Blokada . Blockade
Duration: 00:52:00 Blockade provides a remarkable insight into the siege of Leningrad during the Second World War. Loznitsa managed to track down reels of unused footage that had been sitting in the archives for over half a century. The material offered snapshots of everyday life amongst Russian civ...
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| Institution: | Open Society Archives at Central European University |
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Telnov, Vyacheslav
2005
Russia |
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10891/osa:dc96927d-7c1e-4bc6-a0a0-4c6d668ccc7b |
| Summary: | Duration: 00:52:00
Blockade provides a remarkable insight into the siege of Leningrad during the Second World War. Loznitsa managed to track down reels of unused footage that had been sitting in the archives for over half a century. The material offered snapshots of everyday life amongst Russian civilians during the siege. The reels had not been used by the state because they were deemed inappropriate for propaganda purposes. Loznitsa's Blockade seems to be the total opposite of typical Soviet representations of the siege of Leningrad with their lofty pathos, celebration of martyrdom, and scenes of heroic labor. It is remarkably non-sensationalist, it has neither music nor running commentary – a cinematographic example of what Barthes famously termed “writing degree zero”. Yet it manages to capture and freeze in time the spirit of suffering in the struggling city. The depth of the shots and their graphic minimalism work to create a truly epic narrative, one that leaves room for the viewer's very own, un-mediated response. |
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| Published: | 2005 |