Images. The International Journal of European Film, Performing Arts and Audiovisual Communication
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Oleksandr Dovzhenko and the Soviet Secret Police
Get PDFThe article reviews the specifics of the surveillance process of the Ukrainian film director Oleksandr Dovzhenko organized by the Soviet secret police. The main focus is on agents’ reports about the director’s work on the films Earth, Ivan, Shchors, and the screenplay for Ukraine in Flames. The article reveals that Dovzhenko was under permanent secret police surveillance, starting from the end of the 1920s until the end of his life in 1956. This surveillance was well organized; it was large-scale and complex in its nature and covered not only his professional but his private life as well. The purpose of the surveillance was to collect and analyze compromising, i.e., anti-Soviet information against the film director and, if necessary, to open a criminal case against him, and make an arrest.The article reviews the specifics of the surveillance process of the Ukrainian film director Oleksandr Dovzhenko organized by the Soviet secret police. The main focus is on agents’ reports about the director’s work on the films Earth, Ivan, Shchors, and the screenplay for Ukraine in Flames. The article reveals that Dovzhenko was under permanent secret police surveillance, starting from the end of the 1920s until the end of his life in 1956. This surveillance was well organized; it was large-scale and complex in its nature and covered not only his professional but his private life as well. The purpose of the surveillance was to collect and analyze compromising, i.e., anti-Soviet information against the film director and, if necessary, to open a criminal case against him, and make an arrest
Oleksandr Dovzhenko, Ivan Kavaleridze, Leonid Skrypnyk: The avant-garde and philosophical explorations of Ukrainian filmmakers of the 1920s
Get PDFThe filmmakers Oleksandr Dovzhenko and Ivan Kavaleridze created bold avant-garde works at the time when Ukrainian cinema was being established, at the end of the 1920s and early 1930s. In effect, the works of these two directors shaped the defining features of Ukrainian cinema. This article discusses the creative methods used by Dovzhenko in his three films Zvenyhora (1927), Arsenal (1929) and Earth (1930), which clearly depict Ukrainian worldviews and mentality. Kavaleridze’s approach is considered in the light of two of his films, Downpour (1929) and Perekop (1930). Already a recognized sculptor at the time, Kavaleridze sought unique forms of expression in film. The approaches these directors took towards framing scenes, montage, lighting and rhythm underpinned the theoretical propositions of their contemporary, Ukrainian film theorist Leonid Skrypnyk. The author suggests that this testifies to a deliberate and comprehensive search for new means of expression in all phases of filmmaking.The filmmakers Oleksandr Dovzhenko and Ivan Kavaleridze created bold avant-garde works at the time when Ukrainian cinema was being established, at the end of the 1920s and early 1930s. In effect, the works of these two directors shaped the defining features of Ukrainian cinema. This article discusses the creative methods used by Dovzhenko in his three films Zvenyhora (1927), Arsenal (1929) and Earth (1930), which clearly depict Ukrainian worldviews and mentality. Kavaleridze’s approach is considered in the light of two of his films, Downpour (1929) and Perekop (1930). Already a recognized sculptor at the time, Kavaleridze sought unique forms of expression in film. The approaches these directors took towards framing scenes, montage, lighting and rhythm underpinned the theoretical propositions of their contemporary, Ukrainian film theorist Leonid Skrypnyk. The author suggests that this testifies to a deliberate and comprehensive search for new means of expression in all phases of filmmaking
Discourse and the Macabre. Creating an Image of the Past in the Film Hatred by Wojciech Smarzowski
Get PDFThe film Hatred (Wołyń) is a hybrid of a classic historical drama (with elements of discourse) and a modernist anti-war film. Smarzowski created a scenario that complicates the history of Volhynia, and renders it open to ambiguous assessments of Poles, Ukrainians, Jews and Germans. The film was supposed to be conciliatory. But this desire to distance itself from factual and ethical simplifications was doomed to lose in confrontation with the emotional force of the final sequence of the cruel crime. The author of the article does not oppose the macabre. From the Polish perspective, it was rather unavoidable in the first film on this subject, because it was not about the information about the crime itself but rather its emotional experience (probably cathartic for some viewers). The author only points to the fact that thinking in