|
|
|||||||
Eisenstein en México (1930-1932) Sin lugar a dudas, la figura de Serguei M. Eisenstein se erige
en un lugar privilegiado dentro del selecto grupo de cineastas fundamentales
de la cinematografía mundial. El talento y la creatividad de este gran
director alcanzaron uno de sus momentos cumbre durante su estancia en México,
aunque por desgracia -y como una suerte de destino compartido con otros
genios de la cinematografía- la aventura mexicana de Eisenstein
culminó sin terminar el proyecto que había venido a filmar. Eisenstein jamás imaginó que las poderosas imágenes que capturó en aquel
par de años lograrían escapar de las manos de quienes se empeñaron en
aniquilarlas, y llegarían a influir decisivamente en el imaginario fílmico
mexicano. Aún sin existir del todo, el filme mexicano de Sergei
Eisenstein es una de nuestras grandes películas de
todos los tiempos. SERGEI EISENSTEIN His Early Life
Born on Eisenstein, along with A. Tisse, G. Alexandrov, & M. Shatrauka,
pose for a group photo while
shooting "Old and New," 1929. The architect in Eisenstein was inspired
by Renaissance conceptions of space. He studied Leonardo da
Vinci's work and was influenced by Freud's interpretation of da Vinci. Trying to bridge the gap in what he felt was
the distorted space induced by technology,
Eisenstein pushed the outer envelope of filmmaking. He attempted to
understand how the sensations of the machine age could be incorporated in the
grand style of the Renaissance and how the meaning of Marxist humanism might
be traced back to the spirit of the Quattrocento. Watching the insurgent crowds during the
1917 October revolution bearing down on the Montage of Attractions EisensteinÕs
first film, the revolutionary "Strike," was produced in 1924,
following the publishing of his first article on theories of editing in the
review Lef, edited by the great poet, Mayakovsky. He proposed a new editing form, the
"montage of attractions" -- in which arbitrarily chosen images,
independent from the action, would be presented not in chronological sequence
but in whatever way would create the maximum psychological impact. Eisenstein directing actor Boris Zakhava as Gerasim in
the film "Bezhin Meadow" Thus, the filmmaker should aim to
establish in the consciousness of the spectators the elements that would lead
them to the idea he wants to communicate. He should attempt to place them in
the spiritual state or the psychological situation that would give birth to
that idea. He theorized that cinema was a synthesis of art and science. These
principles guided Eisenstein's entire career, and had a major impact on
filmmakers to this day for its stark contrast to "American-style"
narrative montage. Filmography
In "Strike", which recounts the repression of a strike by
the soldiers of the tsar, Eisenstein juxtaposed shots of workers being mowed
down by machine guns with shots of cattle being butchered in a slaughterhouse.
The effect was striking, but the objective reality was falsified. In 1925, in order to commemorate the
Revolution of 1905, the Communist Party commissioned the renowned film "Potemkin" (also called "
battleship Potemkin"). The film was
made in the Eisenstein's next film was the two hour
film, "October" or "Ten Days That Shook the World",
dealing with the shifts of power between the 1917 February and October
revolutions, Lenin's entering the scene and the struggle of the Bolsheviks
with their opponents. Eisenstein sets his camera for the kind
of unconventional angle that made him a great director. "Old and
New"
After some other controversial works,
like "Old and New" ("The General Line"), "Romance Sentimentale" and "Thunder over Mexico",
Eisenstein was able to make a film recounting the medieval epic of
"Alexander Nevsky", in accordance with
Stalin's policy of glorifying Russian heroes. Made in 1938 the film
represented the triumph of collectivism. With a score written by famed
Russian composer Prokofiev, the film combined images and music into a single
rhythmic unity. Continually seeking to expand the
filmmaking craft, Eisenstein drew upon his early interest in Japanese Kabuki
theatre and Noh drama and their use of masks in his last film "Ivan the
Terrible". During World War II, Eisenstein began work on this epic film
about the 16th-century Tsar Ivan IV, whom Stalin admired. Before he could
finish the third part of the film, Eisenstein died, a few days after his 50th
birthday, on http://www.abamedia.com/rao/gallery/old/eisen.html |
||||||||
|
|