VIII - Circus of 1936: Ideology and entertainment under the big top

Summary

Stalin clearly understood the value of film as a means of implanting official myths among the masses. He focused particularly on the most popular genres — such as the musical comedy — as an innocuous and willing vessel for ideological edification through entertainment. One of the most widely seen musical comedies in the Soviet Union, Circus (1936), is a classic example of Stalin's use of film as an expression of his ideological world view. It is also the first conscious attempt to produce a musical comedy according to the model of Socialist Realism.

Movies for the millions: Combining ideology and entertainment

Circus was the second in a spate of musical screen hits by director Grigory Alexandrov between 1934 and 1940, marking the golden era of the musical comedy in Soviet cinema. His other major films during this period were Happy Guys (1934), Volga, Volga (1938) and The Radiant Road (1940), all massive successes. It is no accident that the height of the musical comedy coincided with the darkest hours of the Stalinist terror. As Soviet reality became ever more twisted, Stalin raised the volume on propaganda by recruiting all mass media to the task of maintaining the mythical illusion that life had indeed become brighter and happier.