Transliteration from the Cyrillic to the Latin alphabet is a perennial problem for writers on Russian subjects. We have opted for a dual system: in the text we have transliterated in a way that will, we hope, render Russian names and terms more accessible to the non-specialist, while in the notes we have adhered to a more accurate and consistent system for the specialist. Accepted English spellings of Russian names have been used wherever possible and Russian names of German origin have been returned to their roots.
The translation of titles poses a special problem, since Russian has neither the definite nor indefinite article. We find the tradition of certain Soviet films being known by bald titles like Earth, Mother, Mirror misleading and arbitrary, since literary, dramatic and musical works are not normally translated in this way—consider, for instance, The Brothers Karamazov, The Cherry Orchard and A Life for the Tsar. We have therefore continued our practice, begun in The Film Factory, of inserting articles where English fluency requires them: hence The Strike and The Battleship Potemkin.