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 21:54:14 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

250

Slavic and East European Journal in herself is male: the surveyed fe

male" (47) holds trueforpost-Sovietcinema.5In doing so, I relyon ideas my analysisevenwhile from American and Europeanwomen's studiesfor West. Russia and in the pathsofwomen's cinema in the divergent recognizing emergedand developed as a forcetobe reckoned Westernwomen's film film thefeminist 960s-70s and from of the 1 movement thefeminist with from four stages of women's up in 1 Summing the 970s-80s. that flourished theory during phase (1980s-90s), emphasizingthat Kaplan praises itsthird cinema, with socio-political doc combined personalstatements those decades "strong from lesbiansex of all aspectsofwomen's livesandoppressions, umentation andmuch more" to educationto advertising, unions, from ualities to trade re (18-19). The lackof similar and ensureitsstrength empoweritsresonance Rus and lesserfor different auguredsomething alia inRussian cine-history to feminist sianwomen's cinema.Russian women's notoriousinsensitivity feminism associatedwith the term ideas, and thepejorativeconnotations an may indicate and film critics, shared by thefemaleaudience,filmmakers, Russianwomen's cinemaand thedissemination between inverse relationship with a dis this cinema may supplyit Opposing thelatter, theory.6 of feminist and qualification. resistance directors voice, somepost-Sovietfemale toacquirea distinct In an attempt while Soviet cinema, ofmale-oriented thedictatorship aspire to overthrow This nationalsitu conventions. and stylistic within itsthematic some remain film Which theory: feminist in Anglo-American ationevokesan old argument of desire"?Claire of "a new language production artistic pathguaranteesthe male discourse within the discourse female may emerge Johnston's belief that Laura Mulvey's earlier suggestionthatonly it" undercuts "by subverting necessary with the cinema (feminist) cinemaprovidesalternative avant-garde ofmainstream basic "obsessionsand assumptions" tochallengethe strategies Gilles Deleuze and ofwomen's cinema, film(484).Applied to thecategory reconcilesthese literature a "minor" of (marginalized) FelixGuattari'snotion
to Nadezhda 5. Compare Azhgikhina "strove to be beautiful not only formen [...] they still look pretty good" (108). of women's and Helena Goscilo's observation to prove that Soviet women to themselves that

statement that "the surveyor of woman

senting voice - one actually capable

of moving

the theory forward through

[...] but because

theywished

resisted attempts to classify them as representatives 6. For example, Shepitko and Muratova of such a des adduces examples of male directors' disapproval cinema. Usmanova with the latter as about women's cinema "lady's cin (228-29). Apprehension linking ignation to distinguish between the filmmakers' reluctance may motivate inRussian critical discourse as a com cinema. Habitually employed director, the word zhestkost' [roughness] is opposed to the attributive defi

i.e. weak cinema, ema," and mainstream women's pliment for a woman nition of a directorial

reproached Sergei Anashkin [ladylike]. Whereas style as damskii the director of Vremia zhatvy (Harvest Time, 2003), for not being able "to pre Razbezhkina, Trofimenkov praises Tsyplakova's serve a live fire in her tender lady's palms" (42), Mikhail films for their "confident and rough" style (Kinoslovar', v.3, 334).

This content downloaded from 198.91.37.2 on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 21:54:14 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

The New Century: Has theRussian Pandora's Time Come?

251

twopointsof view.As "minority" filmmakers, trapped in "the impossibility ofwriting[filming] in the of not theimpossibility dominant writing[filming], on language,the impossibility of writing [filming] differently," and intent this overcoming crisis (Deleuze 217), Russianwomen directors explorevari ous strategies of self-realization. in female One de-familiarizing of a reli cinema is thereplacement pattern ablewomanwho fits intotheSoviet community with a hysteri unobtrusively The Sovietviewer was accustomed totheidea that cal andunbalanced heroine. a or an only the loss of beloved child husband might trigger uncontrollable in "our" emotional outburst woman-as, forinstancein Aleksei Saltykov's Bab'e tsarstvo (Kingdom ofWomen,1967) and PavelArsenov's S liubimymi ThoseYouLove, 1979).7 ne rasstavaites' laidbare, (Don'tPartfrom Therefore, motivationseems so threatening and confusing hysteria withoutrecognizable thatthe1996 filmcatalogue Domashniaia sinemateka categorized(or diag Muzh idoch' Tamary nosed)Olga Narutskaia's Husband Aleksandrovny (The and Daughter of Tamara Aleksandrovna,1988) as a "psychopathological definition of "psychological drama" and drama,"displacing the traditional thusaccentuating the film's "sick" dimension (Segida and Zemlianukhin Catherine Clement'shysteric, 258-59).8But since 1996, like who "untiesfa miliar bonds, introduces disorderintothe unfolding of every well-regulated to her and later "ends others day life," up inuring and thefamily symptoms, whethershe iscurable or incurable" closes around heragain, (CixousandCle ment 5), the has now ceased to shocktheaudience neurotic female protagonist and is includedin the traditional circleof on-screenfemalerepresentations. Sufficeit to recall the females portrayed in therecentfilms: Razbezhkina's Vremia zhatvy (HarvestTime,2003), Proskurina's Udalennyi dostup(Remote Access, 2004), andLitvinova's Boginia: kak iapoliubila (TheGoddess:How I Fell in Love, 2004). Besides introducing provocative heroines, women directors have invaded male-dominated invariousother territory ways, bothconfrontational andnon a "people's film," For instance, confrontational. creating Raiskaia's President andHis Woman,1996) introduces iego zhenshchina a new sin (ThePresident glemother, Vera: strong, proud, emotionally independent, and financially well male companionship She rejects and support, a off.9 succeeds inorganizing of deserted with thefather politicalparty women, competes of her childdur ingthe presidential campaign, andultimately defeats Power (i.e., the political at the moment when hewithdraws his candidacyinorderto reunite system) withVera and their child.She onlyobliquely influences her future husband's descentfrom voluntary political Olympus to earthly family delights. Unlike
7. Asanova's film Zhena ushla (The Wife Left, 1979) constitutes an exception to my generalization. 8. This film exemplifies the chernukha movement in perestroika-era cinema. cinema privileges several female names, and Vera [trust] is one of them. 9. Post-Soviet

This content downloaded from 198.91.37.2 on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 21:54:14 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

252

SlavicandEastEuropean Journal

Doesn't Katerina from Vladimir Menshov'sMoskva slezamne verit(Moscow herhus Believe inTears, 1979),who is subjectedto male powerand receives band only after ritualistically yieldingtohim, Vera retains her independence. and by having the male pro By opposing the politicaland domesticspheres, tagonist withdraw from what is traditionally toutedas a men's domain, of female values,but, more Raiskaia notonlyexplicitly assertsthesupremacy important, disrupts theSoviet-eraromance withPower. In thiscontext, Elena the superplot Stishova notes the audacity with which Raiskaia threatens of Soviet cinemaby transforming drama into melodramaand [sverkhsiuzhet] thedirector mystery entrusts the nar play intofarce(1997, 30). Significantly, ration of thisfairy tale to a grown-up daughter and thusendorsesthevisual 10 narrative as a female discourse. her feminist ideas in theform of a fairy-tale Whereas Raiskaia introduces plot, Natalia Pogonichevadisguisesher intentions under the playfulcoverof InhercomedyTeoriiazapoia (Theory Binge, 2002), Pogo buffoonery. of the the exclusive circleofmale bondingex nichevaaudaciously breaks through of national depict "peculiarities tolled in AleksandrRogozhkin's filmsthat his She challengeshis male discourse,counterbalancing fishing/hunting." master plot of "clouding the mind with theelementsofWater andVodka CTHxHeH pa3yMa BOablI HBogKH]" (Moskvina233) with supple [nOMYTHeHHe women.Without infringing upon thenational mentaryplots thatintroduce
myth of themale prerogative of drinking to excess, Pogonicheva

with female tenuates and enrichesthat myth presenceand discourse. and star)strive andLitvinova (as her scriptwriter Storozheva(as director) more. Their 2002 film Nebo. Samolet.Devushka (Sky. for Airplane.Girl), a Eshche razpro liubov' (OneMore Time ofGeorgyNatanson's film remake a male perspective into a about Love, 1968), succeeds in transforming "zooms in" and centers on thefemale woman's. The titleitself protagonist. to theoriginalversion-by replacingthe Although thefilmrefers spectators name of theoriginal with thedirector'sname male protagonist, Elektron, thepilot's role,originally Georgy and by reassigning played byOleg Efre mov, to his son, Mikhail Efremov- Storozhevaand Litvinova reversethe focalpointof thevisual narrative. Lara, Litvinova'sversionofNatasha (Ta tiana from theguilt thelatter Doronina), is liberated consistently displays in froman inferiority Natanson's film, where she suffers complex vis-a-vis
10. In addition, for the role of Vera, Raiskaia of on-screen heroines consists mainly of women Safonova, whose extended gallery of personal happiness. Winning fame life in in the leading role of a single mother who vainly attempts to straighten out her personal vishnia (Frozen Cherry, 1985), the actress became as smash hit Zimniaia Igor Maslennikov's deprived chose Elena

merely at

use of this sociated with representations of female loneliness and despair. Therefore Raiskaia's capable of defeating Power suggests thematuration of Rus particular actress to play a woman era. For, in the imaginary realm of cine-fairy tale, Vera's victory in the post-Soviet sian women gives her equality with Man and rights to Power.

