Battleship Potemkin (1925) is a typical illustration of any film that led to become a sign for revolution. One can argue how this particular work attemptedto form a "new theatre, " and through critically considering the motion pictures theme/ideology, narrative composition, filmmaking techniques and editing and enhancing (montage), with paying close attention to the Communist ideology, Imagism, Marxism, Futurism, the Hegelian theory, and Mexican affect - one can justify that Eisenstein founded the begin to this "new theatre. "
"Imagine a movie theater which is not dominated by the dollars; a cinema industry where ones man pocket is not filled at other people's price; which is not for the storage compartments of several people, but also for the minds and hearts of 150 million people Out of the blue a new movie theater occurs. " (Sergei Eisenstein, 1926) It was without a doubt an instant for specifically Sergei Eisenstein building a benchmark in theatre history, a way of promotion to become a Bolshevik (a communist) and undoubtedly; a fresh overall experience that started for cinema verification followers in the 1920's that had not been dominated by the dollar but reached in to the hearts of the audience. The recent Bolshevik point out found film as "a essential tool in the brand new have difficulties, and immediately go about reconstructing the film industry. " (Annette Kuhn, 1991: 3) Thus, in reconstructing the film industry, a fresh cinema was made.
The society appeared back again on the 1905 Russian Revolution ushering a time of much change in not only the contemporary society structure but in the arts field. It was what anyone could understand it as an opportunity to shed some new light, to bring something not used to the cabinets, to be creative, to rebel on days gone by and most of all - to become 'new. ' This is inevitably a opportunity for Eisenstein, with all his affect from history Directors and with the success of Eisenstein's Strike (1925), to be an historical shape and role model to future videos and directors.
Battleship Potemkin was undoubtedly created in order to "celebrate the abortive Trend" (Annette Kuhn, 1991: 3) Eisenstein then, with which we obviously see in this film, fed off of the Potemkin rebellion as the central metaphor for the Trend. The propaganda is seen to be Marxist propaganda for it just being "a socio-political view that surrounds a politics ideology" (Avineri, 1968: 6) of the Russian revolution. We are able to also see the films techniques through Imagism; "Images used to create a new image" (Avineri, 1968: 8) and lastly Cubism; "Piecing together several perspectives into one body which creates one overall meaning. " (Avineri, 1968: 14)
"New theatre" may also be seen through how Russian film-makers "found themselves within an industry almost completely devoid of native traditions. " (Karel Reisz, 1954: 6) Thus, these filmmakers had a) nothing at all that they had to follow, stick to and continue with and b) experienced a big opportunity to add a 'new theatre. ' You can only imagine that there directors thus became propagandists and educators to the modern culture and had an activity to "use film medium as a way of instructing the public in the Russian Trend and to teach a young era of film-makers to fulfill a task" (Karel Reisz, 1954: 7) Thus, this opened gates for filmmakers such as Eisenstein to set about finding new ways to express idea's in order to communicate the Russian Trend, and secondly, to build up a theory of filmmaking that could be seen as a benchmark in movie theater history.
Instead of only looking into the historical background of the film (the Revolution) you can also see the effect that Eisensetien's track record possessed on the coming together of this film, and the 'new theatre' aspects and techniques. Eisenstein went to Mexico where he visited help his good friend film the country. "The whole country was montage-editing - theoretically speaking; just how we see birth to death is all but a continuing pattern. " (Marilyn Fabe, 2004: 48) Inevitably this may be apparent all over the world, but we can easily see a web link with the goddesses and catholic saints that clearly pertains to Mexico. Thus, one can argue that is a metaphor for Mexico seen to Eisenstein - as well as an affect.
Typage is a term used to spell it out that characters in this film were chosen predicated on their type, somewhat than their legend reputation. Not only does this conflict with Old classic Hollywood's star structure, but it fed off on to Italian Neorealism, as you can easily see in Bicycle Thieves. (1948) Typage is purely to improve realism and make the audience feel like they can associate as such heroes are common, every day, people. This technique also influences the emotional response (stimuli) and proposal from the audience, who are ultimately the critiques of most means of art work. The effect that Typage is wearing this film, is the fact that it not only can take electric power and sentiment away from the political declaration whenever you can - but correlates the note more to the action, alternatively than to the individual actor subject and power.
