Men Out of Focus: The Soviet Masculinity Crisis in the Long Sixties

During the liberal period in Soviet cinema and popular media, known as The Thaw, Men Out of Focus explores discussions and debates about masculinity. The book highlights how filmmakers of the 1960s constructed stories around male protagonists who struggled with the challenges of postwar life in a rapidly suburbanizing, rebellious, consumerist, household-oriented, and scientifically complex world. The Soviet film industry, which sold over three billion tickets annually, became a focal point of postwar cultural contestation, reflecting the official and popular responses to the profound transformations of Soviet society after Stalin's death.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 344 pages
\n Publication date: 18 January 2021
\n Publisher: University of Toronto Press
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Men Out of Focus delves into captivating conversations and spirited debates surrounding masculinity in Soviet cinema and popular media during the liberal era, often referred to as The Thaw, spanning from the death of Stalin in 1953 to the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. This insightful book unveils how filmmakers of the long 1960s crafted narratives centered around male protagonists who grappled with a rapidly suburbanizing, rebellious, consumerist, household-oriented, and scientifically complex world. The dramatic tension of 1960s cinema revolved around the male protagonists' struggle to navigate the complexities of postwar life. With an annual box office revenue exceeding three billion tickets, the Soviet film industry emerged as a focal point of postwar cultural contention. By examining both the discussions surrounding the most controversial movies of the period and the cultural context in which these debates unfolded, the book captures the official and popular reactions to the astonishing transformations of Soviet society after Stalin.

\n Weight: 684g\n
Dimension: 240 x 161 x 31 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781487505257\n \n