Vladimir Paperny Completes Maya Turovskaya's Comparative Study of Soviet and Hollywood Cinema

Vladimir Paperny has published 'Cinema, Culture, and the Spirit of the Times' (NLO: Moscow, 2023), completing the late film historian Maya Turovskaya's comparative analysis of Soviet and American film industries. The book originated from a 1992 collaboration that began as a documentary project but transformed due to copyright restrictions. Turovskaya, who passed away in 2019 at age 95, was a legendary Soviet film and theater critic known for her work on the documentary 'Ordinary Fascism' (1965) directed by Mikhail Romm. Her research revealed unexpected parallels between 1930s-1940s Hollywood and Soviet cinema that transcended national boundaries, which she attributed to the 'spirit of the times' or Zeitgeist. Paperny and Turovskaya first presented their findings at Washington's Kennan Institute in 2008. Their methodology focuses on structural similarities rather than plot coincidences, with key film pairings including 'Ninotchka' (1939) and 'Circus' (1936), and 'High Noon' (1952) and 'Clear Skies' (1961). The analysis examines how both cinematic traditions addressed industrialization, women's emancipation, and ideological struggles while maintaining distinct approaches to individualism versus collectivism. Paperny notes the book's publication in contemporary Russia represents a critical perspective contrasting with current anti-American narratives. The interview was conducted via Zoom in January 2023 and published by ARTMargins Online on May 8, 2023.