Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Cinema (Historical Dictionaries of Literature and the Arts) - Tapa dura

Peter Rollberg writes in his preface that he devoted six years to compiling this historical dictionary. The effort shows. The Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Cinema is packed full of useful information and it will be particularly helpful for students who need a comprehensive volume. . . . Not only will the reader receive a clearer picture of Soviet cinema, they also can place the developments of Georgian, Kazakh and other cinematic traditions within useful chronological and cultural contexts. * Studies In Russian and Soviet Cinema, January 2010 * Rollberg has penned an excellent introduction, which in twenty pages tells us more about Russian and Soviet cinema history than several full-length book studies have done. The entries are clear, judicious and detailed, without being overloaded with unnecessary information. It is particularly pleasing to see so many entries associated with the popular cinema that has previously been too frequently overlooked by academic researches, but that meant so much to the mass audience. -- Richard Taylor * The Russian Review, July 2009 *

Film lovers all over the world are familiar with the masterpieces of Eisenstein and Tarkovsky. These directors' unique achievements were embedded in a powerful process that began under Russia's last tsar and underwent several periods of blossoming: the bourgeois cinema in the 1910s, the revolutionary avant-garde in the 1920s, the Thaw in the 1950s, and the awakening of national cinemas in the 1960s and 1970s. The Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Cinema is the first reference work of its kind in the English language devoted entirely to the cinema of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and the post-Soviet period, including both the cinematic highlights and the mainstream. The cinemas of the former Soviet republics, including Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, Georgia, Lithuania, and Latvia, are also represented with their most influential artists. Through a chronology, an introduction essay, a bibliography, and over 500 cross-referenced dictionary entries on filmmakers, performers, cinematographers, composers, producers, studios, genres, and outstanding films, this reference work covers the history of Russian and Soviet filmmaking from 1896 to 2007.