Red sparrow: Images of the cold war in American cinematography [«Красный воробей»: образы Холодной войны в американском кинематографе]

The image of Russia and Russian people in American cinematography of the period from 1946 till now is analysed in the article. The purpose of the research is to bring to light and comprehend the images of Russia and Russians in American cinematography. The topicality of the research arises from the fact that for Russia, as well as for any other country, the way its image is perceived abroad is of great importance. This influences the development of international relations in economic, political and social spheres. The research methodology is based on the comparative analysis of American motion pictures containing the images of Russia and Russians. The work touches upon the processes of mythologization “stranger-Russian” on the screen: the use of territory image, connected with cold, danger, destroyed infrastructure, the image of dangerous Russians, tied to mafia or intelligence services as well as the image of Russian women. The narrative parallels are drawn between the latest movie about Russia and Russians, “Red Sparrow”, released in 2018, and movies of an earlier period. The images typical for the Cold War period are used. In the conclusion, the authors draw an inference that the images of Russia and Russians used in contemporary American cinematography were formed during the Cold War, and they have a negative connotation. It is emphasised that images of the USSR and Russia in motion pictures are not separated, which leads to a confusion of the mentioned definitions in public consciousness. The authors draw a conclusion that this effect is tightly bound to the “paradigm blindness” phenomenon. © 2020 Ltd "Integration: Education and Science". All rights reserved