This content downloaded from 198.91.37.2 on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 21:54:14 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

The New Century:Has theRussian Pandora's Time Come?

253

Elektron. Revisioned by femalefilmmakers, Natasha-Lara acquires female independence in scenes shotfrom herperspective rather thanfrom that of a a story neutral camera. While Natanson narrated about love,Storozhevaand Litvinova tella story aboutawoman being in loveand do so in theappropri ate form of a remake. Sadilova,Piankova,andBobrova-the three auteurs whose works I exam inebelow-also attempt to revisegendernorms.11 Although Imentionvari women directors, films ous films by these my emphasisfallson three released in the twenty-first century: Sadilova's S liubov'iu. Lilia (With Love, Lily, 2002), Piankova's Marsh slavianki(Female Slav'sMarch, 2003),12andBo Not onlydo thesefilms brova'sBabusia (Granny, adequatelyrepre 2003).13 momentin the sentthe ofRussianwomen's cinema, post-Soviet development but also, despite thematic dissimilarities, theyshare several features:low in distribution budget,limited notwithstanding), (participation filmfestivals and their may be marginalizedposition inpost-Sovietcinema.Such neglect which unfolds in Russian explained by the films' "peripheral"content, provincesthat retain recognizable and their simplified Soviet-erainteriors,14 an unsteady cameraandnonprofessional actors. aesthetics, including Finally, all threefilmsare gynocentric, forfemalecharacters occupy centerstage, though theperspective remainstraditional. on the of female While modifyingthecustomary characters representation to the long-established conform cul (post-)Sovietscreen,thesefilmmakers turaltradition of using female icons to obliteratethe traumatic experience caused by irreconcilable contradictions. Reconciliationrather socio-political than works andhighlights their role inpost-Soviet confrontation shapes their so traditional forthe Russian female cinemaas thesavior/negotiator/mediator reel character. Their sharedartistic style, which combines thedocumentary tobuild with technique of cinemaverite mythiccontent, signalstheir attempts on thefoundation unconsciousconstructed of thecollective by the(pre-)So viet regime. women directors focuson femalecharacters To attainthisgoal, all three who represent varioushypostases ofwomanhood-bride,mother, andmatri arch. directors have their of "blessed Moreover, all three protagonists partake one of three innocence" or iurodstvo, even as each represents old-Russianfa
11. Their first films seem more tablished radical them as auteurs, the latter characterize is the universal Anglophone 12. Slav's March than their subsequent works. Whereas the former es them as rather conservative filmmakers. translation of the Russian title. A more accu be The Female Slav's March

rate translation, which conveys or The Slavic Woman's March. 13. To works avoid confusion to be discussed, thetic criteria. 14. This I would

the gender of the original, would that may like to mention

in readers

result from the aesthetic incongruity of the that I did not select them on the basis of aes

is in contrast to "new Russian reality, both mainly

utes of contemporary

and the attrib cinema," which depicts new Russians inMoscow concentrated 378-83). (Razlogov

This content downloaded from 198.91.37.2 on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 21:54:14 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

254

Slavic and East European Journal

voritepersonas-the durochka(femaleholy fool), the Holy Virgin,and the the granny. comes from Additional support for characters' images inevitably "sterile"imageofwoman. Soviet cinema, which privilegeda male-oriented AlthoughSadilova, Piankova,andBobrova relegate male characters to sec ondariness, exclude themfromthe lifecycle, and thusimplythederivative status women topassivity. ofmen, thethree directors also return By "virtue" of being linkedtoculturalicons,thefemalecharacters lose theagency they of each film. are seemingly granted at the beginning Larisa Sadilova: Favoring the Fool
Russian townofBriansk,Larisa Sadilova graduated Born in 1963 in theprovincial fromtheactingdepartment ofVGIK. As an actress,she participatedin two films: SergeiGerasimov'sLev Tolstoi (1984) andGennady Sidorov'sNoch' (Night, 1990). Her directorial debut,thecritically acclaimedS dnemrozhdeniia!(HappyBirthday!, 1998), focuseson a maternity home, a culturaltoposassiduouslyavoided by Soviet andRussian cinematographers. Sadilova depictstheexperience of thefive patientsin moment in their a delivery lives. women ward as an existential Unlike contemporary who have unsparingly writers described the desacral maternity home, intentionally of givingbirth, Sadilova tonesdown all negative signs izing thefemale"privilege" ofwomen's "sacred that celebration mission."Her style ofvisual inves may forestall tigation combinesprofessionaland non-professional actors,documentary and fic tionalfootage, black-and-white film, and hand-heldcamera techniques-all typical of cinema vrit. 15

modifiedher styleinhernextfilm, Sadilova significantly S liubov'iu. Lilia. a color, unlike her cinematic her second Filmed in debut, which filled lacuna, in further the band.Obviously interested exploring basic aspectsofwomen's here Sadilova narrates her versionof a woman's metamorphosis existence, fromlonelycreatureinto beloved bride.The plot essentially elaborateson a film-the scene in which a nursedemonstrates minor elementinher first her one inS liubov'iu. Lilia. As though gener morning;thesequenceanticipates at first atedby the Lilia's story precedingfilm, appears to followthelogicof its precursor untilit unexpectedly transforms the plotof a failed wedding into a fairy tale with a conventional happyclosure. structure That narrative is familiar, of course, toviewersof suchStagna in As VladimirPropphas demonstrated, most Rus of folktales. pian reading sian folktalestheprotagonist'strialsand adventuresare rewarded with marriage to a prince or princess. In accordancewith Soviet mythology, of their own happiness," which favoredheroines who were "blacksmiths to thequest fora prince.Like thetypi Lilia devotesherself wholeheartedly
15. For more about Sadilova's film S dnem rozhdeniia!, see my 2003 article.

work recasts a theme all too familiar from Soviet cinema: the search for a hus

wedding

dress to the hospital staff,unaware

that her groom will flee the next

tion hits as Moskva

slezam ne verit and to anyone conversant with a Prop

This content downloaded from 198.91.37.2 on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 21:54:14 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

The New Century: Has theRussian Pandora's Time Come?

255

her friends' and she disregardsthe interdictioncal fairy-tale protagonist, male villainy- so as to continueher colleagues'warnings about universal situation of a "lack" [ne pursuit. Her inability to resolve theparadigmatic to lead the narrative to its ul dostacha; in this case, of a groom]and thereby ofmarriage) resultsinboth repetitiveness and timatefunction (the reward because completing the taledependson eliminating new "moves" [khody], the lack.Hence, Lilia embodies thequalitiesof twoProppianfigures-the hero/ine.16 seekerand thevictimized sendsher ex-loversletters containing Lilia (MarinaZubanova) tirelessly Her on S liubov'iu. Lilia. reliance verbal dis her clumsypoems and signed course leads to a fiasco-her messages remain unanswered-and thusdis in the Her deployment of creditsthe word as amagic talisman marriageplot. -a hotel herniece's falsehelpers, especiallyher aunt managerwho arranges -likewise ends in failure. However, "accidental" meetings with hotelguests on screen,ironically revealed antic her momentsof acutedespair,ruthlessly of herdilemmaand an end toherjourney. resolution Every ipatea successful in fact, reward. failure, brings her closer to theconventional -also aid Magical objects that lead to success-a stapleof fairytales Lilia's cause:While wanderingaround the market,shebuys earringsin the which later Boris-the prince, point to the true symbolicshapeof serpents, Were itnot for driver.17 magic, shewould be doomed to endlesslydealing Boris Ginzburg,satisfies her with falseprinces,thelastofwhom, the pianist more than of "thebeloved" earlier Thoughoriginally expectations pretenders. a nationaltourcrowned her town,thepianistreturns from with fame. from of amiddlingprovincial His "otherness" within the"impoverished kingdom" his involvement withmusic-by defi townis likewiseemphasizedthrough nition,an ennobling occupation. Nevertheless,the seductivesoundsBoris harmonize Lilia's existenceafter hismar elicits fromthepiano can hardly auralaccompani riage toanother They instead echo therepulsive woman.18 ment in the scene of sexual intercourse betweenLilia and a hotel guest the movements of ("Legs, legs,higher, higher!"),cleverly conveyedthrough metal back of a squeaking bare feetfirmly hotelbed.Lilia's re placed on the that differs from of theeducatedviewer.She action toher sexual experience
16. In his description of the ninth function, "mediation," Propp differentiates two types of the the seekers, who "go off in search" for the kidnapped girls, and the victimized heroes, who are "driven out" and whose fates constitute the threads of the tales (36). heroes:

