Insights into Life of Soviet Filmmaker

The new book "Alexander Dovzhenko: A Life in Soviet Film" by UAB historian George Liber, Ph.D., chronicles the life of a Ukrainian filmmaker whose movies are hailed as classics of the silent and early sound era. It's the first definitive account of Dovzhenko's personal and professional life, exploring his films' political context and his struggles working under the Stalinist system. Dovzhenko was renowned for his avant-garde style, often depicting peasant life, folklore and nature, while most Soviet filmmakers focused on the lives of urban workers. "His early films stand as lyrical poems glorifying nature and the inevitability of life, death, and rebirth. Although he attempted to present the party line on screen, his profiles of the power of nature often transcended his films' political messages."