Auteur : Irina Tcherneva , Juliette Denis

Journal : Journal of Power Institutions in Post-Soviet Societies

It is usually said that the memory of the war period had been completely reversed in the former Soviet borderlands since the collapse of the USSR, turning former « traitors » into heroes or victims. However, attempts to set up a new approach of the Nazi occupation and collaboration are rooted in the « Thaw » period. I remember everything, Richard – dealing with the Latvian legion, started to be considered in 1957. That coincided both with the massive return of the Latvian deportees from Siberia, and with a renewal of trials against war criminals. Produced only in 1966, the film reflected the social tensions going along with the sensitive topic, and presented a point of view far more nuanced than the official figure of the « Latvian traitor » imposed during the Stalinist period. Based on interviews, archival material and film analysis, this article aims at understanding through the film-making process the connection between the deep changes of the political meaning of the war period, and the social composition of film production.

Keywords : Cinema

Updated on 02/01/2012