‘Exorcising the Spectre: the representation of the fall of communism in former Warsaw Pact countries in 21st century European cinema.’
Abstract
Cinema tries to present major political change in a number of ways. The events that shape the
kind of societies we live in across the world have a direct impact on the culture within these
societies. Just less than thirty years ago the Cold War ended with the dissolution of the Soviet
Union and the fall of communism across Eastern Europe. The Warsaw Pact nations - consisting
of East Germany, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania and Bulgaria - all later joined the
European Union.
Film can be used as a method of exploring different viewpoints to those found within traditional
media. This study aims to consider films produced by former Warsaw Pact nations that are set
during the fall of communism. In doing so, the representation of these major events and their
impact will be analysed.
To help structure this study, three main areas will be considered - the representation of ordinary
citizens during the fall of communism; the common ideas, themes and motifs present within the
films; and how the process of westernisation is represented as well as post-communist life
overall.