The First Two-Screen Cinema in Chelyabinsk in the Context of the Formation of the Image of the Soviet Cinema in the 1930s

Abstract

The article deals with forming the concept of the Soviet cinema in the mid-1930s. The two-hall cinema named after A.S. Pushkin in Chelyabinsk is both a completed building and a verbal concept, formulated in detail by the author of the project, Y. Kornfeld.

The article explores several aspects of the stated problem. First of all, the activity of the All-Union Academy of Architecture on the development of experimental projects of standard multiplex cinemas is considered. The program text of Y. Kornfeld is analyzed, in which the author not only substantiates the advantages of multiplex cinemas but also formulates the tasks and principles of the space-planning and architectural solution of the Soviet cinema. The article also touches upon the question of the influence of Western experience on the theory and practice of design and construction of Soviet cinemas.

The article discusses in detail the building of the Chelyabinsk cinema: design concept, space-planning, and architectural solution of the constructed building, its place and role in the urban space. The evolution of the style solution of interiors from project to its implementation is shown - from restrained architectural language and Art Deco motives to neoclassical decorativeness. The place of a two-hall cinema in Chelyabinsk is shown among other cinemas built in the cities of the USSR in the 1930s.

In general, it is shown how the image of the Soviet cinema, its tasks and role in the socio-cultural context, and the principles of architectural solutions were understood and interpreted in a professional environment.