17. The power ascribed to a magic earring is so overdetermined by generic conventions and so ardently awaited by the heroine that viewers ignore the filmmakers' carelessness: though in one scene one of the earrings is lost and remains in the prince's car, Lilia continues towear both earrings. 18. This time Lilia's device despair "explodes" in the restaurant where in her call to a police station regarding an imaginary the wedding celebration occurs. In her mind, she hope to her,

explosive thatmeant naively destroys the place/wedding/couple/offender/dream-everything and it is not an accident that the restaurant's name isNadezhda [Hope].

This content downloaded from 198.91.37.2 on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 21:54:14 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

256

Slavic and East European Journal

offers herbodywith thesame readiness,trust, and indiscrimination thatshe bringstoher amorouscorrespondence, as she sincerely signs"withlove" on senttonumerous letters recipients. "Giving" constitutes theessence of Lilia's nature:she takescare of her grandfather and feedsthe whole neighborhood, including stray A chicken dogs. factory worker,she shares what is available toher -chickens and their parts. Her awkward giftto thepianist,in expression of her love and gratitude, is a grilledchicken, with a postcard a romantic depicting imageof a woman. The gestureillustrates Lilia's innocence andnaivete, the recalling holy-fool protag onist, Liuda, in thefilm S dnemrozhdeniia!. Like Liuda, who residesand conceives in thepsychiatric hospitaland de liversin the maternity ward, Lilia existson theboundary betweenugliness and beauty. Her name,denoting a white flower that grows in theswamp, in dicates thecharacter'sambiguity and influences the structure of the film. Sadilova situatesthestory ofLilia's personaladventures in theconventional realm of everyday provinciallife but repeatedly juxtaposesit with longtakes of thechickenfactory's machines and their relentless operations. By visually Lilia's intimate paralleling with the impersonal aspirations productionline that kills anddismembers chickens andpejoratively -traditionally associated withwomen-the director "tests"a youngwoman's fairy-tale expectations against thebrutalrealities of her daily lifeand simultaneously analogizes women's and chickens' purportedly "predestined" existences. at By liberating leastone female worker fromthevicious circleof the woman/chicken des and by foregrounding tiny, herprivate life while increasingly the relegating to thebackground, factory Sadilova's film releaseswomanhood ultimately fromitsdegradingexistential dead end. Tellingly,the lastpartof the film betweendevelopments stopstheintercutting insidethefactory and those out A comparison of Sadilova's film withSergei Bukovsky'sshort documentary Is aHoliday, 1987) reveals Zavtraprazdnik (Tomorrow parallelsinthemes and devices.19 stylistic theregimen of female Bukovsky's filminvestigates work ers' existencethrough a rigorous juxtaposition of scenes insidea chickenfac and insidethe tory workers'dormitory, which parallelsthe chicken coops.The intercuts arepaced so as tohammer home theunmistakable parallelbetween women's treatment the of thechickensand theauthorities' treatment of the women. Such a perspective criticism encourages of theSoviet regime and its evenas it of the exploitative neglect underscores the workers, di metaphysical mensions of humanactivities. While Sadilova takesup Bukovsky's critical
divaia) stance, she adapts it to her own purposes by positing a woman at the core of her narrative. Thus, whereas Bukovsky
19. Interviews with documentary. Sadilova do not indicate a direct or oblique

side it, as the camera follows a more homogeneous

story line and setting.

(largely a iuro challenges the

to Bukovsky's

reference

This content downloaded from 198.91.37.2 on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 21:54:14 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

The New Century: Has theRussian Pandora's Time Come?

257

a woman/chicken Sadilova targets political system, by employing allegory, society in a film thatultimately endorses gender issues in contemporary roles in the(post-)Soviet system. women's traditional may be per In an interview, Sadilovamaintainedthatthechickenfactory "a metaphorfortransforming life intoa pile ofwaste ceived as potentially and partially preparedfood. And women are thesame as chickens"(Zubav ina 34). She argues,however, thatby employingsuch a notorioussexist irony, arguably, does not emergein the cliche,she ridiculesit. Her intended film, where onlyLilia's magical escape undermines thebanal pattern of a from theoutset. This happyending does not suffice woman's fate established to refute a bleak genderparadigm; it merely portrays an exceptionto the crushingrule. Stishova acknowledgesSadilova's goal by interpreting the to"break thealgorithm" of thetypical film's closureas an attempt woman's lot,to leadherout of a chainof unluckyincidents (2003, 32-33). However, cannotbe interpreted as feminist because itcon Sadilova's "breakthrough" a resolution to fairy-tale that whereincertainincidents forms logic, prefigure that correlates withmale modes of representation operate byBerger's axiom, "Men act andwomen appear" (47). Inmanyways, Sadilova's story Soviet films and reit capitalizeson earlier on the eratestheir moves. Countless films of the 1980scenter wedding/mar of female lonelinessand explicitly thephenomenon riage plot, reflecting a lawful Ar desire toenterinto union. Sovietheroine'sdesperate voicing the thefemale's quest ticulated and displayed under male auspices, in thesefilms a husbandensures men's privileged andposits the for positioninthe narrative conducted woman as an objectof investigation unmarried bymen. It isnote whenevera heroineseeks a husbandon herown, she meetswith worthythat kavalerov Ivan Kiasashvili's Damy priglashaiut (Ladies Invite failure(e.g., Krishtofovich's and Viacheslav Odinokaia zhenshchina Gentlemen,1980) WomanSeeks Life Companion, 1986)). Re zhelaetpoznakomit'sia(Lonely thana passive object, theheroine castingherselfas an active subjectrather ritual of being marriedoff. defeats herself by violatingthe patriarchal to the return heroineleads However, a voluntary passive roleof "prodigal" to a reward-as inGerald Bezhanov's filmSamaia obaiatel'naia i priv Most Charming andAttractive lekatel'naia(The One, 1985).Disillusionedby as a desirable the hero, whom shehad initially identified husband, andby her to transform her intotheactive seeker, Nadia (Irina femalefriend's attempts Her "match" is one of the Muravieva) ultimately prince. recognizesthetrue withwhom sheused toplay tabletennis duringthe inconspicuous employees breakat a researchinstitute. The heroine'ssurrender, and thefactthat lunch male longbeforeher search started, shewas "chosen" by the refutes the unrecognizedas a hero's seemingly passive role as an observer.Initially hewins his princess back. groom, Even reminiscent ofBezhanov's heroineinappearance, Sadilova's protago

This content downloaded from 198.91.37.2 on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 21:54:14 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

