Contemporary Russian Sports Biopics as a Representation of the Selective Attitude towards the Soviet Past
https://doi.org/10.32603/2412-8562-2025-11-6-53-65
Abstract
Introduction. Contemporary Russian films about Soviet sports achievements are becoming an important tool for constructing collective memory and national identity. The aim of the article is to analyze the representation of the Soviet past in these films through the lens of the strategy of selective use of history.
Methodology and sources. The study employs an interdisciplinary approach, combining H. White's concept of the narrative form of historical representation, Z. Bauman's theory of retrotopia, and the model of selective actualization of the Soviet past developed by V.S. Avdonin et al. The source base includes the films “Legend No. 17”, “Going Vertical”, “World Champion”, “Mr. Knockout”, and “Rodnina”. The theoretical framework is based on the works of O.Yu. Malinova, M. Lipovetsky, T. Mikhaylova, A.A. Dupak and other researchers.
Results and discussion. It is revealed that the analyzed films demonstrate the deideologization of the Soviet past and its transformation into a transhistorical "cultural code" of the will to win. Through the “us vs. them” opposition, the images of sports officials as “internal enemies” and the narrative of “peaceful war”, a collective memory is constructed that legitimizes contemporary political confrontation. The evolution of these strategies from earlier to later films is shown.
Conclusion. It is established that Russian cinema, acting as an instrument of cultural policy, forms a retrotopian image of the past. This image replaces an uncertain future and offers the viewer a sense of historical security and national pride based on selectively chosen and artistically reinterpreted Soviet sports achievements.
About the Authors
K. O. Dobronravov
Dostoevsky Omsk State University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Kirill O. Dobronravov – Can. Sci. (Philosophy, 2023), Associate Professor at the Department of Theater Art and Sociocultural Processes
36 Krasny Put str., Omsk 644072
I. E. Gonchar
Dostoevsky Omsk State University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Inga E. Gonchar – Student (4th year) at the Department of Theater Art and Sociocultural Processes
36 Krasny Put str., Omsk 644072
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Review
For citations:
Dobronravov K.O., Gonchar I.E. Contemporary Russian Sports Biopics as a Representation of the Selective Attitude towards the Soviet Past. Discourse. 2025;11(6):53-65. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.32603/2412-8562-2025-11-6-53-65
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