Explain how the political, social and economic upheaval created by the aftermath of both the Russian Revolution and WW1 affected the production and content of classic Soviet Constructivist Cinema.

Politically, the Soviet Union utilised cinema as a propaganda tool. However after The Russian Revolution had taken place in 1917, the country was freeing itself from the grips of the ruling elite so it desired to revolutionise all aspects of Russia, including its cultural life. Art was to be in service of the new, Communist society.  ‘Constructivists believed that art should reflect the modern industrial world. Hence they disapproved of any kind of stylization.’

The Soviet montage also became an influential film movement focusing on the editing techniques of a film compared to content alone. The concept is that different sequences edited together in juxtaposition can express a new and separate complex idea. (Kuleshov effect). However, The Soviet Montage movement officially ended when the Marxist leader Joseph Stalin rose to power after Lenin’s death.