SRSC 6 (l) pp. 75-92 Intellect Limited 2012 Studies in Russian & Soviet Cinema Volume 6 Numberi ® 2012 Intellect Ltd Article. English language, doi: io.i386/srsc.6.i.75_i MARKO DUMANCIC Oberlin College De-Stalinizing Soviet science: rethinking the moral implications of scientific progress in Khrushchev-era film ABSTRACT KEYWORDS This article analyses Mikhail Romm's 1962 film Deviat' dnei odnogo goda/Nine Khrushchev era Days of a Year and Sergei Mikaelian's 1965 feature Idu na grozu/Into the Storm de-StaUnization in order to examine Khrushchev-era attitudes toward science. In contrast to the Soviet science regime's absolute faith in the possibilities of scientific research under the Party lead- Mikhail Romm ership, these two films construct a more nuanced stance towards science and its prac- Sergei MikaeUan titioners. An examination of these two exceptionally well-attended motion pictures Nine Days of a Year within a broader historical context reveals that rhetoric underpinning de-Staliniza- tion injected an ethical dimension into contemporaneous discussions about science. Nikita Khrushchev's revelation of Stalinist crimes led to compromising questions about the state's ability to manage scientific discoveries responsibly. Even the over- whelmingly positive public image of scientists and technocrats, which had become ubiquitous afier the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957, was tied intimately with the scien- tific community's ability to uphold both professional and moral standards. 75