It is clear that if one requires "new movie theater" into perspective, and correlates it with new-found method of filmmaking - montage editing and enhancing was evidentially the new groundwork of film art. "There is absolutely no art without turmoil, " Sergei Eisenstein (1926) once published and so we see that he basically created discord by the juxtaposition of photographs, which created an actual symbolic meaning that can be seen through realism, compressing of your time and audience proposal - and is also undoubtedly more important than the mise-en-scene. Thus becoming new to the displays as mise-en-scene can be argued as the main aspect to previous film directors.
For someone who doesn't understand montage, it is simply briefly known as the cutting of images and then delivering them back alongside one another. We can note that through all the cutting and putting back again of shots, it produces one overall idea which fits in with the story brand. Lev Kuleshov (1970) talks about this best when he correlates images of his facial expressions slice to a woman playing with child, and then your same facial manifestation cut to a woman in her bikini. It immediately changes the idea behind the shot.
The romance of shots can either be observed as similar, or in contrast, can be seen as opposite. That's where conflict comes into play and forms a message. For instance, when two men type in from either edges of the screen with guns or swords in hand, the juxtaposition creates value by signifying issue between the two men, but also implies that they can unite.
Montage also improves movement. Early film's that could go on for hours at a time would drag out the activity to tell a tale. However, the jump-cutting still creates a "known-movement" with no characters actually following through the entire entire movement. Preferably the editing occurs in removing the "body", and the audience is shown the "introduction" and "conclusion" of the activity. Thus, we can accumulate what the "body" entailed for this to have reached the conclusion. Mention of this is observed in Odessa Steps landscape analysis to check out.
When looking again at the initial films, some of them countless hours long, we can understand when watching this film that not only performed editing enhance the viewing experience of the audience, but it cut down shots that need not be shown. Thus, resulting in a film only "80 minutes long with over 1000 pictures, compared to the regular 90minute film with half the amount of photographs. " (Marilyn Fabe, 2004: 48) However, it was not only about enhancing the viewing experience, but was also about a tool for education and propaganda, thus creating a powerful narrative composition.
With reference back to the Juxtaposition conflict between shots had not been no more than using shots against each other that were so different, yet flowed, but an underlying meaning also put into this new movie theater. As what I can begin to comprehend it as a discord of innocence vs. assault; as one can easily see when the young child is trampled by the laborers' and when the mother brings attention to the troops. Throughout this film, innocence and violence become so obvious and inevitably boosts the politics and social statement of the Russian Revolution.
This movement feeds off into repetition, tempo, and content. When photos are repeated often it can either bring a tale together or normally it takes a story back again to that time (once we see in many motion pictures today that hop cut to the future, or furthermore to days gone by) and it can enhance fear or contrary, bring a quiet atmosphere to the audience. The tempo facet of montage is preferably some shots that create the rhythm and movement motion, which is often used to include suspense or to compress time. Juxtaposition of injections with intended depth added; inevitably creates this content - even as we can easily see in Lev Kuleshov's (time) example above. This feeds off to the metaphor of the film, which in this case is the Russian Trend.
Battleship Potemkin is focused around five sub-themes. These can be seen through "Men and Maggots; Drama on the Quarterdeck; An Appeal from the Deceased; The Odessa Steps; Interacting with the Squadron. " (webpages. csus. edu/~abuckman/POTEMKIN. htm: 26/04/2011) These sub-themes can be seen to in many wayscorrespond with the historical reminiscence of the Russian Trend event in order to do the trend metaphor. This is seen as the plot outline.
