The Era Transormation Of The New Russian Movie (1991-2008)

This paper is an in-depth study of the era transformation of the new Russian movie (1991-2008). After the breakup of the Soviet Union, the movie system of that period no longer exists. For some time, with the loss of traditional values and the massive influx of Western movies, the new Russian movie was caught in the dilemma of aphasia. At the turn of the century, with the gradual stabilization of the political and economic situation in Russia, the contemporary Russian movie gradually climbed out of a slump and returned to the road of recovery. Today's Russian movie circles call the contemporary Russian movie after the breakup of the Soviet Russia as the new Russian movie or the new movie of Russia.The era transformation refers to later art's inheritance, adjustment and breakthrough of traditional art in the course of development, which is directly related to social transformation. The collapse of the Soviet Union evoked massive changes of Russian society. In the comprehensive process of Russia's transformation, the people's life has experienced tremendous changes both spiritually and materially, which is also reflected in art, particularly embodied in the era transformation of the new Russia movie. New Russia movie transformation has direct and close relations with the institutional transformation, the transformation of values and foreign cultural influence, which can be seen in the estrangement and return of ideological identity, the acceptance and resistance of alien art, and the inheritance and modification of Russian traditional art.With the great changes in the movie system after the breakup of the Soviet Union, the Russian movie at a time became a social outcast. The failure of Russian movie reform, together with the impact of the economic crisis and the loss of traditional values and the full-scale introduction of imported movies to Russia after the abolishment of censorship, transformed the Russian movie into the "aesthetics of the ugly". Under such circumstances, Russia made laws to support the movie industry, vigorously reform the mode of production, distribution and showing of a movie and realize the diversification of investment, and the independent movie and the private movie occurred. Owing to government support and the endless efforts of Russian movie-makers, the Russian movie restored its prestige, not only returning to the tradition, but also combining itself with the concept of modern movies, and realizing the Russian movie's commercialization while upholding the combination of ideological content and artistic forms.The movie is closely related to ideology in the period of the Soviet Union. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, the movie lost its dependent connections with the State power, unable to find its place, the thorough liberalization made the completely free Russian movie estranged from national ideology. The self-examination movie symbolized the Russian movie's shaking away from the State ideology. With the rebirth of the Russian movie, the self-examination movie began to decline. Then a group of Russian directors with intellectual conscience took the lead and turned to the real life subject, striving to reveal the social problems the current society was faced with. Those movies truly showed Russia's chaotic social order, and criticized the malpractices of authoritative agencies. But the self-examination movies, social problem movies and comedies, intentionally or unintentionally restored the movie's function as an ideological instrument. In the process of transformation, new Russian movies experienced the alienation of their own identity as the State apparatus of ideology, but as a matter of fact, this alienation was a subtle approach, eventually reestablishing their own ideological identity.The artistic transformation of new Russian movies is also embodied in the theme of the pluralistic dimensions, which indicates the return of Russian movies'subjectivity. The diverse creative materials of new Russian movies can be seen in a variety of war movie themes, the appearance of the theme of excavating the past, and the review and reconsideration of the historical movies.In the Soviet Union movies, there was no concept of genre movies. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, Hollywood genre movies left a deep impression on Russian movies in the transition to a market economy. Impressive box office, exciting plots, and the delicate combination of recreation and art were highly admired by the Russian movie-makers who had eventually gained creative freedom but were faced with market difficulties. During this period, Russian movie-makers struggled to follow the example of Hollywood genre movies. To date, the Russian movie has initially established the genre movie system with its own characteristics, which includes not only the conventional genre movies such as comedies, war movies, ethic movies and social movies, but also action movies and fantasy movies. The remarkable performance of action movies, fantasy movies, and social problem movies reflects the creative wisdom of Russian movie-makers.The inheritance and development of the theory of montage and long lens, the return of traditional poetic movies, and the acceptance and resistance of the classical Hollywood narrative structure, symbolize new Russian movies'innovations and changes in the narrative strategy and lens language. It not only means the accomplishment of Russia movie transformation, also marks the revival of the Russian movie.The era transformation of new Russian movies has experienced many ups and downs, and its success marks the modernization of transformation of the contemporary Russian movie, turning Russia back into a world cinema power.New Russian movies'successful transition is enlightening for the development of the Chinese movie. Firstly, the new institutional protection of the new movie is the important guarantee for the development of national movies; secondly, the movie-makers'upholding and breakthrough of the tradition broaden Russian movies' development horizon; and thirdly, the rational treatment "of Hollywood" recreates the unique personalities of Russian movies.