Lecture Notes: A Hundred Years of Cinema

Introduction

• Overview of Battleship Potemkin (1925) as a significant film in Soviet cinema.
• Notable for its political charge; banned in the UK until 1954.
• Favorite film of both Charlie Chaplin and Billy Wilder.
• Importance of experimental editing in shaping cinema.

Historical Context

• Film editing history before 1925 and Soviet filmmaking post-1917 revolution.
• Emergence of continuity editing (natural storytelling):
  • Techniques:
    • Crossing on action: Cuts correspond with actions on screen.
    • Eye-level cutting: Cuts from a character's eyes to what they're looking at.
    • Cross-cutting: Alternating between two actions happening simultaneously.

Soviet Film and Lenin's Influence

• Vladimir Lenin's belief in the power of cinema:
  • "For us of all the Arts cinema is the most important."
• Post-revolution goals of the Soviet government: Consolidate power, spread information.
• Nationalization of film production; establishment of the Moscow Film School.
• Focus on short films (agitprop) due to limited film stock availability.

Development of Film Theory

• Students at the Moscow Film School studied and re-edited imported films.
• Kuleshov Effect: Demonstrates how shot meaning can change depending on surrounding shots:
  • Example: Expressionless face juxtaposed with various images (soup, coffin, girl).

Eisenstein's Theory of Montage

• Developed by Sergei Eisenstein, consisting of five methods:
  1. Metric Montage:
     • Cuts based on time or frames, regardless of action.
     • Example: Conditions of sailors in Potemkin.
  2. Rhythmic Montage:
     • Cuts to create movement and pace.
     • Iconic example: Odessa Steps massacre.
     • Used later by directors like William Friedkin.
  3. Tonal Montage:
     • Combines images with similar emotional themes.
     • Example: Mourning scenes enhancing emotional impact.
  4. Over-tonal Montage:
     • Combines all previous methods for greater effect.
     • Example: Hitchcock's train and lovers shot.
  5. Intellectual Montage:
     • Juxtaposes shots to create new meanings.
     • Example: Soldiers and civilians in Potemkin; Apocalypse Now and The Godfather scenes.

Impact on Cinema

• Eisenstein's theories allowed films to convey deeper meanings and ideas.
• Battleship Potemkin set the stage for future filmmakers to explore complex narratives beyond mere storytelling.

Conclusion

• Open question for audience: Share favorite examples of intellectual montage.
• Encouragement to subscribe for further explorations in film history.