Films of the 1970s focus on the heroism of every-day life and work beyond the Arctic Circle. The mythology of discovery and conquering is transformed into the mythology of construction and conquering, but conquering nature and climate, not the land. Shock-work construction projects (though some of them like Baikal-Amur Mainline date back to the 1930s) become one of the characteristics of the period and establish a certain approach to the Arctic: the waste virgin land, which is to be transformed into an oasis through the creative and constructive imagination of the Soviet man. Thus "a Garden-City" (Mayakovsky) built in the virgin land becomes a dominant concept. Among the films that develop the concept and create the image of the Soviet hero, who is a builder and an engineer, are "Lyubit' Cheloveka" ("The Love of Mankind", 1972) and "Obyknovennaya Arktika" ("The Ordinary Arctic", 1976). This chapter will explore the representation of the Arctic "under construction" and the new characters brought to life in Sov
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationFILMS ON ICE: CINEMAS OF THE ARCTIC
Subtitle of host publicationTraditions in World Cinema Eup
EditorsScott MacKenzie , Anna Westerståhl Stenport
Place of PublicationEdinburgh
PublisherEdinburgh University Press
Pages310-324
Number of pages15
ISBN (Electronic)978-0748694181
ISBN (Print)978-0748694174, 074869417X
StatePublished - 2015

Publication series

NameTraditions in World Cinema
PublisherEdinburgh University Press

    Research areas

  • Soviet cinema, the Arctic Circle, Sergei Gerasimov, "City of Youth" (Komsomolsk), "The Seven Bold Ones", "The Love of Mankind (Lyubit’ cheloveka)", Alexei Simonov, "The Ordinary Arctic (Obyknovennaya Arktika)".

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