There are many fascinating, and enigmatic, recurring images in “Forward March, Time” the 1977 Soviet propaganda film. The one that I would like to focus on is that of the gramophone, as it appears in many different contexts throughout the film, often playing music with the words “How wonderful it is!”. The most fascinating scene in which it appears occurs at around the 11th minute of the film. The gramophone plays music over a black and white sea of buildings and monuments, where the Eiffel Tower can be picked out. The gramophone morphs first into a snake with a flicking tongue, then into a gun, and finally into a tank-like gargantuan war machine that spits out both bullets and airplanes. Throughout this scene, the gramophone keeps its musicality, in some semblance at least, through its emission of sounds.
As to the meaning of this image, I took the clue of the Eiffel Tower to mean that it symbolized the Communist takeover and Socialist revolution of Western Europe. The gramophone playing the idealized music of “How wonderful it is!” seemed to stand for the ignorant and luxurious Western lifestyle, as told by the Soviets. Their music would be replaced by the more beautiful sounds of revolution.
In general, the timing of images with sound in this movie was very intentional. I would be interested to hear what other people noticed on this point in other parts of the film.
I definitely think that the timing of the images allowed the gramophone to carry a lot of symbolism and effectively expose the excessive luxuries of the West. The images that are shown while the gramophone is playing (the female wrestlers, the lotion to make your hair grow, the looping plane etc) highlight the absurdity of these luxuries. The sharp contrast of the feast with the caption “luxuries you cannot afford to live without” directly cutting to the masses and the caption “we need bread” is a jarring illustration of this hypocrisy. The abrupt halt of the music as the images transition is a poignant symbol of how illusory and ignorant the western lifestyle of grandeur and excess is.
Eva, great points! I agree that the intensity of the gramophone’s incessant message of “How wonderful it is!” and the identical faces that march for bread not only contrast each other, but highlight Russian history and ideologies of the time. The contrast of people lacking essential needs in accompaniment with the frivolity of consumerism is definitely apparent here. I think the special attention to the October Revolution and the significance of the events before and after October 25th, 1917 helps to bring perspective to the gramophone’s different representations . Additionally, I think your analysis on the gramophone is great! I especially noted the part when the gramophone personified a snake, then turned into a gun. This may have symbolized evil, corruption, espionage, violence, and fear that was prevalent during these times.
I was also struck by the recurring gramophone image in the film! Especially the grotesque metamorphic scene that you pointed out Eva! The contrast between the grotesque shift into war and the casual swing music demonstrates the film’s portrayal of Western civilization, and I also saw this as representative of old tsarist Russia. At one point in the film, the date ‘Jan. 1905’ is displayed after the civilians are massacred. This scene is a nod to Bloody Sunday and exposes the immoral nature of tsarist Russia. The ugly and brutal nature of the image really makes these societies seem evil and duplicitous. After all, this animated film is propaganda, so this imagery makes perfect sense. After the scene of the red soldiers perishing in what I assume to be the civil war, the narrator refers to death as a means to achieve ‘lasting deeds’. This exaltation of martyrdom reminds me of the Vakinlinchuk’s death in the last film we watched.
In the beginning of the film, there was happy music playing as a wrecking ball was tearing down a city. I found it this juxtaposition very interesting. I also thought that this was a prominent theme that positive, upbeat music was played during destruction, negative images.