Sergei Eisenstein

[Emily]

Hi, are there any Sergei Eisenstein fans out there?

I studied and did my film thesis on him. :) He is a remarkable director. My favorite films have to be Potemkin, Strike! and Ivan the Terrible.

[x359594]

My favorite films have to be Potemkin, Strike! and Ivan the Terrible.

All three are great movies. Everything he did was of interest, even fragmentary films like Que Viva Mexico/Thunder Over Mexico are of interest.

What was the argument of your thesis?

[Emily]

All three are great movies. Everything he did was of interest, even fragmentary films like Que Viva Mexico/Thunder Over Mexico are of interest.

What was the argument of your thesis?

It was a comparison on Eisenstein's pre-Stalin films with his post-Stalin ones. The research was very interesting.
I saw a doccumentary on Que Viva Mexico. Its such a shame he didn't get to finish it.

[x359594]

It was a comparison on Eisenstein's pre-Stalin films with his post-Stalin ones. The research was very interesting.

That does sound very interesting. Can you summarize your conclusions, or would it require more time and space then available?

By the way, I knew Eisenstein's student Jay Leyda when I lived in New York City in the 1970s. Leyda, as I'm sure you know, worked on Bezhin Meadow.

[Emily]

That is amazing! How did you two meet? Did he speak highly of Eisenstein?
Of course I can summarize my points, but its hard without the clips I selected, as it was a presentation. For the most part, I described his move from Constructivist Art, to Expressionism, his focus on completely different focuses (a group of characters as a collective protagonist to intense focus on a single character, as in 'Ivan')
Its very interesting to watch Potemkin with Ivan back-to-back. I think Eisenstein definately improved as a director after returning to Mexico, despite Stalin's tight reins on his creativity.

[x359594]

... I described his move from Constructivist Art, to Expressionism, his focus on completely different focuses (a group of characters as a collective protagonist to intense focus on a single character, as in 'Ivan')...

That strikes me as very insightful.

Jay Leyda was on the faculty of the Cinema Studies Dept. at New York University and occasionally gave lectures at the Free Association (a small learning institute supported by the Fur and Leather Workers Union) and the Museum of Modern Art on Soviet Cinema and Eisenstein.

He was in his 70s and very accessible to people who wanted to talk about film in general and radical film in particular and was always willing to go out to a coffee shop after one of his lectures to chat with people who wanted to continue the conversation. He spoke of Eisenstein with the greatest respect and warmth.

[AntinoiteBolshevik]

I love Sergei Eisenstein comrades! He is my favourite director of all time. I adore his revolutionary trilogy (Strike!, Battleship Potemkin and October), Ivan the Terrible is brilliant and I soon hope to see his other films such as Alexander Nevsky and Bezhin Meadows.

Que Viva Mexico sounds really interesting too.

Eisenstein has a special place in my heart too as a gay man because he was a strong gay figure in Soviet Russia. Despite Stalin's homophobia he still remained popular with the public and was a committed Communist. That is strength.

I notice too, Comrade Emily, that you thesis is correct. When Lenin ruled Sergei's films were about the proletarian masses, the people's cinema with no lead actors but when Stalin ruled it centred on one character and people's cinema died out.

It's fitting because when Lenin ruled Russia was a democracy, when Stalin ruled it was an autocracy.

[x359594]

...II soon hope to see his other films such as Alexander Nevsky and Bezhin Meadows...

Just a note of warning comrade, Bezhin Meadow only exists in a fragmentary form; it was re-constructed from out-takes, stills and single frames and runs about 35 minutes. Of course it's worth seeing.

As for Alexander Nevsky, some footage was shot by another director (the non-Eisentstein footage is fairly obvious.)

I only mention this because you've seen the best of Eisenstien's films, and these two are lesser achievements. I prefer Que Viva Mexico! to both of them even though it too is a conjectural reconstruction. That said, Eisenstein's entire oeuvre is magnificent.

[Emily]

I love Sergei Eisenstein comrades! He is my favourite director of all time. I adore his revolutionary trilogy (Strike!, Battleship Potemkin and October), Ivan the Terrible is brilliant and I soon hope to see his other films such as Alexander Nevsky and Bezhin Meadows.

Que Viva Mexico sounds really interesting too.

Eisenstein has a special place in my heart too as a gay man because he was a strong gay figure in Soviet Russia. Despite Stalin's homophobia he still remained popular with the public and was a committed Communist. That is strength.

I notice too, Comrade Emily, that you thesis is correct. When Lenin ruled Sergei's films were about the proletarian masses, the people's cinema with no lead actors but when Stalin ruled it centred on one character and people's cinema died out.

It's fitting because when Lenin ruled Russia was a democracy, when Stalin ruled it was an autocracy.

I never knew he was gay. I knew there was speulation about his ime onboard the ship. Could you please tell me more? There is alot of homoerotic imagery in his films, they're very masculine, and this adds interesting light.