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The Ukrainian as an enemy : Ukrainian nationalists in Czechoslovakian and Soviet cinema

Publication at Faculty of Arts |
2015

Abstract

This article deals with representations of Ukrainian nationalists (Banderites) in Czechoslovakian and Soviet cinema. The character of the Ukrainian nationalist was one of a few possible to deal with, although it was not the most common images of the enemy in postwar movies.

It featured in four Czechoslovakian and at least nine Soviet movies. A number of conclusions can be drawn from the analysis of Banderites.

Their depiction is based on a pattern that can be described as construction of oppositions. While positive characters in the movies are presented as moral persons, tied to communist ideology, Banderites are just their opposites.

In most movies their representation is built on certain commonplaces (e.g. cruelty, cynicism, immoral behavior, excessive drinking habits). Even though the examined films were made in different periods and represent different genres, one can find no significant differences in the way these characters are depicted in them.