Before the fall

de Anna Lawton

The book examines the fascinating world of Soviet cinema during the years of glasnost and perestroika--the 1980s. It shows how the reforms that shook the foundation of the Bolshevik state and affected economic and social structures have been reflected in the film industry. It also presents a survey of 300 films, including films that remained unscreened for decades for political reasons and the films of the new wave. By 1991 the film industry had undergone a renaissance, but there were already signs of impending trouble. The last chapter provides a commentary on the dramatic changes which marked the beginning of democracy in Russia. Perestroika now appears not as the dawn of a new era in Soviet cinema, but as the last stage of development before the fall caused by the realities of the market economy.