Soviet Montage, 1925-1933

Lecture 8

Dialectics

THESIS 1 + ANTI-THESIS 1 = SYNTHESIS 1

SYNTHESIS 1 (THESIS 2) + ANTI-THESIS 2 = SYNTHESIS 2

…EISENSTEIN: “The foundation of this philosophy is a dynamic

concept of things: Being—as a constant evolution from the interaction of two contradictory opposites.

Synthesis—arising from the opposition between thesis and antithesis.”

Eisenstein:“By collision. By the conflict of two pieces of film in opposition to each other from the collision of two given factors arises a concept.”

October (1927):Dialectics of narrative

Dialectics of Form:

Eisenstein:“The shot and montage are the basic elements of

cinema”

“The shot appears as the cell of montage.” (organic metaphor)

“So, montage is conflict.”

THEN: There must be conflict in the shot as well.

Dialectics of Form:

Eisenstein:“The shot and montage are the basic elements of

cinema”

“The shot appears as the cell of montage.” (organic metaphor)

“So, montage is conflict.”

THEN: There must be conflict in the shot as well.

Conflict within the shot• 1) Shot (enframed image)—– Graphic conflict– Conflict of planes– Conflict of volume– Light conflict– Spatial conflict– Conflict between matter and viewpoint (ex: canted and other

camera angles)– Conflict between matter and its spatial nature (ex: optical

distortion)– Conflict between an event and its temporal nature (ex: slow

motion, fast motion, stop-motion)– Conflict between optical complex and different sphere (ex:

conflict between image and sound)

GRAPHIC CONFLICT WITHIN THE SHOT

CONFLICT OF VOLUME, LIGHT, PLANES, SPACE

GRAPHIC CONFLICT/LIGHT CONFLICT

• _Battleship Potemkin_ stairs clip

CONFLICT OF VOLUMES

SPATIAL CONFLICT (CONFLICT OF DEPTH)

• Bridge clip from _October_

CONFLICT BETWEEN MATTER AND VIEWPOINT (ex: camera angles)

CONFLICT BETWEEN MATTER AND ITS SPATIAL NATURE (ex: optical distortion)

From Man with a Movie Camera

Conflict between an event and its temporal nature (ex: slow motion, fast motion, stop-motion)

• Clip from _Man with a Movie Camera_

CONFLICT BETWEEN SHOTS (IN EDITING)

• 2) Montage (editing)—conflict between shots– Graphic conflict– Conflict of planes– Conflict of volume– Light conflict– Spatial conflict– Tempo conflict

– Association montage

– Intellectual montage

Physiological effects produced by optical

means

Emotional effects produced by psychological means

New Ideas and attitudes

Conflict between shots (in editing)

Tempo Conflict

• _October_ gunner clip

TEMPO CONFLICT

Eisenstein: “Association Montage”

Produces emotional effects by psychological means

Ex: “Association Montage”non-diegetic insert

From Strike (1925)

The Peacock

Ex: “Association Montage”non-diegetic insert (also an example of overlapping editing)

From October (1927)—Kerensky peacock sequence

Eisenstein: “Intellectual Montage”

Produces new ideas and attitudes

Eisenstein: “Intellectual Montage”Each shot is like an ideogram

Ideogram—a written character symbolizing the idea of a thing without indicating the sounds used to say it

Ex 1: “Intellectual Montage”non-diegetic insert

Overlapping editing

From October (1927)Kerensky, stairs, etc…

• Clip from _October_ palace sequence

Ex 2: “Intellectual Montage”non-diegetic inserts

From October (1927)“For God and Country…”

• Clip

Intellectual or Association Montage?

• Clip

Eisenstein:• The shot is a montage cell.• Just as cells in their division form a phenomenon

of another order… so on the other side of the dialectical leap from the shot, there is montage.

• … from the collision [conflict] of two given factors [shots] arises a concept.

• While the conventional film directs the emotions, this [intellectual montage] suggests an opportunity to encourage and direct the whole thought process, as well.

EX: “INTELLECTUAL MONTAGE”

From October (1927)