terms of reconciliation in the making of the film, which in the first part approaches a distanced discourse (for the full expression of the “voice of history”), and in the final parts is an immersive anti-war film, could not be successful.The film Hatred (Wołyń) is a hybrid of a classic historical drama (with elements of discourse) and a modernist anti-war film. Smarzowski created a scenario that complicates the history of Volhynia, and renders it open to ambiguous assessments of Poles, Ukrainians, Jews and Germans. The film was supposed to be conciliatory. But this desire to distance itself from factual and ethical simplifications was doomed to lose in confrontation with the emotional force of the final sequence of the cruel crime. The author of the article does not oppose the macabre. From the Polish perspective, it was rather unavoidable in the first film on this subject, because it was not about the information about the crime itself but rather its emotional experience (probably cathartic for some viewers). The author only points to the fact that thinking in terms of reconciliation in the making of the film, which in the first part approaches a distanced discourse (for the full expression of the “voice of history”), and in the final parts is an immersive anti-war film, could not be successful
Rozmowa z Jerzym Hoffmanem
Get PDFAn interview with the Polish film director Jerzy Hoffman was recorded on 11–12 July 2022 at his estate in the village of Sikory Yuskie in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. Jerzy Hoffman is perhaps the most popular Polish film director in Ukraine. His films gained recognition even before Ukraine gained independence. However, his most notable work is Ogniem i mieczem [With Fire and Sword, 1999], which starred the great Ukrainian actor Bohdan Stupka (1941–2012) as Hetman Bohdan Chmielnicki. The collaboration continued in the film The Old Tale. When the Sun Was a God (2003). In 2008 Jerzy Hoffman made a four-part documentary film Ukraine. The Birth of a Nation.
The conversation touched on issues related to these films, completed and unrealized projects on Ukraine, reflections on the history of Polish-Ukrainian relations and the role of Jerzy Hoffmann’s work in establishing them. As a filmmaker who closely follows events in Ukraine, he shared his impressions and predictions about how the ongoing war will change and transform Ukraine and the world.An interview with the Polish film director Jerzy Hoffman was recorded on 11–12 July 2022 at his estate in the village of Sikory Yuskie in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. Jerzy Hoffman is perhaps the most popular Polish film director in Ukraine. His films gained recognition even before Ukraine gained independence. However, his most notable work is Ogniem i mieczem [With Fire and Sword, 1999], which starred the great Ukrainian actor Bohdan Stupka (1941–2012) as Hetman Bohdan Chmielnicki. The collaboration continued in the film The Old Tale. When the Sun Was a God (2003). In 2008 Jerzy Hoffman made a four-part documentary film Ukraine. The Birth of a Nation.
The conversation touched on issues related to these films, completed and unrealized projects on Ukraine, reflections on the history of Polish-Ukrainian relations and the role of Jerzy Hoffmann’s work in establishing them. As a filmmaker who closely follows events in Ukraine, he shared his impressions and predictions about how the ongoing war will change and transform Ukraine and the world
Religion, Female Sexuality and Magic in (Post)Modern Film
Get PDFThe paper strives to investigate the relationship of female sexuality, magic and religion in film based on the comparison of two selected films. The three themes have been often seen as intertwined especially by religion, which has built an image of a female witch in alliance with the devil, or evil forces. The research aims to answer the question whether postmodern cinema embraces the combination of the aforementioned themes often associated, historically, with the notion of witchcraft practised especially by female witches. The scope of the research is limited to two films; however, the possibility to expand the research in the future and include newer films exists. Comparative methods and analysis are used throughout the paper. The paper is structured according to the analysed themes found in both films – Carrie (dir. Kimberly Peirce, 2013) and Thelma (dir. Joachim Trier, 2017). The author claims that these themes are similar and rooted in the same perception of the female monstrosity in both films, with different outcomes of this combination. The authors suggest that this is due to feminist tendencies becoming more prominent in every artform. However, this claim needs investigating from the feminist studies’ point of view.The paper strives to investigate the relationship of female sexuality, magic and religion