Moscow Palace of Pioneers in the Cinema: A History Frozen in Time

The Moscow Palace of Pioneers on the Vorobyovy Gory — an architectural monument of Soviet modernism, the most successful and recognizable building of the Thaw period — can be found in many Soviet and Russian films: “The Tale of Lost Time”, “Gimme the Book of Complaints”, “Moscow — Cassiopeia”, “The Way to the Concert”, “Afonya”, “Dangerous Age”, “Nina”, “Legend No. 17”, “Thaw”, “Lyudmila Gurchenko”, “The Optimists” and others. The article reviews filming locations of feature and documentary films, identifies the main locations of the director’s groups, parallels and comparisons of perspectives in cinema with contemporary reality. The reasons for the director’s choice of certain halls, auditoriums, and spaces are analyzed; changes in the role and functionality of the spaces are identified; and the connection with the plot is traced. It is shown how, thanks to the artistic language of cinema, the directors change the function of buildings and spaces: the seventh building becomes an airport, the winter garden becomes a billiard room, classrooms become editorial offices, the theatre hall becomes a meeting place for diplomats. Some films depict unique interiors of the Palace, panels and mosaics, while in other films the directors were interested in innovative objects and angles that were not clearly linked to the pioneer theme. Many of the reviewed films contain a pedagogical component: they teach to value time (The Tale of Lost Time), to dream (Moscow is My Love), to set high goals (Moscow — Cassiopeia), to keep one’s word (Thaw), to succeed (Legend No. 17, Lyudmila Gurchenko), to seek the right path in life (Afonya), to be a patriot (The Optimists). Documentary films about the Moscow Palace of Pioneers are a vivid example of successful organisation of the educational process. The article may be interesting and useful to researchers of the spheres of culture, cinema, art, history and education, residents and guests of the capital and everyone who is interested in the history of the Moscow Palace of Pioneers. The materials of the research are also of practical value and can be used by tour guides, teachers, methodologists and teachers.

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