Odessa in flames: cinematic reflections of the war on the Eastern Front

Abstract

Odessa in flames won the Great Prize at the Venice Film festival in 1942. Censored by the Communists after 1945 and discovered in Cinecittà Studios’ archive in 2002, the film reveals some episodes of World War II on the Eastern Front: since the invasion of Bessarabia by the Red army (1940) until its liberation and the fall of Odessa (1941). although considered as an expression of the totalitarian cultural policy, Odessa in flames is a reference movie in the debate on the reflections of the war in the arts.

Keywords

• Odessa in fiamme, Cineromit, la propaganda de guerra.