Satirical Cinemagazine “Fitil” as a Case of Soviet State Policy in the Sphere of Humor and Comedy

This article analyzes satirical cinemagazine “Fitil” (The Fuse) issues of 1962–1991. It shows that “Fitil” was a part of mainstream satire, determined by the state policy in the sphere of humour and comedy. Based on the issues of “Fitil”, this article identifies the integration of the cinemagazine into the system of state satire, a list of typical satirical topics, objects of satire, and the specific features of the comicality in the cinemagazine and its transformations. The discourse analysis method was supplemented by the process of semantic analysis and the hermeneutic method. It was concluded that the example of “Fitil” can reveal directions of the state policy in the sphere of humour and comedy. The main purpose of the cinemagazine “Fitil” was to set behaviour norms for Soviet citizens and encourage the desired behaviour; reinforce the regime by directing the public’s attention towards specific flaws and thus preventing them from seeing the whole picture.