Dr. A. Larionova Publication: Journal of Post-Soviet Media and Performance Studies , Vol. 12, Issue 3
The Architecture of Obedience: Deconstructing Disciplinary Power and the Gaze in Russian Institute, Episode 28: Discipline (Dir. Franck Vicomte) Russian Institute 28- Discipline -Franck Vicomt...
We term this the The performer’s genuine discipline (ballet conditioning) becomes indistinguishable from the character’s punitive discipline. When a character holds a painful position without flinching, is it submission or skill? The episode refuses to clarify, suggesting that in this universe, the two are one. This resonates with post-Soviet cultural memory, where the conservatoire was both a dream of excellence and a site of harsh physical molding. 12, Issue 3 The Architecture of Obedience: Deconstructing
This paper examines Russian Institute, Episode 28: Discipline (dir. Franck Vicomte, 2016), a pivotal entry in the long-running European adult cinema series. Moving beyond purely prurient interpretations, this analysis positions the episode within a unique subgenre: the "institutional discipline narrative." Drawing on Foucault’s concept of panopticism, Mulvey’s male gaze, and contemporary theories of post-Soviet nostalgia, we argue that Vicomte weaponizes the aesthetic of the conservatoire (ballet/academy) to construct a liminal space where punishment, pedagogy, and eroticism converge. The paper investigates how Episode 28 subverts traditional power dynamics by making "discipline" a performative spectacle for an internal and external gaze. The episode refuses to clarify, suggesting that in