in film based on the comparison of two selected films. The three themes have been often seen as intertwined especially by religion, which has built an image of a female witch in alliance with the devil, or evil forces. The research aims to answer the question whether postmodern cinema embraces the combination of the aforementioned themes often associated, historically, with the notion of witchcraft practised especially by female witches. The scope of the research is limited to two films; however, the possibility to expand the research in the future and include newer films exists. Comparative methods and analysis are used throughout the paper. The paper is structured according to the analysed themes found in both films – Carrie (dir. Kimberly Peirce, 2013) and Thelma (dir. Joachim Trier, 2017). The author claims that these themes are similar and rooted in the same perception of the female monstrosity in both films, with different outcomes of this combination. The authors suggest that this is due to feminist tendencies becoming more prominent in every artform. However, this claim needs investigating from the feminist studies’ point of view
Introduction. Waste in Films – Waste after Films: Before the War
Get PDFWhen we invited interested authors to contribute to the special issue titled “Waste in Films – Waste after Films,” we expected papers about waste shown in fictional films and in the real world, and in every potential “transitional” discursive form. In our call for papers, we sug- gested that waste is not only a metaphor, not only a sign and symbol in cinematic text, but also a material impact of film production. Waste is the visible consequence of film production, although its causes are often less visible. Waste is often treated as a political and economic challenge, but its role as the source of ecological disaster can be overlooked
Wasted lives and expulsions. A study of Beasts of the Southern Wild by Benh Zeitlin
Get PDFThe author analyzes the mutual determinants of the ecological and social crisis. The starting point is Zygmunt Bauman’s concept of wasted lives and the concept of expulsions proposed by Saskia Sassen, referring both to activities destroying specific areas and the communities inhabiting them. This frame includes films showing various scenarios of a dystopian future in which individual characters or entire groups have been consumed and expelled by the aggressive Capithalocene and doomed to live in the dustbin of contemporary civilization. The article focuses on the production Beasts of the Southern Wild directed by Benh Zeitlin. The author looks at the reality and, at the same time, the symbolism of the film’s wall/dam; communities living on both sides of it, relationships between nature and culture, or rather (in posthumanist terms it is written as one word – natureculture); the methods and consequences of excluding and expelling human and non-human beings used by the mechanisms of late capitalism
The audience and reception of the films from the Profil Film Unit in 1982-1989
Get PDFThe subject of this article is an analysis of the distribution, attendance results and reception of feature films made by the Profil Film Unit in 1982–1989. The Profil Film Unit was the second film group (alongside Iluzjon, headed by Czesław Petelski) to be reactivated by the cinematography management after martial law was declared in Poland. The artistic director of Profil, Bohdan Poręba, enjoyed the trust and support of the Party authorities, linking his allegiance to communist dogma to his activity in the nationalist ‘Grunwald’ Patriotic Association. Profil’s productions were boycotted by a large part of the acting community (also due to an appeal by the Solidarity Stage and Film Artists published in the newspaper “Tygodnik Mazowsze”), and some of the films made by this unit in the 1980s clearly followed the guidelines of the cultural policy of the Polish United Workers’ Party. The following questions will be answered: How did the political circumstances outlined above affect the distribution and reception of the films made by Profil? What attendance results did the films produced by Profil achieve and to what extent did they differ from the cinema ticket revenues of the films produced by other groups? How was the activity of the Profil Film Unit and the financial results achieved evaluated by the Supreme Board of Film Affairs? How were the productions of Profil received by film critics in the daily press and magazines
Religie w komiksach. Wstęp
Get PDFZdarza się, że gdy czytamy komiksy, to myślimy o religii, o jakimś jej aspekcie. Zdarza się również, że komiksy same w sobie, bez względu na treść, są dla nas źródłem przeżyć, które uznajemy przynajmniej za metafory doświadczeń religijnych. Komiks staje się „apokryfem” – palimpsestem narracji, w której odtwarzane, przetwarzane oraz kreowane są treści religijne.
