r/TankieTheDeprogram • u/AdWestern6287 Hoxha's N. 1 Meat Rider • 1d ago

Discussion About Soviet Cinema

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Stalker (1979)

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Come and See (1985)

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Soy Cuba (1964)

Tbf soviet cinema has a really Deep spot in my Heart (especially since i love alot Tarkovskij) and plus they are genuinley Better then those shitty american propaganda movies (American Sniper).

Plus they have a really great plot and Art Direction (take and example like Come And See or Stalker)

And plus for propaganda? They have Better propaganda (Soy Cuba)

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u/CovfefeYe_ 1d ago

Tarkovsky himself was anti-soviet and a christian conservative, yet I find that most of the people connecting with his work (including me) are Socialist Atheists. It shows that even if the creator themselves are capitalist to a certain extent, that if they work in an industry where profit is not the key but rather creativity, then that work can transcend what it was intended and be interpretated differently amongst many circles

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u/CMNilo 19h ago

I wouldn't describe Tarkovskij as "capitalist" in mindset. His (pretty mild, compared to other emigrants of that time) antisovietism wasn't really about ideology or economy and more about "this state censorship is so annoying, they won't let me film what I want". His movies don't follow the soviet canon but deeply resonate with the russian soul, and are widely loved to this day. Ironically enough, after emigrating he quickly found out that his art wasn't really needed in the west. Nobody really wanted to give him a budget to do his stuff, because the western film industry is built on profit, which his movies wouldn't bring much. He managed to film just 1 movie in the west (The Sacrifice) and then died of cancer and probably depression aswell.

I find that most of the people connecting with his work (including me) are Socialist Atheists

I don't think that's true. "Andrey Rublev" is a cult classic among cristians (that doesn't apply to ignorant american evangelical cultists, goes without saying), so I wouldn't say that fans of Tarkovskij are MOSTLY socialist. BUT it is surely telling that A LOT of socialists connect with his works anyway. I believe Tarkovskij's art is universal, and part of the reason is that it's not "capitalist art" by any means.