258

Slavic and East European Journal

nist traverses a similar path.The futility of an independent searchfora hus band defines bothcharacters' fates; both films man among the hide theright as thetrue female old acquaintances andpostpone his emergence protagonist's hero tilltheveryend.The narrative's focuson thefemale character notwith to accomplishthe us to standing, her failure mission on her own encourages interpret both filmsas realizations of a familiar fairy-tale plot,butwith the focusshifted from the hero/prince (traditional subject)to the heroine/princess of the tale's structure, (traditional object).Despite thechanged "grammar" havingadventures, overcoming obstacles,and defeating villainsstillform the basis of thefilm's narrative. Moreover, thetale"turned insideout" preserves the male privilege of choice andundermines heroine'stemporary the function as a seeker, ormore precisely, of thefalse/true theidentifier prince. The structural similarity betweenSamaia obaiatel'naia iprivlekatel'naia and S liubov'iu. Lilia notwithstanding, Sadilova's versionof a happyending theearlierfilm's While Bezhanov rewards his heroine departsfrom premises. for with a husbandas compensation herdisillusionment with her "feminist" friend's active tactics, Sadilova awardsherprotagonist theprizewithoutany didactic lesson. Moreover,Lilia's failures actuallyhelp her to findthe true prince. The questionremains, nevertheless: Why was Lilia inparticular cho sen fortherare a prince?Substituting of finding iurodivaialorefor happiness an antifeminist Sadilova describedher heroineas a beingwhom formula, of a higherlaw rewards trates, fatein theform Lilia's strivings because she is a holy fooland therefore, inaccordance with old-Russianculturaltraditions, bear thestigma of fool deserves mercy and happiness.Sadilova's characters While inSadilova's debut film medicine diagnosesLiuda as such, ishness: Lilia's femalefriends judgeheron the basis of her"unrealistic" of perception men. Sadilova allowsLilia into Hymen's allegedly magical kingdom, just as she earlier with providedthe"blessed"Liuda, alone amongall the inmates, access to the"greenzone" surrounding the home maternity -clearly, a sym bolicGarden of Eden. In sum,three ensurethe factors of S liubov'iu. Lilia: the happyconclusion structure of itsplot; precise adherenceto theSoviet paradigmof fairy-tale thehappy endingas a marryingoff;and fascination with the femaleholy fool.To a significant extent,thisessentially escapist amalgamnullifiesthe film'sovert social criticism and helps spectatorsto "magically"overcome The blackoutof theconcludingshotsand the voiceoverof today'sexistence. the already invisiblecharacters'continuing dialogue reveal the clash be tweentheon-screen and off-screen thus the realities, undermining plausibil of Sadilova's ending.20 ity
20. While nia this article was being in which (Babysitter Required, 2005), innocence" from its pedestal. "blessed released her third film, Trebuetsia nia reviewed, Sadilova the nanny's wickedness displaces Liuda and Lilia's

"fate" could not refrain from helping (Zubavina

35). As

the film amply illus

This content downloaded from 198.91.37.2 on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 21:54:14 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

The New Century: Has theRussian Pandora's Time Come?

259

FemaleAuthority Natalia Piankova: (Re)establishing

Bom in 1958 in Mytishchi, a small townnot farfrom Moscow, Natalia Piankova of VGIK. Her diploma film, S Novym graduated fromthe directing department godom, Moskva! (HappyNew Year, Moscow!, 1993), depicts thehectic eventsthat on New follow a sisterand brother'sreunionin a Moscow communalapartment and minimalistinstyle, Piankova's first filmindicates Year's Eve. Claustrophobic her the"norm"and therefore deviate from interest inportraying relationships that have a Her second film, Strannoevremia(Strange of immorality. shading Time,1997), visu two men and a woman. The last of friends: alizes threelove storiestoldby a trio a euphoricscene representing an imaginary tragic story evolves into Garden ofEden, where all thecharacters, of their stripped clothes,reunite.

Whereas Piankova's earlierfilms garnered positivecriticalresponses, her was third film, Marsh slavianki, almost ignored, despite itspremiere at the Moscow Film Festival in 2003. Perhaps the critics'coolness prestigious from thediscrepancy and a filmthatin stemmed betweentheir expectations terprets a the familiar topicof theconsequencesof theChechenwar from searchfor her son-deserter to the "perverse" is linked angle:The protagonist's sexual relationship betweenthecharacters. unconventional thetsarist The deceptivetitle of thefilminvokesa march datingfrom pe riod,"Proshchanie slavianki"[TheFemale Slav's Farewell], which,although music for Russian troopssince, played as farewell may stillbe associated with the Russian Empire's expansionist mis However,on herhealing policy. thecentral motherfigure sionor journey, (Marina Yakovleva) has not a con Even while her son/s. quistadorialagenda,but insteadthegoal of rescuing the thefilmmaker Slav's geographical stresses thechange negating ambitions, in women's position by substituting "march"for "farewell"in thefilm'stitle. The activity women of the"marching" motherdisplaces thepassivity of the men offand awaitingtheir return. sendingtheir Marsh slaviankican be readas a dialogic responseto Moreover, male-cen Piankova's inconsistency inpresenting thestory. tered She narratives, despite fails to refrain from male "support" while introducing thefemale view. She with a male voiceover thatsupplies the musical narration framesthe film about the and likewise visual text with Virginandher son,Jesus, prefacesthe amale voiceover that articulates the biblicalverses. On theone hand, sucha an otherwise and undermines device evokesperplexity nar woman-centered and on theother toendorse rative, hand, itpoints to thedirector'sintent her as amale-approveddiscourse. revision as Sadilova's film Just echoed and revised Bezhanov's Samaia obaiatel' naia iprivlekatel'naia,so Piankova's, to a certain retraces thestruc extent, ture Otets soldata (Fa ofOtar Chkheidze'swell-known WorldWar II film, ther thebasicmotifof thesearchfora of a Soldier, 1964).While retaining Marsh slaviankireplaces theearlierfigure of thehero's father child-soldier, with amother who rescues war herdeserter-son. the Chechen By substituting

This content downloaded from 198.91.37.2 on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 21:54:14 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

260

Slavic and East European Journal

and geo for WorldWar II, thefilmalso revises itspredecessor's temporal graphicframework. InChkheidze's film, thetriumphant searchof thefather a small (SergoZakariadze) leadshim from Georgianvillage toBerlin, trans amiddle-agedpeasant into a war hero,and elevateshim toa him from forms obliquely national symbolicfigure mourning the loss of all sons, thereby so crucial tohistoricalsce of successivegenerations positingthecontinuity narios. In one of theconcludingshots,thedirector's masculinistnarrative a father's substitutes pieta forthetraditional femaleicon toencodehomeland In fact, as fatherland despiteparallelsbetweenthefa rather than motherland. Mak ther's heroicgoal in thefilm and therenowned "ascent"ofNilovna in Mat' (Mother, simGorky's novel 1906-07) -in both,a son's disappearance eliminates inspires parental mobilityandnobility-the film's visual narrative masterplot. In their not only a motherbut allwomen from the reduced,tra as companionsand patientsafekeepers of thehome, cap ditional function thefemalepersonages turedin theopening scenesof thefather's send-off, within the filmicstructure, significance lackmobility and, consequently, movement with agencyand heroism. which equates women from stasisandpassivity. Piankova'sgendered revision rescues The advance the shifts of her maternal geographical protagonist plotdevelopment. call from her son,Sasha, a soldierin Svetlanasetsout Aftera night Chechnya, on herjourney station tosearchfor him insouthern Russia.At a railroad there, who have stolen vendors her son'spicturefrom her, pursuing newspaper after who as various local inhabitants her train. She encounters she failstoreboard and lover. homeofOlga (GalinaBokashevskaia),his rescuer During her stay meetsOlga's HIV-infected Svetlana son, there, Ruslan,who gets injuredina surrenders to the untarily military police. Later,as SvetlanawaitswithOlga Moscow, the The director's compelsher femaleSlav to leave conception center and to return home only aftersuccessfully of a disintegrated empire, of a lost completing her mission,which isnothingless thantherecuperation The trajectory of the mother'sjourneyfunda nationaland genderedidentity. that ofChkheidze's father. Whereas thepaternallinear from mentallydiffers of from progression Georgia toBerlin chartstheSoviet nation'sacquisition as victorioussavior, thematemal circular its new identity mapping-the openingshots depictSvetlana'sbedroomand theclosingsequenceshowsher more important, lostpower, which Piankova equateswithwomanhood,and, withmotherhood. hair color (svetlye) and her light name,Svetlana (svet: light), protagonist's
The filmmaker not only restores themother as the symbol of theRussian nation, but even overtly links her image to that of theMother of God. The setting out to return,presumably to the same space -strives for a recovery of Moscow for the train, she learns thatOlga is carrying Sasha's child. with Sasha. As Ruslan goes through surgery at a local hospital, Sasha vol fight sist her in differentways and ultimately lead her to Sasha's hideaway-the

This content downloaded from 198.91.37.2 on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 21:54:14 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

The New Century: Has theRussian Pandora's Time Come?

