Russia: The Unfinished Revolution

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Series
Intertel
Series
NET Journal
Episode Number
160
Episode Number
48
Episode
Russia: The Unfinished Revolution
Producing Organization
National Educational Television and Radio Center
Westinghouse Broadcasting Company
WGBH Educational Foundation
Contributing Organization
Library of Congress (Washington, District of Columbia)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip-512-pc2t43k217
NOLA Code
ITTL
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Description
Episode Description
Dynamic young poet Andrei Voznesensky, the later writer Ilya Ehrenburg, and Nobel Prize winning physicist Igor Tamm discuss their nation's strengths and shortcomings on "NET Journal - Russia: The Unfinished Revolution." On the eve of the November 7 celebration, the NET program concentrates on the cultural, scientific and economic changes in Russia since the Bolshevik revolution of 1917. It also focuses on the "growing interest in the personal life, and the desire for material possessions," which producer Henry Morgenthau III noted on his recent visit to Russia. During a month of intensive filing this summer, Morgenthau found "surveillance but cooperation" on the part of the Novesti Press Agency, which helped to arrange his visit. Officials of Novesti accompanied the crew on its various filming assignments and provided sound men for the film. The episode represents a rare electronic "thaw" in a summer which saw Russia discourage various exchanges on the basis of international crisis. In fact, it was during this period that Voznesensky's schedule reading of his work at New York's Lincoln Center was cancelled. NET filmed the poet at the Taganka Theater on the night of his most pointed outburst against the government censorship. Later, in an interview with reporter Colette Shulman, Voznesensky discussed his craft, the relationship between science and the arts, and the young generation, which is "better, more free, more brave, more strong" than its predecessors. A retrospective look at Russian literature is provided by Ehrenburg in one of the last interviews given before his recent death. Though he noted that the literary "picture is greyer today," Ehrenburg decried the tendency of Westerners to view "our literature in a political context, using our internal difficulties for your own purpose." Mrs. Shulman, former Moscow correspondent for UPI, also interviewed economist Alexander Birman, who notes that the pace of reform has been slowed by "the international situation"; children's writer and essayist Kornei Chukovskey; a female doctor who discusses family life, abortion and the changing role of women and contraception; young students and men on the street. The film visits a commemorative photo exhibit in Moscow where the Russians look at themselves. There are also scenes from a peasant wedding, a collective baptism under state auspices, downtown Moscow with its stories and standardized apartments, and the Taganka Theater where the entertainment includes singing sailors and a mock strip tease based on a poem by Voznesensky. "NET Journal - Russia: The Unfinished Revolution" was produced for National Educational Television by Henry Morgenthau III of WGBH-TV, Boston. Reporter: Colette Shulman. Camera: Peter Hoving. This runs approximately an hour and was originally recorded on videotape. It aired as Intertel episode 48 and NET Journal episode 160. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche)
Series Description
Intertel, a dramatic breakthrough in the dissemination of ideas and cultural exchange through television, was conceived in November 1960. Five television broadcasters in the four major English-speaking nations joined to form the International Television Federation, to be known as Intertel, the first such international organization. The participants were Associated Rediffusion, Ltd. of Great Britain, the Australian Broadcasting Commission, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and for the United States, the National Educational Television and Radio Center and the Westinghouse Broadcasting Company. Intertel produced on a bi-monthly basis hour-long documentaries on important world topics, inaugurating a global television production agency dedicated to the creation of programs of substance and meaning. John F. White, President of NET, called Intertel "more than a fusion of the creative talents of the organizations involved in producing television programs of outstanding merit. It is a step forward to world understanding," he added. "I believe that the exchange of documentaries, while of great significance in the vastness of the mutual understanding in it can foster, is but the first step in a regular exchange of all forms of programming." Donald H. McGannon, President of WBC, hailed the new organization as "a pool of the technical and creative ability and knowledge of all the groups which will extend the international horizons of television in all aspects. This is the first practical step, after years of talking and hoping, toward the creation and use of international television for cultural exchange and an effective weapon for peace." By having observers examine topics far removed from their everyday assignments, Intertel gives viewers a fresh viewpoint. The founder members indicated that by dubbing these programs in foreign languages and making them available to all nations, they hoped television companies in Europe, Asia and South America will eventually join this unique project. The supervisory committee for the United States programming segments consists of Mr. McGannon and Mr. White; Richard M. Pack, WBC Vice President - Programming; and Robert Hudson, NET Vice President for Programming. Intertel came into formal being November 14, 1960, in a special meeting in Vancouver, B.C., and the culmination of plans for such an association which has been under way for a long time. John McMilliam of Associate Rediffusion, was named contemporary Coordinating Officer at that time. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche)
Broadcast Date
1967-11-06
Asset type
Episode
Genres
Documentary
Topics
Global Affairs
Public Affairs
Rights
Copyright National Educational Television & Radio Center & Westinghouse Broadcasting Co., Inc. October 10, 1962
Media type
Moving Image
Duration
01:01:00
Credits
Producing Organization: National Educational Television and Radio Center
Producing Organization: Westinghouse Broadcasting Company
Producing Organization: WGBH Educational Foundation
AAPB Contributor Holdings
Indiana University Libraries Moving Image Archive
Identifier: cpb-aacip-f0b342c3d0e (Filename)
Format: 16mm film
Library of Congress
Identifier: cpb-aacip-8c013b0051a (Filename)
Format: 1 inch videotape: SMPTE Type C
Generation: Master
Color: B&W
Library of Congress
Identifier: cpb-aacip-79f9df63b61 (Filename)
Format: U-matic
Generation: Copy: Access
Color: B&W
Library of Congress
Identifier: cpb-aacip-5ea53fdd051 (Filename)
Format: 2 inch videotape
Generation: Master
Color: B&W
Library of Congress
Identifier: cpb-aacip-52e9933cf9e (Filename)
Generation: Copy: Access
Library of Congress
Identifier: cpb-aacip-dd368f21b8b (Filename)
Generation: Master

Identifier: cpb-aacip-1fe0183c8a1 (unknown)
Format: video/mp4
Generation: Proxy
Duration: 01:01:00
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Citations
Chicago: “Russia: The Unfinished Revolution,” 1967-11-06, Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed August 21, 2025, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-512-pc2t43k217.
MLA: “Russia: The Unfinished Revolution.” 1967-11-06. Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. August 21, 2025. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-512-pc2t43k217>.
APA: Russia: The Unfinished Revolution. Boston, MA: Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-512-pc2t43k217