Book documents from the definitive Russian texts the complex course of Sergei Eisenstein's writings during the revolutionary years in the Soviet Union. It presents Eisenstein the innovative aesthetic thinker, socialist artist and humourist, passionately engaged in the debates over the art forms of the future.
Presents a master-class turning a short story into an effective film ... analyses in painstaking detail two parallel scripts made out of the same story [Nikolai Shpikovsky's Banner (Znamia) as Leonid Leonov's Feast at Zhimunka (Pir v Zhirmunke)], and ... explains why one works better. [Also imagines at length adapting Ambrose Bierce's The Affair at Coulter's Notch. Describes excitation and compression of the plot through the use of imagery as found in: Honore Daumier's and Michelangelo's depiction of movement, and the works of writers Tolstoy, Edgar Lee Masters, Ford Madox Ford, and more]-- Summary form back cover [and cataloger]
The book explores Sergei Eisenstein's significant impact on cinema, highlighting his renowned films like Potemkin and Ivan the Terrible, as well as his theoretical and philosophical contributions to the art form. It features a new translation of his essay on Orozco, offering insights into Eisenstein's thoughts on visual storytelling and artistic expression. This edition provides a comprehensive look at his legacy as both a filmmaker and a thinker in the realm of cinema.
Focusing on the art of film directing, this book features insights from Sergei Eisenstein, a pivotal figure in cinema history known for his versatility. Renowned for masterpieces like Battleship Potemkin and Alexander Nevsky, he also contributed significantly through essays and teaching. His reflections provide a unique perspective on the craft of filmmaking and the creative process behind directing.
"Sergei Eisenstein (1898-1948), creator of such masterpieces as Battleship Potemkin, Alexander Nevsky and Ivan the Terrible, was perhaps the greatest of all film directors. He wrote his autobiography in 1946, two years before his death, and it is a work of major importance in the light it sheds on his personality and mercurial genius. Vivid, eccentric and free-ranging, Immoral Memories is written in a style reminiscent of the brilliant visual effects of montage and dynamic progression that characterize its author's film-making technique. He recounts his life in Russia from the time of the Revolution, during which he served in the Bolshevik army as a volunteer, his travels in the West and his encounters with a remarkable medley of individuals during his long career. He gives us unique insights, too, into his triumphs and tribulations. His disappointments and despair were exemplified by the banning of the film Ivan the Terrible, Part II, which was not released until fifteen years after his death. And he never expected his autobiography to be published in Russia. Yet in answer to his query "Has there been life" he replied that there had been "life lived acutely, joyously, tormentedly, at times even sparkling, unquestionably colourful, and such a life that, I suppose, I would not exchange for another""--Publisher's description.
Few figures in cinema history are as towering as Russian filmmaker and theorist Sergei Mikhailovitch Eisenstein (1898-1948). Not only did Eisenstein direct some of the most important and lasting works of the silent era, including Strike, October, and Battleship Potemkin, as well as, in the sound era, the historical epics Alexander Nevsky and Ivan the Terrible--he also was a theorist whose insights into the workings of film were so powerful that they remain influential for both filmmakers and scholars today. Seagull Books is embarking on a series of translations of key works by Eisenstein into English. On the Detective Story presents Eisenstein's elaborate study, in four essays and fragments, of the use of dialectical thinking in the creation of art and literature. Drawing on major works from Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Balzac, Gogol, Mayakovsky, Dostoevsky, and more, and ranging from folk tales to contemporary detective stories, it shows the keenly analytic quality of Eisenstein's mind when it turned to questions of creative work.
From Sergei Eisenstein, a legendary pioneer in filmmaking and director of Battleship Potemkin, Film Form collects twelve essays written between 1928 and 1945 that demonstrate key points in the development of his film theory and in particular his analysis of the sound-film medium."By turns savagely polemical and whimsically humorous...Eisenstein's last book, like all his writings, is on fire with imagination...Jay Leyda, well-known authority on Eisenstein's work, has done an excellently thorough job of editing and translating."— Saturday Review
Focusing on his multifaceted contributions to cinema, the book features Sergei Eisenstein's reflections on his iconic films, including Battleship Potemkin and Alexander Nevsky. It delves into his insights on film directing and the collaborations with various artists throughout his career. The final chapter showcases his personal drawings and sketches, offering a unique glimpse into his creative process and artistic vision. This work highlights Eisenstein's pivotal role in film history and his innovative approach to the medium.
A renowned Soviet director discusses his theory of film as an artistic medium which must appeal to all senses and applies it to an analysis of sequences from his major movies.