Nowadays Russia has declared a new propaganda war against the West in general and the USA in particular. This battle is happening mainly on TV, but its nature is not new and is rooted in old propaganda techniques first applied decades ago.
Esfir Shub, a pioneer of Soviet avant-garde film and Soviet film propaganda, which in fact were inseparable, made Today in 1929 in collaboration with German communists. Also known as Cannons or Tractors, Today juxtaposes iconic images of the birth of communism in the USSR with iconic images of the birth of capitalism in New York. The confrontation between the two ideologies is expressed in striking avant-garde montage and eloquent inter-titles that praise the Soviets and squash the Americans.
A visual masterpiece and an ideological manifesto, Today proves that any propaganda is a work of fiction that can manipulate images, facts and information perfectly.
Film details
- Country of production
- Russia
- Year
- 1929
- Festival edition
- IFFR 2015
- Length
- 60'
- Medium/Format
- 35mm
