I chose to respond to the article “Pre-Revolutionary Russia” by Yuri Tsivian. It was interesting to read about the early days of film in Russia as opposed to the United States. We hear a lot about the history of film particularly in the US, but those histories rarely talk about countries in which the very very early beginnings of film did not take place. The article talks about the early 1900’s in Russia. Film and cameras were not available, so Russians first experienced film from other countries. People called importers linked foreign films with distributors in Russia. I loved that they used the profits made showing foreign films as funding for making their own films. According to the article the heyday of Russian cinema occurred in the early 1910s. Tsivian states that “never before of since have Russian productions so dominated the Russian film market.” During this time individual directors and stars became admired for their talents. Things like fan magazines began to emerge. I think it is so impressive that in such a short amount of time Russian cinema shifted from being imported to standing on its own. It is inspiring to me because people saw films that were imported and were so impressed that they were compelled to make their own. It seems amazingly similar to what filmmakers today have felt at some point. At some point each one of us saw a film that made us want to try filmmaking for ourselves. It’s a strange connection between today’s filmmakers and Russian filmmakers in the early 1900’s.
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Alie, I am glad to read that the history of early Russian cinema piqued your interest. I would agree that the desire to make films is often fueled by seeing other people's work. It is interesting to se the effect that foreign films had on Russian artists and professionals and deeply inspired they were to make films and develop their own film industry. As you noted, significant social and government support made the growth of the film industry in Russian possible.
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