Force

Socialist Realism

    As we saw in class, the Soviet leader Josef Stalin was an anti-modernist; soon after gaining total power, he began to officially require writers, artists, musicians, and architects to adhere to a style that became known as “socialist realism".

Socialist realism is supposed to be simple, relatable for the proletarian masses, monumental, nationalistic, unambiguous, and “heroizing”. One of its goals was to promote their own images and mythic status (Stalin and Hitler's status).

Alexander Deineka – Female Textile Workers

Yuri Pimenov – District of Tomorrow

Hard- boiled

Film Noir

         As we saw in class, during and after World War II, the detective films and other crime-based films began to darken in mood and style, and became the basis of what we know as film noir.  It has a lot of European influence, especially from German Expressionist silent films, with their moody lighting and doomy narratives. Film Noir classic era happened from 1940 to 1965.

Some interesting facts about Film Noir:

• Not all noir films involve detectives or crime, although most do.
• Not all noir films are in black-and-white
• Not all noir films are set primarily at night 
• Many noirs feature femmes fatales, temptress women who lead poor suggestible males astray.
• Many noir films do share common visual motifs – rainy city streets, men in trench coats, etc.
• All noirs have a dark view of life, although some have happy endings.