LBO LOKAF Writers and the Experience of Criticizing Defense Film Scripts in the Early 1930s

In 1931 a fi lm section was created within the Leningrad-Baltic branch in the Literary Association of the Red Army and Navy (LBO LOKAF). Its activity was aimed at establishing ideological control over the defense fi lms content. LOKAF writers acted both as scriptwriters and critics. The activities of the LBO LOKAF fi lm section included organizing courses for the training of “defense screenwriters”, military consulting for fi lmmakers, participation in drawing up thematic plans for fi lm factories, and critical work. The fi lm section engaged LOKAF critics to write reviews on the scripts. The forms of criticism, such as oral discussions and script reviews were mainly internal. Critical articles in defense journals had so far been sporadic. Defense criticism performed educational and monitoring functions, becoming an instrument of ideological control over the fi lm scripts content (LOKAF was supervised by the Political Directorate of the Red Army). The script approval algorithms were developed. The fi lm section’s experience of criticizing defense scripts in the early 1930s subsequently allowed LOKAF not only to develop fi lm criticism in its journals, but also to formulate the basic requirements for defense texts in general. These demands were predominantly ideological in nature. The article introduces into scientifi c circulation materials about the work of critics and literary fi gures of Leningrad, their critical texts.