In men and Maggots, this arena cleverly shows the political and cultural condition - which improves the realism in this film and introduces the environment of which the storyplot will be told. Our company is shown the outfits, the battleship and the cleaning of the ship with boiling soup - this is seen as a metaphor for that they are gradually coming to boiling point. Here we could also shown The Hegelian theory.
The Hegelian theory is a theory that performs a huge role in Battleship Potemkin. It undoubtedly means that film contains a "utilitarian goal as well as an artistic purpose. " (webpages. csus. edu/~abuckman/POTEMKIN. htm: 26/04/2011) Thus, and therefore this is propaganda along side art. This is employed by Eisenstein mainly to have an impact on the viewers, and actually create meaning and effect in their own private subjective interpersonal and politics views. "Eisenstein used a psyhco-psychical way which ideally re-moulds the reflexes of humans and provides them a fresh perspective on the revolution, leading them in a preferred way" (webpages. csus. edu/~abuckman/POTEMKIN. htm: 26/04/2011)and can personally be seen as manipulative way.
Inevitabely, you can then see through this film, that he enhances a 'physiological consciousness' as his film illustrates happenings and actions rather than just portraying feelings. -Which refers back to Typage. This is effectively portrayed in the Odessa Steps series which will be examined below. However, in 'Men With Maggots, ' we are shown the comparison of faces of office buildings in "conflict" with the crew. As what follows from the result of the theory is the two contrasting makes interim to make a third so this means, thus one third force. This dates back to the example of the two men entering either edges of the frame, and of course, the Lev Kuleshov theory.
As we can see in 'Crisis on the Quarterdeck, ' a subjective-camera is employed to add sentiment, and create more realism. We can thus, completely feel and understand the sentiment behind the systems dangling - the terror and disgust. Within this scene, I also find the cross-cut very interesting in so this means as it shows a connection and linkage between your place of prayer and the rulers. This can illustrates electric power, or also, Eisenstein is portraying a so this means behind 'notion of the rulers. ' In the next scene, 'Appeal from the Deceased' - the one thing that stuck out was the close-up. The close-up of the fist which becomes bigger as the camera sweeps in onto it, and as we are shown a fist that slowly clenches as the masses finally make a decision to revolt. It results in ability in the structure and emotion. Close-up's found in this film suck sentiment out to the audience, and are cleverly applied to rare occasion to enhance the result even more.
The 'Odessa Steps' is probably the most iconic field in this film, and effectively portrays such editing and enhancing for an audience who've never experienced such before. This arena uses montage to make tension; singular occasions of fear and terror that finally provoke a violent emotional response from the audience. In such a scene you can also clearly observe how typage is necessary, and exactly how it increases the motional response as this landscape portrays the drive of the action rather than the individual tasks of the men and woman. Here we are also shown the laborers scrambling down the steps from a high angled injections - not only showering the meaning behind electric power, but shows the action on a whole and not in one main characters perspective, as we'd see in Classic Hollywood. Here were also shown conflict makes with the disordered dash of masses coming down the steps with regards to the soldiers.
If we go through the Odessa Steps in a lot more details, we can commence to know how this world was the turning point in not only Eisenstein's career, ever sold, but also in the film. We could shown close-ups of the laborers cosmetic expressions in relation and incompatible to long pictures of the picture as a whole - the action of what is actually taking place. The rhythm is also increased immensely, which escalates the intensity and emotions of the scene. Finally, a turnaround of downward movement cleverly portrays the crowd's movements in conflict, to the feelings of the woman crying with the infant. And finally, within the last act; 'Get together the Squadron' we live illustrated by suspense. The injections are slow-moving in tempo, however, there's a sense of strong unity.
In conclusion, one can justifiably dispute that Battleship Potemkin attempted to form a "new theatre" through Eisenstein using the Russian Revolution as a metaphorical benchmark for fresh, impressive idea's that were seen through mainly montage editing, as well as propaganda. As Eisenstein (particular date) said, "We tried to take the historical happenings just as these were and not to interfere in virtually any shape, manner or form, with the process as it was actually taking location to still bring reality to the screens to portray a real event. "
