Forging the 'Link': Changing representations of the city and the countryside in Soviet Cinema, 1924-34

Throughout their regime the Soviet authorities attempted to utilize film in an agenda‐setting role. The attempted use of cinema can be seen most clearly at moments of crisis in the history of the Soviet Union. These crises are often accompanied by startling policy changes, as from War Communism (1918–21) to the economic relaxation of the New Economic Policy (1921–27), and from NEP to collectivization and the 1st Five‐ Year Plans (1928–35). This article seeks to observe how Soviet film‐makers and their political masters sought to portray the problematic tension central to the relationship between city and countryside.