This book explores evocations of and allusions to sexual desire in Soviet cinema, 1919–1991.

By deploying several lines of investigation – from the cult of the masculine, strong body in Stalinist cinema to the shifting signification of the naked body (male and female) in post-war cinema, and to the display of a sexualised body in the late Soviet era – the book establishes the extent to which Soviet cinema actually did reveal sexuality. It also explores how external political and social factors impacted representation. Overall, the contributions challenge the narrative of Soviet cinema as an art form where the representation of sexuality was taboo and outlines shifts in the concepts of the naked and sexualised body, of sexuality and sexual relationships.

This book will be of interest to scholars and researchers of film studies, Slavic and Soviet studies, cultural studies, politics, and gender studies.