At the end of the 1920s, Soviet film enjoyed a well deserved worldwide reputation. Within a short time, however, the fame and influence of the great Soviet directors were lost; the 'golden age' was brief, the eclipse sudden and long-lasting. The coming of sound film made the famous 'Russian montage' outdated and was a factor in the decline. But far more important in destroying the reputation of Soviet cinema were the political changes that took place in the 1930s. Stalinist historians, writing before the time of glasnosf, have always depicted the history of the Soviet Union as an unbroken unit. In their view the principles on which Soviet society rested were enunciated by V. l. Lenin, and ever since the leaders of the Party needed merely to interpret those eternal principles. Ironically, conservative Westerners have very much agreed.