As the film begins, we watch a woman run, with what seems like a child, from a violent crowd in the Southern states of America. She frantically runs into a train and finds some sort of safety. However, little did she know, this was going to be the beginning of an abusive and manipulative part of her life. This German man, more representative of the Nazis raging though Europe, gives her a job in the circus where she is a shining star. Here, she meets the romantic love interest of this film.
What I found interesting when it comes to the film, is the use of colors. Yes, this is a black and white film, but there is a progressive shift in dark tones to lighter tones throughout the film. For example, the German man is mostly dressed in black where as the love interest, is often times dressed in white. Even Marion has a color transformation in which her hair shifts from dark to her natural blond.
This movie’s plot alone shows the greatness of the USSR in which racism is not tolerated and the pro-communist music pushes the Stalinist agenda, but what do you think the significance of this cinematic technique is? Do you think it plays a role in subliminal messaging? Are there any other small details that the directors of this movie include that make you favor Russia?
One of the main pro-Russian pieces of the film is the idea that the other characters are creating a routine that is better than the one performed by the American directed by the German. Then the German is sabotaging them and trying to prevent them from succeeding- that doesn’t need that much reading into. This storyline seems to show that no matter the roadblocks that are put in the way that the Russian people will succeed.
I think the idea of color grading within the movie as possible subliminal messaging or propaganda is very interesting! The lasting ideal of lightness being contorted with goodness or even purity definitely relates to this situation. As more light enters the film, we see Marion begin to thrive in the USSR. This represents that the USSR is better for her and her child than the darker Western countries, which could be prescribed the connotations of bad or evil. I think this can definitely be considered subliminal messaging in favor of the USSR.