The Iron Curtain Effect: Nordic Eastern Noir

The introduction looks at the importance of geopolitical borders for Nordic cinematic constructions of the neighbouring countries that lay behind the Iron Curtain. Offering an overview of rich depictions of Russia and Eastern Europe from the silent film era to the end of the Cold War, the chapter traces anti-Russian and anti-Soviet sentiment in early Nordic films. The chapter elaborates on the definition of Eastern noir, within the discourse of which Russia is constructed as a crime scene and Russians (Soviets) as threatening the existence of the Nordic subjects. It draws an important distinction between representations of Russia and the other eastern neighbours in Nordic cinemas. Eastern noir is considered in relation to the currently much discussed genre of Nordic noir. The introduction also elaborates on the conceptual frame of border/boundary underlying the book’s main argument, and discusses the research scope and structure of the book.