261

point toherSlavic and "saintly" nature.In fact, the visual text brims with re ligious visualmarkers,including repeated signings of thecross,variousablu tions,genuflections, miracles, etc. From the moment Svetlana fails to get back on thetrain, she encounters suspect people engaged in illegalactivities who treat her with respect andwithwhom she sympathizes, sin despitetheir ful For example,a local behavior. mafia boss providesher withmoney,food, andmost significantly, with theguidewho leadsher toSasha's shelter. The behavior of thelocal inhabitants ispartly motivatedby their with familiarity her image,that of an actressappearing on television. To a certain extent, the televised manifestations of Svetlana connotethequalityof the iconic image of the Mother ofGod. Reproduced innumerous domesticspaces,Svetlana's capturedimage likewiseendowsherwith somewhat authoritative (superhu man) powerand anticipates herphysicaldescentfrom thecapital'sheightsto a provincialland. similarities betweenSvetlana's journeyand thatof the Simultaneously, Mother ofGod as represented inan old-Russianliterary textintensify thear chetypal connotations thefilmmaker's surrounding heroine.Several factors confirm theapocryphal KhozhdenieBogoroditsy po mukam [Descentof the as Virgin into the Hell] proto-text for Marsh slavianki's of its portrayal noble In additiontobeingvisuallysaturated mother.21 withChristianiconography, the filmpreserves the structure of the literary text.Like theArchangel Michael who accompaniesthe MotherofGod in Hell, the guide Makharadzha escortsSvetlana in theCaucasus. Not accidentally, he immediately recog proper name,and treats her as a figure tobe revered. Thus Svetlana's arrival in the Caucasus, a territory of suffering, is analogous to thedescentof the Mother ofGod into Hell. The two women share theabilityto comprehend sufferers and toalleviatetheir torments. Like herprototype inthe Apocrypha, Piankova's protagonist eschews judgmental conclusions, pleads forthefor givenessof sinners, and doubts thefairness ofGod's will ofwhatGoscilo calls "an all-maleclub: Father, Son, andHoly Ghost" (23).Also noteworthy is thefactthat Svetlana'sprayers areaddressed to the exclusively Virgin. This detailunderscores Piankova's intention to depict the motheras the Virgin's contemporary double,and toendowher with the powerful voice of the Holy who in the Mother, withmale authority. Apocrypha is on an equal footing Just as the Apocryphastatesthatthe Mother ofGod pleads exclusivelyfor Christians,to relieve their so thenativesof the sufferings, Caucasus in the film are all baptized-the crosseson their chests, visuallyemphasizedin the - and therefore attestto their film, Christian origins entitledto the mother's intercession. More specifically, the mafia boss's request, as Svetlanahastily that himproves that sheprayfor departs, they perceiveheras amightyfigure
21. I am grateful to Mark Grigorevich Altshuller, who helped me to identify thetext. nizes her as a saint, addresses her as svetlaia [the light one] rather than by her

This content downloaded from 198.91.37.2 on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 21:54:14 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

262

Slavic and East European Journal

making thelocal inhabitants possess a peculiarpower. In thus whose prayers of the Mother vis-'a-vis Piankovagrantsthemthedivineprotection Christian, may co context, whose figure, within thecontemporary the mercilessFather, thiscommonreligious background incide with politicalpower. Additionally, population within thenarrative. unitesthe Russian and non-Russian as sinners/martyrs, theresidents' double status Nevertheless, byhighlighting the director blurs theboundarybetween existenceon Earth and inHell. Whereas in the south,east, andwest) Apocrypha thecardinalpoints (north, What results from Russia. spatially define Hell, Piankova locatesitinsouthern center betweenthe that producesthe sucha parallel isa hierarchical opposition that normalization and and the periphery calls for figure of thesavior/mediator, mission to director, however, entrusts this protection. The female post-Soviet with the powerof the Mother ofGod. the maternalfigure vested paternalpresence- all its The story ofMarsh Slavianki lacks a strong male and father intoa single mothersare divorced- and blends son, lover, as thehead of a household. of functioning body thatisultimately incapable Sasha,Olga's loverand thefather of her fu For instance, owing tohis arrest, Olga makes her preg turechild,disappearsfromthenarrative by the time nancyknown. Moreover,Olga's HIV-infectedson,Ruslan, accordingto the disease tohis newbornson.Life as repre his lethal film, somehowtransfers men fromitsvital stream-whichpartly excludes sentedinPiankova's film Moscow withouther son, leavinghis re explains why Svetlanadepartsfor likewiselaysbare the heroine's withOlga. Such a departure coveredpicture herself mission. Leaving alone, the femaleprotagonistliberates structural definehermerely as Sasha's mother fromtheconventions of thestorythat became trans andmorphs intoa symbolicfigure, just as Chkheidze's father afterlosing his son. formed intoamonumentalfigure Svetlana'sbodyun of the motherconveyedthrough The integrated image Russianwomanwho itsdoublinginanother dergoes metamorphoses through women embrace Caucasus: Olga.22The scene inwhich thetwo lives in the facesas reflections bothsidesneatlyjuxtaposestheir son and loverfrom their
of each other, with themale face serving as a reflective surface and thus re duced to a subsidiary function. Olga, the lover and rescuer of Svetlana's son,

22.

The

film differentiates actress) and Olga their independent

Russian

well-known Supposedly, humiliation

and physical abuse that the Georgian women (e.g., the waitress Rosa and Ruslan's the fact that the director herself plays girlfriend) experience as the film progresses. However, role complicates the waitress's separation of female characters according to nationality and so cial status, and encourages Moreover, group of women. a meta-level.

the latter, Svetlana from Georgian women. Unlike (a support themselves and thrive in life. (a local businesswoman) social positions earn them men's respect and save them from the

of differences within a supposedly monolithic acknowledgment it establishes equality between the personages and their creatrix on

This content downloaded from 198.91.37.2 on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 21:54:14 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

The New Century: Has theRussian Pandora's Time Come?

263

has a sonhis age. WithOlga's pregnancy and transformation once again into a mother,thedirector eliminates herpossible identification with thepromis and rehabilitates cuityemphasizedinher suggestive outfits her in theeyesof At thesame time, thefactthat conservative viewers. theinfertile Svetlanade partsfor Moscow (thecenter)insolitude, whereas the pregnant Olga remains in the Caucasus (theperiphery) along with the male characters, privilegesthe former as thenarrative's Dea exmachina.Although together Svetlana and are hierarchized as thedefining aspectsofwomanhood, they Olga represent individual women. The film'sconcludingscenepositions the mothers sym bolically:Standingon theplatform, Olga has to lookup to thetranscendent car. who is alreadyin thetrain Svetlana, The director contrasts the mothers'strength and abilitytoprotect andpro How create with thesons' fragility andpotentialfor murderand disruption. of rolesand thefluidity of Piankova's characters ever,the instability -their - obscures thisoppositionand re andmultiplehypostases metamorphoses places it with a gendered binary ofmen versus women. By dismissing men as a viable genderand a category tocontemporary relevant society, Piankova reversesthegenderdisposition ofChkheidze's film, which relegated women to irrelevance.23 thefilmmaker's allusions to theapocryphal Simultaneously, Mother ofGod show reverence forthefemalereligiousfigure imageof the and herprotective, restorative of suchcharacters as power.If theappearance concludes the search fora nationalhero in the 1960s Chkheidze's father of reestablishing (Margolit 85), Piankova's film possibility thefe signalsthe as a male figure transmitter of steadfastness and continuity of national iden in thenew century. tity Lidia Bobrova:Resuscitatingthe Russian Village
Amur area of theSoviet Far East, Bobrova studiedhistory at Born in 1952 in the atVGIK, and directing atVKSR (Higher LeningradStateUniversity, scriptwriting andDirectors). Courses for Her first Oi, vy, gusi (Hey,YouGeese, Scriptwriters film, thedisintegration of a Cossack family, narration 1991), treats using a flash-forward toexpose three brothers' V toistrane(In For her second film, existence. deteriorating That Country,1997), Bobrova chose to followeverydaylife in a village. Loosely centers based onBoris Ekimov's short thefilm on three a village's characters: stories, man,Nikolai Skuridin;an ambivalent righteous village head,Chapurin;and a young convict.Screened at numerousinterna milkmaid, Raisa, matched up with a recent was rejectedby the Moscow International tional festivals, Bobrova's V toi strane Film Festival authorities A somewhatsimi on accountof its"nonprofessionalism." larparadox doggedBobrova's third Babusia, which depicts theordeals of a film, matriarchabandonedby her descendants. family Garnering international fame, it failed in Russia.
23. In his film Kavkazskii Mountains, plennik (Prisoner of the 1996), Sergei Bodrov makes fa impotent inmale conflicts. Not so much by her actions but by a Chechen status as the enemy notwithstanding?does her son evade death.

a soldier's mother ther's will?his

This content downloaded from 198.91.37.2 on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 21:54:14 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

