Alexander Dovzhenko. Poetic Space of Immortality

The article focuses on the theme of death and rebirth in the works of A.Dovzhenko. In fact, the theme of death has been essential throughout the history of cinema. It is a matter of concern and representation in almost every film. But the authors do not always have an original concept of death. Among those for whom this topic is a through line are K.T.Dreyer, I.Bergman, A.Tarkovsky, J.-L.Godard, A.Sokurov, J.Cocteau. Death and resurrection play a key role in the films of A. Dovzhenko whose creation marked a milestone in the history of world cinema and set a special trend in its development. He has influenced a great many directors around the world, film historians and theorists in various countries keep dwelling on his work. Although Dovzhenko for many years is no more, his creative legacy is topical and relevant to this day. His art has been highly researched, still undoubtedly much yet remains to be revealed and studied, the theme of death and resurrection in particular. While the image of death was an important subject matter in Soviet art, the thanatological aspect as a topic in its own right in this historic period was frowned upon so that researchers have preferred to bypass this fairly specific question. The present paper is a fragment of a would-be book devoted to concepts and forms of representation of death in the world cinema. The paper focuses on analyzing Dovzhenko’s films "Earth" and "Shchors". It deals with the typology of death and the myth of resurrection, both important elements of the his philosophy of life. The director’s mindset is put in film research, philosophic and aesthetical perspectives.