Aleksei Balabanov: 'Brother'
Aleksei Balabanov: 'Brother' (Book)
Balabanov’s Brother (1997) made a mark on the new Russia’s film history as its hero Danila Bagrov quickly gained cult status and the nostalgic rock soundtrack was a hit with the young post-Soviet generation. This study examines the ingenious mixture of genre elements, art narration and almost documentary-style realism. 25 b/w film stills.
Edition
KinoSputniks closely analyse some key films from the history of Russian and Soviet cinema. Written by international experts in the field, they are intended for film enthusiasts and students, combining scholarship with an accessible style of writing.
Ira Österberg's KinoSputnik on Aleksei Balabanov's cult film Brother (1997) examines the production history, context and reception of the film, and offers a detailed reading of its key themes.
Balabanov’s Brother made a mark on the new Russia’s film history as its hero Danila Bagrov quickly gained cult status and the nostalgic rock soundtrack hit the nerve of the young post-Soviet generation. This study unravels the film’s effective and ingenious mixture of genre elements, art narration and almost documentary-style realism, which would become trademarks for Balabanov’s oeuvre.
Primary readership will be among film studies students and film enthusiasts, but will also be of interest to anyone researching or studying film soundtracking.
A list of all books in the series is here on the Intellect website on the series page KinoSputnik
Ira Österberg is post-doctoral researcher of Russian culture and cinema at the Finnish Centre for Russian and East European Studies, Aleksanteri Institute at the University of Helsinki, Finland.
List of Illustrations vii
Note on Transliteration ix
Acknowledgements xi
Production Information xiii
Plot Summary xv
Introduction 1
1. Cinematic Context and Production History 7
2. Film Analysis 33
3. Reception 137
Conclusion: Brother over Twenty Years Later 159
Notes 163
References 171