W dniach 16–17 kwietnia 2020 r. odbyła się w Poznaniu konferencja dotycząca różnych form przedstawienia religii w komiksach. W prezentowanym numerze „Images” znalazła się część wygłoszonych podówczas referatów, oczywiście – z odpowiednimi dopowiedzeniami, rozszerzeniami i kontekstami. W trakcie wspólnych dyskusji zauważyliśmy, że w komiksach od/prze/wy/twarzane są ważne dla różnych religii treści, funkcjonujące często jako ich wizualne interpretacje, a używając terminologii Genette’a – hiperteksty. Wprowadziliśmy powyżej pojęcie „palimpsestu”, aby pokazać, że każde medium, w tym właśnie komiks, staje się naturalnym „środowiskiem” dla tworzonych i przekazywanych treści religijnych, medium „projektującym” nowego i następnego odbiorcę. Tytuł numeru „Images” – Religie w komiksach oznacza w tym kontekście wielość i różnorodność perspektyw religijnych, ale też badawczych. W dziale tematycznym numeru dominują teksty odnoszące się do tradycji judeochrześcijańskiej, choć Czytelnik znajdzie również artykuły na temat innych tradycji religijnych.Zdarza się, że gdy czytamy komiksy, to myślimy o religii, o jakimś jej aspekcie. Zdarza się również, że komiksy same w sobie, bez względu na treść, są dla nas źródłem przeżyć, które uznajemy przynajmniej za metafory doświadczeń religijnych. Komiks staje się „apokryfem” – palimpsestem narracji, w której odtwarzane, przetwarzane oraz kreowane są treści religijne.
W dniach 16–17 kwietnia 2020 r. odbyła się w Poznaniu konferencja dotycząca różnych form przedstawienia religii w komiksach. W prezentowanym numerze „Images” znalazła się część wygłoszonych podówczas referatów, oczywiście – z odpowiednimi dopowiedzeniami, rozszerzeniami i kontekstami. W trakcie wspólnych dyskusji zauważyliśmy, że w komiksach od/prze/wy/twarzane są ważne dla różnych religii treści, funkcjonujące często jako ich wizualne interpretacje, a używając terminologii Genette’a – hiperteksty. Wprowadziliśmy powyżej pojęcie „palimpsestu”, aby pokazać, że każde medium, w tym właśnie komiks, staje się naturalnym „środowiskiem” dla tworzonych i przekazywanych treści religijnych, medium „projektującym” nowego i następnego odbiorcę. Tytuł numeru „Images” – Religie w komiksach oznacza w tym kontekście wielość i różnorodność perspektyw religijnych, ale też badawczych. W dziale tematycznym numeru dominują teksty odnoszące się do tradycji judeochrześcijańskiej, choć Czytelnik znajdzie również artykuły na temat innych tradycji religijnych
War drama as a living reality
Get PDFSince 2014, the Russian aggression in Ukraine has prompted filmmakers to master a new genre of war drama to tell the stories of those who serve in the Ukrainian army or the territorial defense, as well as those who contribute to the war effort as volunteers. The article discusses Ukrainian war drama films: Cyborgs. Heroes Don’t Die, Call Sign Banderas, Mother of Apostles, Ilovaysk 2014. Donbas Battalion, Sniper. The White Raven. These films integrate war drama with other genres such as detective stories, adventure films, and psychological drama. They also refer to some archetypal themes and conflicts in order to frame the current experience of the war. However, it will be argued that these films do not simply reuse the existing genre models, but complicate them. They refresh war drama by prioritizing the concrete experience of the ongoing war against Russian aggression over the genre conventions. Ukrainian war drama shows not a game of war but the truth of war. It tells the real stories of the bravery of ordinary people who fight against Russian aggression.Since 2014, the Russian aggression in Ukraine has prompted filmmakers to master a new genre of war drama to tell the stories of those who serve in the Ukrainian army or the territorial defense, as well as those who contribute to the war effort as volunteers. The article discusses Ukrainian war drama films: Cyborgs. Heroes Don’t Die, Call Sign Banderas, Mother of Apostles, Ilovaysk 2014. Donbas Battalion, Sniper. The White Raven. These films integrate war drama with other genres such as detective stories, adventure films, and psychological drama. They also refer to some archetypal themes and conflicts in order to frame the current experience of the war. However, it will be argued that these films do not simply reuse the existing genre models, but complicate them. They refresh war drama by prioritizing the concrete experience of the ongoing war against Russian aggression over the genre conventions. Ukrainian war drama shows not a game of war but the truth of war. It tells the real stories of the bravery of ordinary people who fight against Russian aggression