264

Slavic and East European Journal

Unlike Sadilova and Piankova, whose films address diverse themes, Bobrova remainsloyal to rural reviewof herOi, vy, plots. In his favorable gusi,PetrShchepotinnik wondered whetherthefilm move could "head any ment inour cinema"given its"unobtrusive" in voice, scarcely distinguishable thecinematic chaos of the 1990s (11). In defiance of his doubt, Oi, vy,gusi a seriesof "country" films that launched restored theliterary tradition of "vil at theendof the 1980s,and established had been disrupted lage" cinema that to thesubject Bobrova as a woman director committed of the Russian village a successorto andvillagers, and therefore au Vasily Shukshin, the undisputed on ruralthemesinSoviet cinema. Aware of suchcontinuity, thority Bobrova spectators toherrenowned InVtoi strane,the refers precursor. villagebulletin Son andBrother,1965). In addition, Bobrova remakesthesituation depicted inhisKalina krasnaia (Snowball Berry linefocused on Red, 1973) inthestory Raisa andhergroom. topeople's While adhering to the nationaltradition of looking deeplyrooted peasantcommunein times of crisis, Bobrovamodifiesearlier originsand the on-screen of thevillage. In accordance with state representations policy,So an idealizedandmonolithicimageof the viet films Russian vil propagated lage.However, the late 1950s temporarily this model of the disrupted world that to the model ofundivided collective consciousness"(Mar "corresponded The splitinevitably golit74).24 shookup theunifying notionof "simplepeo onto thescreencharacters from therealization ple" and introduced suffering thattheir andmodernized as, for village had been irreversibly transformed inShukshin'sfilms. cinema reinforced thebalanced instance, Stagnation-era withoutirrelevant image that of a prosperous village,albeitnot contradictions as village eccentrics. were frequently condensedinsuchcharacters Displacing thepreviouschronotope, and simultaneously retaining itas a "lostparadise" reference Bobrova createsa claustrophobic point, world that Her attempt tounite theidealvillage and theirreversibly is directedinward.
changed one within the same narrative leads to a bifocal vision that ismani board announces a current screening of Shukshin's film Vash syn i brat (Your

In all three structure. festedinher films' circular she enclosesherpres films, narrative ent-tense within identical and opening concludingscenes fromthe

past. Thus, in Oi, vy, gusi, scenes of the Ivanov patriarch proudly walking with his three sons envelops the stories of the grownup brothers. In V toi dramatic events of everyday life.And inBabusia, shots of the granny's spa

with snow encompass strane, picturesquelong shotsof thevillage covered cioushouse insummertime wintertime frame her ordeals.Such a composition of itsprogressive and consti dimensionand temporal stripstime specificity

24. The discrepancy between official representation and everyday routine, and consequently Mikhail the individuals' own alienation from the community, was already evident in Shveitser's films Chuzhaia rodnia (Alien Kin, 1955) and Tugoi uzel (A Tight Knot, 1957).

This content downloaded from 198.91.37.2 on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 21:54:14 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

The New Century: Has theRussian Pandora's Time Come?

265

an opposition tutesinstead of "beforeand after." Predictably, in remoteness time with a harmonious in thecurrent coincides and idyllic state unattainable action. The framing shotsevoke "theeternal val past"with its nontransitory ues, abundance,and togetherness reinforce the [sobornost'],and therefore masterplots through audience'sperception of the theprismof a traditional notion of the Russian village. Visually, Bobrova reinforces the narrative bifo cal perspective by juxtaposing extremely longshotsofRussian landscapes, which lenda poetic, ifnot spiritual, dimensiontoherworks,withmedium close-upsshotby a static camera insideconfined spaces. Her cinemaapotheosizesthelossof thevillage'swholeness that Shukshin anticipated. Shukshin's characters only sense the gradualdisappearance of the which they toadjustto the new en village to previously belongedand attempt vironment while preserving traditional values.By contrast, Bobrova's charac as thelandof salvation exist can be interpreted ters withina realmthat only ironically. While Shukshin's characters struggle againsttheinternal diseaseof For instance, doubt, Bobrova's peasants striveforphysical survival. Shuk shin'sfilm liudi(Strange on theagonizing at Strannye People, 1969) centers of thecollectivefarm's tempts chairmanto comprehend theyoungvillagers whose aspirations exceed their fathers'. By contrast, Bobrova's village leader inV toistranefights thealcoholismthatis decimating the male population. More thanthat, thevillagers'dubiousbehaviorchallengestheaxiom of the as the(positive) ofRussian identity. peasantry quintessence Bobrova's ruraldwellerscontinuetoherd cattle (the tradi Significantly, tional milk cows (a female and job of the villageeccentric) job),butno longer cultivatethe "mother-land" through plowing (a male job). The notionof Bobrova's narrative. At thesame time, Shuk workingtheland is absentfrom Kalina krasnaia,signifies a final of the shin,in restoration protagonist Egor's work as a tractor his decision to thanas a per driverrather originsthrough sonaldriverforthelocal authorities. Not incidentally, Egor's murderoccurs on theploughed land. from the land, Despite his prolongedseparation Egor (VasilyShukshin)succeeds in rediscovering but at thecost of his his roots, life. from theland, By dissociating the itsfunction of nurturing Bo peasantry brovaundermines theidyllic with theearth and conceptof people connected or otherwise, the ultimately discredits, intentionally mythof thevillage and Whereas Oi, vy, the villagers.25 gusi and V toistraneregister village commu nity'sdisintegration and the phenomenon of dyingout, Babusia pinpoints the of this finality process. As a tropefor Russia's national crisis,Bobrova deploys the archetypal
a prototype 25. Curiously, Bobrova fails to recognize the deplorable condition of Verkola, of the village where the events of V toi strane occur. She declares that her second film was to her first film Oi, vy, gusi, which portrays the "bottom" and "total made as a counterbalance poverty" (30).

This content downloaded from 198.91.37.2 on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 21:54:14 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

266

SlavicandEast European Journal

image of babushkalstarushka [old Nina woman]. Playedby a nonprofessional, to the Soviet peasant granny a contrast Shubina,thetiny mighty, corpulent women embodied on the screen by Nonna Mordiukova and Rimma Markova- springs from theold-Russiancultural realmof saint/pilgrim/iuro as well as of divaia. Reminiscent of Sadilova's and Piankova's protagonists withher literary meek Orthodox wanderers, she is likewise connected precur sors, theheroinesofAleksandrSolzhenitsyn'sstory"Matrenin dvor" (Ma Materoi (Farewell trena's House, 1963) and Valentin Rasputin's Proshchanies to Matera, 1976).As a symbol ofRussian nationalroots,thegrannyisgener atedby thepast-cultural, historical, and literary -and, havingbeen rejected a as by heroffspring burdensome andunnecessary inheritance, shehumbly re treats there as a nonbeing. While her theessence of thegranny's whole life. Self-denialconstitutes and son-in-law daughter earn money as train conductors, thegrannyraises Ten to fifteen years later,thegrannysells her spacious theirfivechildren. money amongher living and settles house, divides the grandchildren, down with her sickdaughter and herhusband. However, thenefariousson-in-law toher sister, separatesthe motherand daughter and takestheformer suppos she learns of herdaughter's edly temporarily. During the granny'sstaythere, death.Soon afterthis news,her sister breaksher leg. untimely Granny's en Moscow to place her ergeticniece, a televisionjournalist,arrives from
mother

main inher sister's However, house because of hernephew'sviolentbinges. neither her son-in-law nor the twogranddaughters arewilling to give her The granny's of shelter. humiliating odysseyends at thetwo-room apartment which he, a refugee heryoungest andpoorestgrandson, from Chechnya,rents mother,but in thenight thegranny overhearshiswife's concerns thatthe landlord will botherthemabout an extra tenant. Before leavingher grand the tohergreat-granddaughter bids farewell son's apartment, granny andper amiracle: after herdeparture the forms girlstarts speaking. Vainly,the grand son chases afterthegranny as shewalks away intoa frosty night,tellingly, with a wanderer's staff inherhand. in the Despite the granny's directinvolvement plot,her titleis also a func thanan individual. The non-professional tion,and she is a metaphorrather of the of theactress to theeffect contributes estrangement "stiffness" granny's to the from the narration of herordeals.The film's concluding close-upattests manifestation. The shotdis character's metamorphosisintoan ideological a fewsecondsbe viewersfor granny'sfaceattentively plays the watchingthe forethefinalfade-to-black. thegrannyfrom an ob This ending transforms active subject.Suddenly subjecting servedpassive object intoan observing
the audience to the old woman's gaze, Bobrova forces them to look at the screen as if itwere a mirror reflecting the Russian spirit leftbehind for lack with his worn-out wife and mute daughter. He is trulyhappy to see his grand

in a local hospital and to find a home for the granny, who cannot re

This content downloaded from 198.91.37.2 on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 21:54:14 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

The New Century: Has theRussian Pandora's Time Come?

