“We Are Not Afraid of Either Ice or Clouds!” The Theme of Conquering the Arctic and the ‘Ocean of Air’ in Soviet Newsreel of the 1930s

The article is devoted to the depiction of the theme of the conquest of the Arctic North and the ‘ocean of air’ in the Soviet newsreels of the 1930s. Based on the content analysis of a significant array of film documents (newsreel stories, special newsreel issues, documentary films), the author examines the phenomenon of the transformation of famous polar explorers and aviators of the Stalin era into a cohort of cult national heroes. Particular attention is paid to precedents of the transformation of a technological fiasco (accident) into a positive, life-affirming heroic myth (the Chelyuskin disaster and the wintering of the Chelyuskin crew on an ice floe, the death of Valery Chkalov and Sigizmund Levanevsky during flights).