Surreal NKVD: Catch me if you can
These photos are from a private collection of a typical Moscow family. They are dated back to 1936-1940 - the years known as the period of Stalin’s most cruel political repressions. Several million people are said to be affected: sentenced, shot or sent off to labour camps.
There is a Russian movie about those times – “Burnt By The Sun” (Utomlennye Solncem), which in 1994 won the Academy Awards as the best foreign language film (imdb rating 7.9/10). The story is about love in the times of political turmoil, the love that survives all fears of purges and uncertainty. Surprisingly enough, people still managed to try and have a few laughs during those harsh times.
The method is known as “double exposure”, when the aperture opens twice but the photo element stays in place. You might remember the principle from the days when you had a film camera and forgot to rewind the film. Neat, really. We would appreciate your comments, backlinks and retweets on this weirdly beautiful pieces of photography.
Playing cards
Close-up: Pack of cigarettes
Freeze!
Details: Toy pistol
Another one?
Details: Famous in those days vodka 'Zubrowka'
Would you like a cup of tea?
Close-up: Tea pot
Listening to the music
Got a lighter?
Hard to pick one
Afterparty
All by myself!
A card game
Chess was very popular in Soviet Russia
Dancing
A band
Men are all the same
Embroidering
Check and mate
Source:
RealUSSR – Lilfting The Iron Curtain,new blog with a critical view on the Soviet period in the Russian history.
What a surprise drunk Russians take pictures of each other.
simple troll failed to even notice that it was mostly one person taking a photo
sorry i’m just a sad and lonely fat boy who still lives with his parents
I didn’t know, that Żubrówka was sold to Soviet Russia than. It’s really a shame, that nowadays in Germany it’s sold under pseudo-russian name “Grasovka” :-/
Zubrovka is Polish vodka with a grass inside. Very good ! Strange to see that women’s fashion has not changed a lot since those days. Older women still wear heavy knitted vests, flowery dresses…
I like the thumb-pinky-nose gesture the one lady is giving. It’s an old one in the States as well but I’ve always wondered what it is meant to represent.
Nice catch sabot! Thumb-pinky-nose is a reference to “a long nose” which relates to humorous chagrin and sometimes Pinocchio. I think it is found in many cultures. Here in Western America it is used by children to make fun of one another – similar to sticking your tongue out.
What a great find! I’m going to post a link on Facebook.
Мне кажется это фотошоп. )))
Причём это видно на примерах прозрачных конечностей
Сказал человек не знающий как работают пленочные камеры)
I see Mel from Flight of the Conchords is listening to music.
How the winter nights must have flown by……..
I like home made pornography with junkies.
Hi
“Zubrowka” is the famous polish vodka! original “Żubrówka”.
We make this vodka in Lublin City ofcours in Poland.
See ya!
@Marcin
Are you sure it’s not made by Polmos Białystok?
Stalin rules