267

use. The explicitness may characterize ofpractical of the granny'slook heras a potent as a passageway to true mediatorbetween thepast and thepresent, identity. The old woman's look inBabusia establishesone more linkbetween In Bobrova's andShukshin's visualnarratives. Kalina krasnaia,Shukshin also an authentic fortheroleof the actress, granny, employeda nonprofessional a twenty-year protagonist's mother.It isEgor's visit tohismotherafter ab sence that causes her son's emotional re collapse and signals his irrevocable in not topeasantorigins. Shukshin's visual narrative turn Surprisingly, does hismotherand the motherrecognizing her son; cludea sceneof theson facing at thecameraand narrating instead, Shukshinshootstheoldwoman looking her story while her son listens from the back room. Such a device- "returning thesight"to the viewer through the metaphorical blinding of the hero -turns nervousbreakdown. out tobe so effective thatit motivates Egor's on-screen theprotagonist's The spectators' cathartic purification is channeledthrough on Whetherornot thefinal of the emotional outburst. appearance grandmother evokesa similar catharsis thescreenin Bobrova's film reaction, obviouslycan be achievedonlyoff-screen. on thefigure While focusing of therighteous woman,without whom, as a no village can exist, Russian proverbstates, Bobrova simultaneously demys woman aswise and support a traditional of the peasant tifies cinematic image in andmodest.All femalecharacters ive,potentand submissive, industrious Even the Babusia except thevillage old women are portrayed negatively. granny's niece,who helps her aunt finda home and reproaches her grand for daughters beingmerciless,entersthecircleofBobrova's ambiguousfe male characters because of her refusal to shelter thegrannyin Moscow.With rare exceptions, Bobrova's filmsoffera somewhat misogynisticview of on them. women in comparisonto the For in male directors' perspective toa subsidiary stance, although relegated positioninShukshin's universe,the ivepartners to their as a link between husbands. men's inner They function lives and lifearound them, their men's disrupted connection reestablishing with their Liuba (Lidia Fedoseeva-Shukshina), the female origins. protago nistofKalina krasnaia,not onlyhelps Egor, recently released from jail, to bov [love],unambiguously points to hermission.26 Despite thedistinction and references drawnbetweenbaby [women]andmuzhiki[men], constantly to theformer does notdisplayon screenthetra groupas inferior, Shukshin vices of envy, malicious gossip,greediness, and stupidity. "female" ditionally
26. While dlia Raisy" vio story "Chelovek [AMan for Raisa], Bobrova adapting Ekimov's and reproduces almost mechanically lates the original in favor o?Kalina the function krasnaia, in her own embodiment of Russian Beauty, Raisa Shukshin assigned his female protagonist (Zoia Buriak).

female characters mirror an idealized

image of women

as loyal and support

start a new life, but also restores his innate love for the earth; her name, Liu

This content downloaded from 198.91.37.2 on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 21:54:14 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

268

Slavic and East European Journal

But Bobrova inV toistranerevealspreciselysuch flaws, which contribute to men's physicaland spiritual corruption. She goes againstthegrainofmost of thecinematicrepresentations of peasantwomen producedby bothmale In V toistrane and female directors. women's actionslead to the physicalde struction of thevillage's righteous man, Nikolai. As a result of thegossip spread by the wife ofChapurin,the villagehead, and a subsequent beatingof Nikolai by hiswickedwife andmother-in-law, Nikolai reverts toepic drink resultsinhis hospitalization. ingthat At thesame time, by allowinghis smart at a sanatorium-Chapurin betrays his own humanist essence.That he has suchan essence isclear from theepisode in which (significantly, inhiswife's absence)he rescues a burning drunkards from barn. The negativefunctions of thefemale personagesextendtodistilling and selling moonshine, which un to thedegradation questionably contributes of the villagemales, even though itdoes not removefrom them responsibility fortheir own destruction. Intro ducing the folkloricimageof the wicked wife, butwithout its traditional comic nuances, thefilmmaker replenishesthegalleryof disturbing female characters createdincontemporary Russianwomen's fiction butunderrepre on thescreen. sented Despite their the women constitute destructiveness, thesole foundation for their families, howeverincomplete and dysfunctional thefamilies may be. In Bobrova's universe,thefriendly of grandmother, unity and daughter mother, most village families. (orchildren) represents Men stay outsidethe house and are frequently keptfrom Men notonlydeserttheir "invading"it. but families, annihilate them. inV toistrane, Alreadyhighlighted male impotence morphs in Babusia into a destructive male power,represented in thesinister imageof thegranny'sson-in-law. Determinedto spendhis retirement with a mistress
and tired of his sick wife and her mother, he not only separates them, thus Similarly, while male drinking in V toi strane leads to themales' own deci wife to slander Nikolai and thus force him to decline an awarda free stay

causing thegranny's hiswife's untimely ordeals,but also accelerates death. mation, inBabusia thebinges of thegranny'snephewphysicallythreaten thosearoundhim. The decay that engulfs Bobrova's village manifestsitself through thechar acters'degradation, thedisappearance of full-fledged andmost sig families, thereduction of thespace occupiedby the nificantly, On thenarra villagers. tive level, Bobrova represents the loss of national memory through thesold housesof the patriarch vy, and the matriarch (Qi, gusi) (Babusia).Once an in partof village cinema,thespacioushouse capable of accommodating tegral orable past, reanimatedin the film'snostalgic sequences.The traditional houses have been replaced by the fenced-in monumental, houses of the New whose Russians, ponderousness is emphasizedin Babusia's landscapeshots. In this, her latest Bobrova completesthespatialreduction film, of the Russian
not only a single family but also crowded peasant feasts retreats to themem

This content downloaded from 198.91.37.2 on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 21:54:14 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

The New Century: Has theRussian Pandora's Time Come?

269

-the grannyfails to obtain any space for village herself- and relegatesits therighteous quintessence, woman, to the of the depths Russian unconscious. While pinpointing thecomplete of the disintegration nuclearfamily and of the village commune, in Babusia Bobrova reinforces the parallelbetweenthe privatestory and thenationalforgetfulness that allows theold values to sink into oblivion.27 Like Piankova, who foregrounds the MotherofGod as an em blemof lostidentity, Bobrova selectsfor her symbolic an oldwoman figure a figure sufferer, equally familiar from Russian Orthodoxdiscourse.Con densed in thegranny's image, theRussian village loses its temporal and spatialspecificity, becoming merelya container ofwhatBobrova traditionally as "Russianorigins."In contrast identifies to thefilmmaker's tactics of non inOi, vy, interference gusi and V toistrane, Babusia atteststoherdesire to violate "thenatural development of life."28 Babusia invokes a senseof loss thanthesenseof compassioncharacteristic rather ofBobrova's earlierfilms. In conclusion, thefemale protagonists of Sadilova,Piankova,andBobrova are supposedto"patchthe holes"ofpost-Soviet toreinstate consciousness, the past intothepresent, and to comfort the(post-)Soviet audience through (the of recognizable directors')inclusion in thefilms. imagesand patterns On the one hand, thesecharacters areplunged,though into unequally, everyday real ity: Sadilova's Lilia oscillatesbetweenherhelplessgrandfather at home and theconveyer at thechickenfactory; Piankova'sSvetlana, while searching for her son, witnessesa Caucasian town'sroutine of illegalactivities; Bobrova's granny experiences ordeals that expose thedomestic uglinessof her relatives' lives. On theother women are doublyremoved hand, the from their ordinary lives. Firstof all, the prosaiceveryday isnothing but the fortheir background "noble"quests for, respectively, husband,son,and home/family. Second, the female characters' inthe metafunction isanything narratives butprosaic. With drawn fromeverydayreality, once again theyserve symbolicormythical "higher purposes." to lessenthetensions female Using transcendental characters accumulated inpost-Soviet society begetscontradictions betweencinematic aesthetics and narrative strategies. Whereas Sadilova, Piankova, andBobrova's documen tary ensuresa certain technique fortheir plausibility slice-of-life the stories,
27. The episode depicting the official festivities in the granny's sister's village can scarcely compensate for the impression that the villagers are alienated from their national roots, because of the discrepancy between the bright, "staged" celebration and the granny's deplorable situation. 28. film

Such a shiftmay explain why Russian audiences and critics received Bobrova's recent less enthusiastically than her earlier films, which were praised for their precept of not "shouting down" the life stream (Shchepotinnik 10) and for the "unbiased" style that allows her to overcome didactic overtones of derevenshchikov mythic, bucolic, 1: 140). In Neia Zorkaia's terms, here (Kinoslovar', [village writers] "muffles" other village cinema discourses, and lubok-like (41). the dis propa

course

gandiste,

This content downloaded from 198.91.37.2 on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 21:54:14 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

270

Slavic and East European Journal

to disbelief ina realisticresolution signal their magical realist denouements shift reality. Thus, thethree directors and their deliberate away from conflicts and utilitarian rather thanrupture with thetraditional per displaycontinuity on pre-post-Soviet spectiveon women andwomen's issues as represented awarenessof thedreadful screen. consequencesentailed in the Most likely, from thesacrosanct past opening of Pandora'sBox -a myth theyinherited thelid. doing more thantouching prevents thetriofrom REFERENCES
Anashkin, Attwood, Sergei. Lynne, sosnakh." Iskusstvo kino 9 (2004): 41-43. "V trekh povolzhskikh ed. Red Women on the Silver Screen. London: Pandora Press, 1993. and Helena Lives." Goscilo. In Helena "Getting Under Their Skin: The Beauty Salon in and Beth Holmgren, eds. Russia, Women, Cul Goscilo 1996. 94-121.

