Synopsis
The Soviet Union was the first country in the world to decree that women were fully equal to men. At the same time, the cinema was the newest and most accessible form of popular entertainment - a powerful new tool to forge a new "Soviet person" and state. How did film-makers interpret their new task? Did film promote women's equality? What role did women play in the creation of new female images? What does this tradition mean for women in film today? This book aims to introduce the western reader to the realities and issues for women in the Soviet film industry, and their place in society from the revolution to the fall of Gorbachev. Part 1, written by Lynne Attwood, provides a framework for the discussions that follow. Part 2 consists of contributions by women inside the Soviet film industry - actors, directors, critics - and on its impact on the lives of women past and present.