The Social Image of the Czech Housing Estate in Selected Films from the Socialist Era Cover Image

Społeczny obraz czeskiego blokowiska w wybranych filmach z epoki socjalizmu
The Social Image of the Czech Housing Estate in Selected Films from the Socialist Era

Author(s): Adam Zygmunt
Subject(s): Architecture, Rural and urban sociology, 19th Century, Film / Cinema / Cinematography
Published by: Instytut Slawistyki Polskiej Akademii Nauk
Keywords: film; housing estate; space; socialism; modernism; comfort;

Summary/Abstract: The article concerns the representation of the space of Czech housing estates in selected films from the socialist era: Domy z panelů [Prefabricated Houses] (Jiří Menzel, 1959), Moderní byt [Modern House] (Jan Moravec, 1971) and Panelstory [Prefab Story] (Věra Chytilová, 1979). The films are analysed taking into account the tools of the semiotics of the artistic text, the sociology of habitation (with a particular emphasis on the issue of comfort) and the concept of using space, described by Michel de Certeau. The point of departure of the study are the realities of Czech housing construction in the years 1956–1989. The article aims is to show how the directors used cinematic techniques to create an image of life in a socialist housing estate.

  • Issue Year: 2023
  • Issue No: 20
  • Page Range: 1-22
  • Page Count: 22
  • Language: Polish
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