Major Film Movements - Soviet Montage

Montage -is based on the theory that conflict must be inherent in all visual aspects in film, the principles of which include a rapid alteration between sets of shots whose signification occurs at the point of their collision, fast editing and unusual camera angles; also used for spectacular effect. It is a technique in film editing in which a series of short shots are edited into a sequence to condense space, time, and information. The term has been used in various contexts. It was introduced to cinema primarily by Eisenstein, and early Russian directors used it as a synonym for creative editing. In France the word "montage" simply denotes cutting. The montage sequence is usually used to suggest the passage of time, rather than to create symbolic meaning as it does in Soviet montage theory. 

From the 1930's to the 1950's, montage sequences often combined numerous short shots with special optical effects (fades, dissolves, and split screens, double and triple exposures) dance and music. They were usually assembled by someone other than the director or the editor of the movie.

Eisenstein was a pioneer in the use of montage. He and his contemporary, Lev Kuleshov, two of the earliest film theorists, argued that montage was the essence of the cinema. His articles and books- particularly Film Form and The Film Sense - explain the significance of montage in detail. His writings and films have continued to have a major impact on subsequent filmmakers. Eisenstein felt the "collision" of shots could be used to manipulate the emotions of the audience and create film metaphors. He believed that an idea should be derived from the juxtaposition of two independent shots, bringing an element of collage into film. He developed what he called "methods of montage":

1. Metric: where the editing follows a specific number of frames, cutting next shot no matter what is happening within the montage. This montage is used to elicit the emotional reactions in the audience.

2. Rhythmic: includes cutting based on continuity, creating visual continuity from edit to edit.

3. Tonal: uses the emotional meaning of the shots to elicit a reaction from the audience even more complex than from the metric or rhythmic montage.

4. Over tonal: is the culmination of metric, rhythmic and tonal montage to synthesize its effects on the audience for an even more abstract and complicated effect.

5. Intellectual: uses shots which, combined, elicit an intellectual meaning.

In his initial films, Eisenstein did not use professional actors. His narratives eschewed individual characters and addressed broad social issues, especially class conflict. He used stock characters, and the roles were filled with untrained people from the appropriate classes; he avoided casting stars. Eisenstein's vision of communism brought him into conflict with officials in the ruling regime of Joseph Stalin. Like many Bolshevik artists, Eisenstein envisioned a new society which would subsidize artists totally, freeing them from the confines of bosses and budgets, leaving them absolutely free to create, but budgets and producers were as significant to the Soviet film industry as the rest of the world. The fledgling war and revolution wracked and isolated new nation did not have the resources to nationalize its film industry at first. When it did, limited resources- both monetary and equipment- required production controls as extensive as in the capitalist world.

Battleship Potemkin

Based on the historical events the movie tells the story of a riot at the battleship Potemkin. What started as a protest strike was when the crew was given rotten meat for dinner ended in a riot. The sailors raised the red flag and tried to ignite the revolution in their home port Odessa. 

In 1905, there is a general feeling of revolution among the Russian populace against the Imperial rulers. This feeling is slow to reach the crew of the battleship, Potemkin. However, the crew eventually does rebel against their Imperial ruled officers for what they see as the poor conditions aboard, namely the provision of maggot infested rotting meat as their food. This mini-revolution on board leads to a confrontation between the officers and crew. News of the result of this confrontation hits the streets of Odessa as the Potemkin sails into port. The fight on board the Potemkin makes its way to the streets of Odessa as civilians want to show their support for their brothers on board. This situation leads to further actions by the Imperial army, both against the Russian civilians in Odessa as well as against the Potemkin crew. It is a dramatized account of a Great Russian naval mutiny and a resulting street demonstration which brought on a police massacre.

The film's 75 minute duration is composed of 1,400 takes and is the precise model of its innovatory director's theory of montage. Potemkin is a vital viewing experience that transcends its landmark/milestone status. Its virtuoso technique remains dazzling and is at the service of a revolutionary fervor we can still experience. The Odessa Steps massacre, invented by Eisenstein and his collaborators, is one of cinema's greatest single sequences.

Sergei Eisenstein

Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein, a Soviet Russian film director and film theorist, a pioneer in the theory and practice of montage. He is noted in particular for his silent films Strike (1925), Battleship Potemkin (1925) and October (1928), as well as the historical epics Alexander Nevsky (1938) and Ivan the Terrible (1944, 1958).

Major Films and Directors

The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr. West in the Land of the Bolsheviks (1924): Lev Kuleshov

Luchsmerti (1925): Lev Kuleshov

Strike (1925): Sergei M. Eisenstein

Battleship Potemkin (1925): Sergei M. Eisenstein

Storm Over Asia (1928): VsevolodPudovkin

October (Ten Days that Shook the World) (1928): G. Aleksandrov, S. M. Eisenstein

Man with a Movie Camera (1929): DzigaVertov