Nadezhda, Azhgikhina, Russian Women's ture. Bloomington:

Indiana UP, 1972. John. Ways of Seeing. London: Penguin Books, Iskusstvo kino 5 (1998): 29-33. Verkola." Bobrova, Lidiia. "Blagopoluchnaia Press, 2002. Butler, Alison. Women's Cinema. London: Wallflower and Catherine Cl?ment. The Newly Born Woman. Trans. Betsy Wing. Cixous, H?l?ne, P, 2001. neapolis: U ofMinnesota Berger, Deleuze, Ekimov, Gillespie, Goscilo, Gilles. Boris. David. Helena. Cinema Za U of Minnesota 2. Minneapolis: P, 1989. 1986. Sovremennik, teplym khlebom. Moskva: 2003. Russian Cinema. Harlow, England/New York: Longman, Scylla and Charybdis." "Negotiating Gendered Rhetoric: Between eds. Representing Gender in Cultures. New

Min

In Elzbieta York: Peter

Oleksy Lang,

and Joanna Rydzewska, 2004. 19-37.

Notes on Women's Cinema. London: Johnston, Claire. "Women's Cinema as Counter-Cinema." in Film and Television, 1973. 24-31. Society for Education In Jacqueline Levitin, Ju E. Ann. "Women, Film, Resistance: Changing Paradigms." Kaplan, UBC and Valerie Raoul, eds. Women Filmmakers: dith Plessis, Refocusing. Vancouver: 15-28. Press, 2003. 1-3. Sankt-Peterburg: Kinoslovar'. Vols. Seans, 2001. New York: Ira. Film Dictionary. Complete K?nigsberg, Makoveeva, Irina. "The

Evgenii. Sovetskoe Margolit, sitet iskusstv, 1988. Tat'iana. Pokhvala Moskvina, 2004. Mulvey,

(2003): 33-41.

Chronotope

of the Maternity Moskva: shokoladu.

Penguin Home." Vsesoiuznyi

1997. Reference, in Slavic Studies zaochnyi

Cultures univer

kinoiskusstvo. plokhomu

narodnyi Limbus

Sankt-Peterburg/Moskva:

Press,

In Robert Stam and Toby "Visual Pleasure Laura. and Narrative Cinema" [1975]. 2000. 483-94. Miller, eds. Film and Theory: An Anthology. Maiden, MA: Blackwell, 1968. U Texas the Folktale. Austin: of Vladimir. P, Morphology of Propp, In S. S. Sekirin dukha vremeni." russkoe kino' kak voploshchenie '"Novoe Kirill. Razlogov, Znak, 2004. 375-88. skii, ed. Istoriia strany. Istoriia kino. Moskva: Domashniaia sinemateka. and Sergei Zemlianukhin. Segida, Miroslava, 1996. 1918-1996. Moskva: Dubl'-D, 10-11. Petr. "V gostiakh." Seans 6 (1997): Shchepotinnik, Stishova, Elena. "... I ego zhenshchina." Iskusstvo kino 5 (1997): 29-32. Otechestvennoe kino.

This content downloaded from 198.91.37.2 on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 21:54:14 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

The New Century: Has theRussian Pandora's Time Come?

-. Iskusstvo kino 3 (2003): 29-33. "Vse, chto bylo zagadano..." Maia. "Amazonki russkogo avangarda." Kinovedcheskie zapiski 62 (2003): Al'mira. "Politicheskaia estetika 'zhenskogo kino' v kontekste feministskoi Usmanova, Turovskaia, Zorkaia, 3 (1999): orii." Gendernye issledovaniia Neia. "Derevenskaia proza?2004." Irina. "Strannye zhenshchiny 225-35. Iskusstvo Sadilovoi." kino 9 (2004): 36-41. Iskusstvo kino 3 (2003):

271

56-63. kinote

Zubavina,

rezhissera

33-36.

A6CTpaKT
HpHHa HOBbIii MaKOBeeBa BeK: HaCTaAO JIHBpeM pyCCKOH flaHgOpbI?

B ieHTpe BHHMaHH5i KHHOH ero MeCTO B COBpeMeHHOM qaHHOHCTaTbH )KeHCKOe

KHHOHpOUeCCe POCCHH. TeopeTHqecKoe BCTryfeHHe ripegBapieT TeKCTOBOH alHBaH3

B CTaTbe noapo6Ho pa36HpaIoTcI KapTHHbI JIapHCbICaHJIOBOr4 "C HJMBMOB. JIHJIA" JII06oBbIO, (2002), HaTaIbH ElbAHKOBOR "Mapm cIiaBAIHKH" (2003) H JIHAHH Bo6poBoi4 61a6ycA" (2003). Ha MOHI B3FJIqU, HMeHHO 3TH pa6oTii aaeKBaTHO MOMeHTB pa3BHTHHpyCCKOrO KHHO,TaK HOCT-COBeTCKHH )KeHCKOrO ripe,aCTaBJISIOT H ripo4eCCHOHaJbHoe KaK JIH'IHOCTHOe Ha ABe Co3peBaHHeHX co3gaTeIieH IpHIHJIOCb 3110XH:)0 H nociie pacnaga CoBeTCKofo C0o03a. HecMoTpA Ha pa3J1H.HI B TeMaTHKe
aHaJIH3HpyeMbIix BCe TpH pe)KHCcepa HJIBMOB, HX ofbeCH5IeT MaabbIH 6IogweT, OipaHHMeHHbIH KHHO HOKa3 C H

B COBpeMeHHOM IIOJIOKeHHe KHHeMaTorpa4e POCCHH.Bojiee Toro, BTOpOCTerieHHOe

KoM6HHHpyIOT CTHJIHCTHKy IoKyMeHTaJRbHorO

K KOjiJIeKTHBHOMy jiOrFH,eCKHM 6eCCo3HaTeJbHoMy. aHHieJIHPYIOIIHM COJlep)KaHHeM, Bcex Tpex KapTHH. loxowKzeHHA B TO BpeMA COCTasBI5OT OCHOBy repOHHH cIo)KeTHYIO KaK IlbAHKOBa BOcKpeImaeTo6pa3 BoropojTHubI-criaCHTeJIbHHUbI, Bo6pOBa OCTaHaB Ha 4Hrype CTapyImKH-cTpajaJIHubI, a Ca,HJiOBa oT,aeT ripeC)HOtITeHHe JIHBaeTC51 H so6pOBOii CIO)KeTOB llbAHKOBOA COnIOCTaBJIeHHe Ca4HJIOBOAI, xjpO-IKe-IOpOAHBOA.
C COBeTCKHMH HeCKOJIbKO 4)HJ1bMaMH, CaeCJaHHbIMH peWKHCcepaMH-My)KWHHaMH, o6pa3bi HO3BOjiAeT pe)KHC

MH4#O

HX CTPYKTYPHoe H 3aBHCHMOCTb OT paHHHXHappaTHBOB. BbIABHTh XOTb H TO)K)IeCTBO

H3MeH15

)KeHCKHX nepco ripH6eralOTK gaBHeH TpaJHIHH HCHORb3OBaHHA cepbI-)KeHIIAHHbI KpH3HCa, nepe)KHBaeMoro Ha)KeH )jJIA MaCKHpOBKH COUHaJIbHO-HOJIHTI4qeCKOFO MOMeHT.B UeJIOM,HX iiepciieKTHBa OCTaeTCA CTpaHOH B aHHMIbI KOHKpeTHbIH H MYKCKOH H e,Ba JIH 6bITboipeeiieHa KaK cyry6o )KeHCKaA. 3HaKOMOH MOKCeT

IlPHBbIxHbIe

4JIm COBeTCKOFO

3KpaHa

repOHHb,

This content downloaded from 198.91.37.2 on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 21:54:14 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions