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"In 1948 The Grapes of Wrath was allowed to play in Soviet cinemas because of its propaganda value, which was presumably to heighten awareness of the desperate
by nl 4y ago
"In 1948 The Grapes of Wrath was allowed to play in Soviet cinemas because of its propaganda value, which was presumably to heighten awareness of the desperate misery of the Okies under the most advanced system of capitalism on the planet. After several weeks, however, the film—given the unbiblical title of The Road to Wrath—had to be withdrawn. Soviet audiences were apparently extracting the wrong lesson, since they could see for themselves that even the most dispossessed of America’s rural proletariat were shown driving automobiles."
from https://journals.openedition.org/lisa/802?lang=en https://journals.openedition.org/lisa/802?lang=en which you linked. That quote seems pretty clear.
I think maybe the target ("#ftn2" in http://lisa.revues.org/802?lang=en#ftn2 http://lisa.revues.org/802?lang=en#ftn2) is confusing.
- pessimizer 4y agoSort of clear, except that it doesn't mention Stalin or any source for the reason the film was "withdrawn," or for the fact that it was withdrawn, or for whether that withdrawal was a government ban. Without any of that, the story is "The Grapes of Wrath ran for weeks in Soviet cinemas."
- nl 4y agoRunning for weeks is a very short run! Something happened! And Steinbeck was famous in Russia for releasing his fairly positive "A Russian Journal" around the same time. It's impossible to know who exactly ordered it, but it is likely Stalin was aware of it being shown.