DOI 10.51255/2311–603X_2025_3_262
A. N. Chistikov. Orders of the Film Repertoire Control Department as a Historical Source //
Petersburg Historical Journal, no 3, 2025, pp. 262–271
Abstract:
The article is devoted to the analysis of the orders of the Department for the Control of film
Repertoire of the Main Directorate of Cinematography and Film Distribution as a historical source. These materials have not yet been subjected to a source assessment. The orders for 1954–1955 are used for the study. In the history of the country, these were the first years of the activity of the new political leadership, which led to noticeable changes in the domestic and foreign policy of the state. In the history of cinema, the period of low-quality has come to an end. The orders included an assessment of the movies’ readiness for rental or for continued display. According to the results of such an examination, they were divided into four groups:
1) allow, 2) extend, 3) remove, and 4) make corrections. The analysis of the orders leads the author to the conclusion that their use by historians will contribute to a more in-depth study of the history of Soviet cinema and film distribution, as well as state policy in the field of leisure. In some cases, orders can be considered as one of the tools for recording changes in the domestic and foreign policy of the Soviet country in the mid‑1950s and forming a new public opinion of Soviet viewers.
Key words: USSR, “thaw”, leisure, cinematography, film distribution, Soviet feature films, foreign feature films, historical source.
Author:
Chistikov, Alexander Nikolaevich — Dr. of Sci. in History, Leading Researcher, Acting Head of
Department of the History of Russia of the Twentieth Century of the St. Petersburg Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg, Russia).
E-mail: tchistikov@yandex.ru
ORCID: 0000-0002-1223-0546
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