“Language is much closer to cinema than painting is” (Sergei Eisenstein). There were very few men and women in cinema who focused on making a difference in cinema during the Russian Revolution of 1917. The youth of that time wanted to create a revolutionary theme, form and style. Most Russian films made before the revolution were dark, slow-paced melodramas featuring courageous performances from dominant stars. Young Russian directors were influenced by the American film style with continuous editing and extroverted, athletic performances in westerns and comedies. Russian filmmakers have pushed themselves to the limit in the process of creating a new and different set of cinematic tools. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayThe first leader of the revolution was Vladimir Lenin and created the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in October 1917. Narkompros, founded in 1918, controlled the Soviet film industry. Narkompros created the first State Film School in 1919. A year later Lev Kuleshov joined the State Film School and created workshops. Kuleshov tried to systematize the principles of editing based on the emerging Hollywood style. Kuleshov experienced how important montage is and developed the central idea of montage theory and style. The main aspect of the Soviet montage style concerned the montage area. The cuts should stimulate the viewer. In contrast to continuity editing, cutting editing often creates overlapping or elliptical temporal relationships. Kuleshov's laboratories are legendary. They were known as the Kuleshov Group, Pudovkin was one of his students; Eisenstein studied with him for three months, but was influenced by Kuleshov for his entire life; sometimes as a rival; later as a dear friend. The legendary Alfred Hitchcock, decades later and in America, called it "pure cinema", when editing gives rise to meanings that exist nowhere in sight, but only in the mind. This mixed play between montage, perception and meaning is known as the "Kuleshov effect". Sergei Eisenstein at the age of 26, made his first feature film Strike, the first major film of the Montage movement. It was released in 1925. He had been inspired to get into film making after seeing Griffith's Intolerance. The general idea of Sergei Eisenstein's Montage was the collision of elements: shots should not be seen as connected, but rather as conflicting with each other. The audience can create a new concept in their mind by realizing the conflict between the elements. Continuous editing was revolutionary in its day, but early Soviet directors, including Kuleshov, Vsevolod Pudovkin and Eisenstein, took editing to another, more creative and psychological level, first with the "Kuleshov effect" and then with Eisenstein's theory of montage, or as he called it, "montage of attractions". Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In conclusion, Eisenstein's montage theory and his films have paved the way in film history books. He was the pioneer of Soviet cinema who helped usher in the modern era of film making and editing. Soviet editing revolutionized the way films were made, allowing directors to explore the psychological effects of different shot arrangements and durations, rather than being bound by mere chronology.
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