Dressing Poetics

This study explores the role of costume in Soviet poetic cinema, a cinematic phenomenon that emerged in the Soviet Union during the 1960s, known for its visual experimentation, auteurist approach to filmmaking and historico- mythical themes. Taking a previously unexplored aspect of the school's creative expression, this research places costume at the center of its examination of this cinematic phenomenon. Focusing on three iconic films — The Colour of Pomegranates (1969), The Plea (1967), and The Eve of Ivan Kupalo (1968) — this work highlights the ways in which costume is instrumental in shaping the rich visual worlds and complex narrative structures of these films. Through the lens of costume, the author of this work proposes to address in a new light several key themes within Soviet poetic cinema, including auteurism, the depiction of ethnic and historical subjects, and the departure from classical narrative structures that dominated Soviet cinema at the time.

By positioning costume at the heart of Soviet poetic cinema's modernist redefinition of film, this research brings forward the concept of costume- image — an experience of costume as part of a film image. As this research shows, costume-image can become a viable epistemological and methodological model that defines the relationship between costume design and the medium of film. In doing so, this study enhances our understanding of costume design's role as a key component of cinematic style and storytelling and foregrounds the affective power of costume in shaping arresting cinematic experiences for film viewers.