Soviet-era Latvian cinema clichés: Women are blonde, cool, but friendly
Film critic Daira Āboliņa-Ilješāne reveals how Latvian women were portrayed in television films produced at Riga Film Studio during the Soviet occupation – as blonde, reserved, cool, yet friendly.
During the Soviet occupation, Riga Film Studio produced 122 feature films. One third – 42 films – were commissioned by the Central Television of the USSR. These films were shot in Russian or later dubbed into Russian, reaching an audience of millions across the Soviet Union. Consequently, their content was strictly monitored and censored by the Soviet nomenklatura. According to film critic Daira Āboliņa-Ilješāne, a recurring motif in these television films was the depiction of Latvian women: they are portrayed as blonde, reserved, cool, but friendly. This cliché reflects how the Soviet regime wanted to present Latvian women – attractive yet emotionally restrained, approachable but not overly direct.
