"Little Vera"

[Benjamin Rifkin]

Actually, "Little Vera" is an important film for understanding the cinematic
trend of "chernukha" in late Soviet / early post-Soviet film.  It is also
important for understanding the history of the depiction by Russians of
their society in a late Soviet film.  The scene where Vera is washing dishes
while the radio plays the Soviet national anthem is particularly interesting
in this regard: the camera pans the tiny kitchen and the imagetrack provides
a very striking dissonance with the majestic soundtrack.

Will this film be one that lasts the ages? I can't say.  Is it one that
should or must be shown in a class dedicated to exploring issues of the
depiction of women in Russian culture? I can't say.  Is it a film that
people should watch again and again?  I doubt it.  But the film is
interesting in its own way.  I don't want to watch "Moskva slezam ne verit"
again, but I won't argue that it wasn't an interesting film for its period.
(NB that film featured a scene of a female character showering, a very
provocative film scene in its context, utterly tame in the American
context.) 

Ben Rifkin

-- 
Benjamin Rifkin
Professor of Russian and Vice Dean for Undergraduate Affairs
College of Liberal Arts, Temple University
1206 Anderson Hall, 1114 W. Berks St.
Philadelphia, PA 19122 USA
Voice 215-204-1816
Fax 215-204-3731
www.temple.edu/cla
www.temple.edu/fgis/rifkin

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