GUEST COLUMN: “Interpretation Of Dreams”: Where History And Psychology Meet

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“Interpretation Of Dreams”: Where History And Psychology Meet

by Devin Caldwell

Sigmund Freud, an Austrian neurologist, is known mostly for his work with sexuality as it relates to the subconscious (ie: the Oedipus complex). However, he is also credited for the founding of psychoanalytic theory. This theory consists, in part, of psychoanalytic dream interpretation. Freud believed that dreams are one of the easiest ways of understanding the unconscious mind, representing the manifestation of unfulfilled desires. Dream interpretation is a large portion of Freudian theory, supposedly revealing the true nature of the dreamer. 

Freud was the first of eight children, born in 1856 in Freiberg, Morovia, in the Austrian Empire. His parents were Galacian Jews. After becoming a doctor in 1881, he set up his clinical practice in Vienna in 1886. He fled Austria in 1938 to escape Nazi persecution that was aimed at Jews during this time. He died in the United Kingdom in 1939.

Freud himself cites his Jewish background as being influential to his studies. His intellectual nonconformism, especially, as it relates to his psychoanalytical theories derives from his allegiance to his secular Jewish identity. 

He performed a great deal of self-analysis, interpreting his own dreams and childhood memories. This self-analysis aided him in the development of psychoanalysis. It also caused him to revise his original theory of the origin of neuroses, which he initially attributed to experiences of childhood sexual trauma.

Controversy 

Freud's work has always been a subject of controversy. Whether it is being criticized for being too sexual, too feminist, not feminist enough, or outdated, Freud's work has come under the lens of scrutiny in many different ways. It is Doubtless, however, that his theories and findings have shaped today's understanding of modern psychology and even been found represented in countless books, movies, and other forms of media.

Interpretation of Dreams Novel

In 1899, Freud published "Die Traumdeutung" (or, in English, "The Interpretation of Dreams"). His book discusses his theory of dream interpretation, in addition to other theories such as the Oedipus complex (or, the desire that young children have to attach to the parent of the opposite sex). Freud explores the way that the subconscious mind can impact the dreams a person will have, and what this says about the individual. He investigates some of the most common dreams in order to draw conclusions about their origins. Due to the book being so lengthy and dense, an abridged version, simply titled, "On Dreams," was published. 

Film

In 1990, the film Interpretation of Dreams was released. This film explored European history through the lens of Freud's theory of dream interpretation. When the movie first came out, Freud's book on the subject was still banned by censorship laws in the Soviet Union. This is particularly fascinating, as the film uses several extensive quotes from Freud's book in order to highlight the history of the Soviet Union.

Interpretation of Dreams is a documentary that takes a look at the rise of both Nazism and Communism through a psychoanalytic perspective. The narrator, Sergey Yurskiy (as Sigmund Freud, himself), overlays quotes from Freud's book on top of old newsreels and other archival footage depicting the history of the Soviet Union. It is through this method that director Andrei Zagdansky forces the entire Soviet Union to become a subject of Freud's analytics. 

Coming from a non-traditional angle, Interpretation of Dreams takes what could easily be a boring recounting of the history of the Soviet Union and creates a new framework for an old story. It manages to be educational, yet through a refreshing perspective that has not been explored at length before. At the film's end, it begins to deconstruct as the fourth wall is broken down. 

Conclusion

This film was a nominee for both the Joris Ivens Award and the Nika Award. In 1990, it was awarded the Grand Prix of the Documentary Film Festival in the former Soviet Union and was also selected for Opening Night of the IDFA in Amsterdam. That same year, it premiered in America at the Museum of Modern Art.