Inspired Exposure: The Image of Stalin in the Soviet Cinema of the Perestroika Period

The implementation of the glasnost policy and the actual abolition of censorship in the USSR led to the fact that since 1987–1988 the figure of Stalin was not only publicly criticized, but also openly demonized, which affected all types of creative activities, including cinema. The article, using the example of feature films, analyzes the main creative approaches to representing the image of Stalin during the perestroika period, as well as related discussions and memorial conflicts. Based on an analysis of cinematic works, official documents, reviews of film critics, reviews of viewers and readers in the press, the authors conclude that the demonization and vulgarization of Stalin’s image was largely caused by the current political situation and dominated perestroika film production. At the same time, in public discourse, discussions are continued about the personality of Stalin and the essence of the Stalinist period, the participants of which mainly turned to the mythologized images of cultural memory, but not to verified historical sources or the works of professional historians.