SovietMontage

TheSovietfilmmakerswhoemergedintheaftermathofthe1917October
revolutioninRussiawerepartofanartisticavantgardecommittedto
innovationandexperimentationandthecreationofnewartisticpractices.
DirectorsSergeiEisensteinandV.I.Podovkinwerepartoftheformalist
traditioninfilmhistory.TheseRussiandirectorsbelievedthateditingwasthe
foundationoffilmartandtheysetouttoshattertheillusionisticstorytelling
andseamlesscontinuitycultivatedbyClassicalHollywood.Thepatternof
editingestablishedbyHollywoodpioneerD.W.Griffith(1915)inhisfilmsThe
BirthofANation(1915)andIntolerance(1919)taughtthesefilmmakershow
differentshotssizesandcameraanglescouldbecombinedtogetherin the
editingsuitewithpowerfulnarrativeforce.TheSovietfilmmakerswishedto
harnessthepowerofcinemaasatoolofeducationandpropagandaandthey
thereforewishedtogomuchfurtherthansimplyentertainingaudienceswith
spectacleandhistorical romance.
Themediumoffilmcouldbeusedtoshock,exciteanddisturbacinemaaudience.Inthethreefilms
hemadeinthe1920sabouttherevolutionarystruggleoftheRussianmasses Strike,Battlleship
PotemkinandOctober Eisensteinpushedtheboundariesofthisnewmediumwithhisradical
approachtofilmediting(knownasmontage).IntheOdessaStepssequenceofBattlleshipPotemkin
(1925),thedirectorcreatedoneofthemostinfluentialsequencesincinemahistory.Battlleship
PotemkinandEisensteinstheoryofmontagehasinspireddirectorssuchasAlfredHitchcock
(Psycho)StephenSpielberg(SchindlersList),MartinScorsese(RagingBull)andBrianDePalma(The
Untouchables).
AsMarilynFabeexplains:Eisensteinheldthatproperfilmcontinuityshouldnotproceedsmoothly,
butthroughaseriesofshocks.Wheneverpossible,hetriedtocreatesomekindofvisualconflictor
discontinuitybetweentwoshotswiththegoalofcreatingajoltinthespectatorspsyche.Thevisual
explosionson thescreenwereintendedtocreateacontinualsourceofstimulantsorshockstokeep
theaudiencewideawake.Thedynamicsofmontageserveasimpulsesdrivingforwardthetotal
film,Eisensteinwrote.
ForEisensteinconflictwascreatedbythejuxtapositionofshotsofhighvisualcontrast.In
BattlleshipPotemkin,Anextremelongshotoffleeingcrowdscutsimmediatelytoanextreme
closeupofthelegsofamanabouttofalldownthesteps.Directionalcontinuityisalsodisrupted.A
shotofthecrowdfleeingtowardstheleftofthescreenisfollowedbyanimageofthecrowdfleeing
intheoppositedirection.Similarlyshotcompositionalsocreatedvisualdissonanceanddisunity.A
shotemphasisingverticalmovementdownthevastOdessastepscutsto ashotcomposedalong
horizontallines.Diagonallinesfromtheleftarejuxtaposedwithdiagonallinesfromtheright.
ThedramaticimpactofSovietMontagebrokealltherulesofthesmooth,invisibleeditingofthe
ClassicalHollywoodStyle.Astyleoffilmmakingthatevolvedtoimmersetheaudienceinastoryand
disguisetechniquewasturnedupsidedowninordertocreatetheoppositeemotionaleffect to
bringtheaudiencetotheedgeoftheirseat,andinthecaseoftheOdessaStepssequence,to push
theviewertowardsafeelingofvertigo.AsMarilynFabepointsout,thetimebendingtechniquesof
SovietMontagepushedthecinemabeyondtherealismofHollywoodintonewpsychological
territory.Eisensteinwasnotstrivingtogiveusaliteral,realisticpictureofthemassacreonthe
steps.Throughhisinnovative,timeexpandingfilmtechnique,heconveysthesubjectiverealityof
whatitwouldfeelliketobetrappedinatraumaticsituationthatseeminglygoesonforever.Inthe
OdessaStepssequenceEisensteincreatesthetimespacecontinuumofanightmarefromwhich
thereisnowaking.
BattleshipPotemkin(1925): Odessastepssequence (00:49:0000:55:43)
Theaveragefilmin1925was90minuteslongandhadaround600shots.Atonly80minuteslong,
BattleshipPotemkincontains1346shots,someofthemonlyafewframeslong,fractionsofa
second.Eisensteinstheoryofmontagewasbuiltaroundthecollisionandconflictofimagesand
ideas.(RennyBartlett)
ArtthatShooktheWorld
BattlleshipPotemkinisthesubjectofa50minutedocumentaryintheBBCseriesArtThatShookthe
World.Thepresenter,RennyBartlett,examinesthebackgroundtothemakingofthefilmandits
receptionatthetime.TheprogrammeconsiderstheenduringinfluenceofSovietMontageandthe
OdessaStepssequence,featuringinterviewswithcontemporarydirectorssuchasSallyPotterand
KenRussell.SallyPottercomments:Withhindsightalotofthingswereinventedforthefilmthat
peoplethinktheyareinventingnow suchasastrappingacameratothebodyandrunningdown
aflightofsteps;adollyshot;cuttingfromawidetoanextremecloseup;lotsofjumpsandasense
ofmovementthroughtimeaswellasthroughspace.
MontageandArt
TheOpenUniversityregularlyscreena30minuteprogrammeonSovietMontageonBBC2aspart
ofculturalstudies.Theprogrammediscussestheaestheticofmontageasitwasappliedbythe
Russianavantgardetographicart,photographyandfilm.ScenesfromEisensteinsfilmsStrikeand
Octoberarefeaturedaswellasextractsfromthegroundbreakingexperimentaldocumentary,Man
WithAMovieCamera,directedbyV.I.Podovkin
TheUntouchables(1987):(01:23:00to01:32:00)
InhisbigscreenremakeofthetelevisionseriesTheUntouchables,directorBrianDePalmausesa
keyimageoftheOdessaStepssequence ababycarriagehurtlingdownthesteps asthecentre
pieceofthefilmsclimaticshootoutbetweentheFBIandthegangsters.This9minutesuspense
sequenceisworthyofclosestudyforitsstylishuseofslowmotion,highandlowcameraangles,
trackingcameramovements,closeupsoffacesjuxtaposedwithlongshotsoftheentirescene,etc.
Itisabrilliantillustrationofhowthetechniqueofeditingcan manipulatetime.