This is the first volume of a comprehensive treatment of Russian Cinema. Newly commissioned essays cover pre-revolutionary era from 1908; delve into the giddy experimentation of the early post-Revolutionary years, both silent and early voiced films; conclude with a massive overview of Stalinist cinema up to 1953. On the way, many of the major works are examined in detail, many of them exemplary of the particular styles and conventions (or lack of them) that prevailed at the time. The first part looks closely at Sten'ka Razin (1908), The Cameraman's Revenge (1912) and The Merchant Bashkorov's Daughter (1913). The second, most formally interesting part, describes the many varied and highly experimental films produced between 1918 and 1930, including such masterpieces as Battleship Potemkin and The man with the Movie Camera. The final part concentrates on the Stalinist cinema, and its combination of socialist realism and epic propaganda, culminating in such major productions as Chapaev, and of course, Ivan the Terrible, which can be treated as an ambivalent allegory on Stalin's rule. A useful and interesting collection of works covering a subject not widely available in English language. Annotation ©2014 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)