Psychological Image of a Militsiya Officer as a Representative of the Authorities in the Film The Cold Summer of 1953
The formation of a positive image of law enforcement officers is one of the most important tasks of the Ministry of internal Affairs of Russia. Cinema is an art that can demonstrate how public opinion has changed with the transformation of the militsiya into the police. It is important to recall the positive aspects of the activities of militsiya officers, their ability to sacrifice themselves for the sake of combating crime. The aim of the work is to assess the influence of cinema on the formation of the image of the Russian police officer as a successor of the traditions of the militsiya one: a selfless, brave and thinking fighter against offenders. To achieve the aim, real historical events, artistically depicted in the film The Cold Summer of 1953, are analysed. Conclusions about the prerequisites for the formation of a new generation of Russian police officers, who are the heirs of the mentality, psychology and traditions of the Soviet militsiya, are made. The historical period considered in the film is characterised by a whole series of the most important social and political events that influenced the fate of a huge number of people in the USSR: the death of I.V. Stalin, the fiercest struggle for leadership in the party and power in the country, the surviving “1937 Syndrome”, including a campaign to find and identify the Trotskyists, the enemies of the people and the traitors of the Motherland. The amnesty of the prisoners of labour correctional camps led to a sharp surge in crime, numerous victims among citizens and militsiya officers. The feature film The Cold Summer of 1953 shows a system of relationships between people from different social groups in one of the most difficult periods of the post-war state formation. The film focuses on the attitude of the population, local authorities and militsiya officers to former political prisoners. One of the most striking characters in the work is the precinct officer Mankov, a front-line soldier, a participant in the Great Patriotic War. The events of the film show that Mankov, as a representative of the authorities, is not a “thoughtless cog” of the state machine. He sincerely perplexes and reflects on the current events, tries to comprehend and evaluate the policy of the country's leadership. The film presents an internal conflict in the consciousness and understanding of the militsiya officer and the confrontation between the government official and criminals “intoxicated” by freedom. Sacrificing his life, Mankov managed to instill hope and return the understanding of human values in the confrontation of the state, society and criminals. The image of the militsiya officer Mankov is a vivid illustration of loyalty to professional duty, respect for ordinary people, ability to reflect, and not to mindlessly carry out the received orders, which is especially valuable during the period of repression and suppression of attempts at dissent.