REVUE

Propaganda newsreels composed along the lines of newspapers were regularly shown in the Soviet Union during the 1950s and ’60s. REVUE uses archive footage of such propaganda films for a black-and-white presentation of scenes alleged to be everyday life during the Soviet era. Workers in a steel plant are celebrated for their outstanding achievements, Khrushchev delivers a patriotic speech to the masses, and children positioned around the Lenin Mausoleum solemnly swear to serve their county. Thanks to the director’s manipulation of the soundtrack and skilful re-editing, the propagandistic character of the footage is gradually accentuated, with the result that calculated distance falls under the influence of its own persuasive intentions.