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The Film Sense
An exploration of the film as a more expressive and profound medium. Includes an analysis of a sound-film sequence from Alexander Nevsky. “The most instructive discussion of the film art yet put between the covers of a book” (New York Times Book Review). Edited and translated by Jay Leyda; Index; photographs and diagrams.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1942
46 people are currently reading
1286 people want to read
About the author
Sergei Eisenstein
130 books101 followersSergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein was a Soviet film director and film theorist, a pioneer in the theory and practice of montage. He is noted in particular for his silent films Strike (1925), Battleship Potemkin (1925) and October (1928), as well as the historical epics Alexander Nevsky (1938) and Ivan the Terrible (1944, 1958). In its 2012 decennial poll, the magazine Sight & Sound named his Battleship Potemkin the 11th greatest movie of all time.
Eisenstein was among the earliest film theorists. He believed that editing could be used for more than just expounding a scene or moment, through a "linkage" of related images. He developed what he called "methods of montage":
1) Metric
2) Rhythmic
3) Tonal
4) Overtonal
5) Intellectual
Eisenstein's articles and books—particularly Film Form and The Film Sense—explain the significance of montage in detail. His writings and films have continued to have a major impact on subsequent filmmakers.
Eisenstein was among the earliest film theorists. He believed that editing could be used for more than just expounding a scene or moment, through a "linkage" of related images. He developed what he called "methods of montage":
1) Metric
2) Rhythmic
3) Tonal
4) Overtonal
5) Intellectual
Eisenstein's articles and books—particularly Film Form and The Film Sense—explain the significance of montage in detail. His writings and films have continued to have a major impact on subsequent filmmakers.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
February 15, 2024
إيزنشتين بجانب كونه مخرج عظيم هو أفضل العاملين بالسينما الذين كتبوا عنها ونظروا لها. على سبيل المثال كتاباته حول الصوت والألوان في السينما من أهم وأعمق ما قرأت من نقد سينمائي. ما يجعل قراءة إيزنشتين ممتعة هو بالأساس رؤيته الشاملة للفن، فعنده لا توجد حدود فاصلة بين السينما والموسيقى والتصوير بل وحتى الأدب.
الجزء الخاص بالتماس بين السينما والأدب رائع، أحيانا يبدو العرض غير مقنع ولكن جاذبية الفكرة والتنفيذ - في أفلامه - ممتعين. الجزء الخاص بالموسيقى لا يقل أهمية وإمتاعا، ولكن مع عدم وجود ثقافة موسيقية سيكون من الصعب استيعاب الأفكار المعروضة.
طالما تمنيت أن يتاح لإيزنشتين الحرية الكاملة لتنفيذ أفكاره وتطويرها من خلال إخراجه للأفلام - مشروعه لإخراج كتاب رأس المال لماركس كان سيكون تحدي كبير وفرصة لمشاهدة تحفة سينمائية. إن العدد القليل من الأفلام التي أخرجها - وكثير منها تم التدخل في صورته النهائية - لم يسمح له بتجريب كل ما أراد وكتب عنه.
الجزء الخاص بالتماس بين السينما والأدب رائع، أحيانا يبدو العرض غير مقنع ولكن جاذبية الفكرة والتنفيذ - في أفلامه - ممتعين. الجزء الخاص بالموسيقى لا يقل أهمية وإمتاعا، ولكن مع عدم وجود ثقافة موسيقية سيكون من الصعب استيعاب الأفكار المعروضة.
طالما تمنيت أن يتاح لإيزنشتين الحرية الكاملة لتنفيذ أفكاره وتطويرها من خلال إخراجه للأفلام - مشروعه لإخراج كتاب رأس المال لماركس كان سيكون تحدي كبير وفرصة لمشاهدة تحفة سينمائية. إن العدد القليل من الأفلام التي أخرجها - وكثير منها تم التدخل في صورته النهائية - لم يسمح له بتجريب كل ما أراد وكتب عنه.
July 7, 2025
During my stint as a replacement Film Studies instructor for an online batch in Bangalore, The Film Sense by Sergei Eisenstein was both my syllabus and my scripture. This wasn’t just a book—it was a cinematic manifesto dressed in intellectual fireworks. A classic in every sense of the word.
Eisenstein doesn’t simply write about film—he thinks through it. He draws from music, literature, painting, and even Japanese ideograms to build a theory of montage that’s less about cuts and more about collisions—of ideas, emotions, and images. Reading The Film Sense felt like being let into the private laboratory of a mad genius who believed cinema was not just entertainment but a new language of human thought.
For my students, the dense metaphors and cross-disciplinary references were challenging at first, but once cracked open, the rewards were immense. We discussed how emotion is generated not from performance alone, but from the rhythmic juxtaposition of shots. We debated over his ideas of “intellectual montage,” and how even silence and absence can be edited for effect.
This book shaped the way I guided students to “read” a film—not as a narrative flow, but as a dynamic construction of meaning. It trained our eyes to see cinema not only as movement in time but as thought in form.
The Film Sense is not light reading, but for those who care about the grammar of cinema and the pulse of images, it remains a work of thrilling, almost symphonic intelligence. Eisenstein didn’t just change how films are made—he changed how we think about thinking through film.
Eisenstein doesn’t simply write about film—he thinks through it. He draws from music, literature, painting, and even Japanese ideograms to build a theory of montage that’s less about cuts and more about collisions—of ideas, emotions, and images. Reading The Film Sense felt like being let into the private laboratory of a mad genius who believed cinema was not just entertainment but a new language of human thought.
For my students, the dense metaphors and cross-disciplinary references were challenging at first, but once cracked open, the rewards were immense. We discussed how emotion is generated not from performance alone, but from the rhythmic juxtaposition of shots. We debated over his ideas of “intellectual montage,” and how even silence and absence can be edited for effect.
This book shaped the way I guided students to “read” a film—not as a narrative flow, but as a dynamic construction of meaning. It trained our eyes to see cinema not only as movement in time but as thought in form.
The Film Sense is not light reading, but for those who care about the grammar of cinema and the pulse of images, it remains a work of thrilling, almost symphonic intelligence. Eisenstein didn’t just change how films are made—he changed how we think about thinking through film.
August 6, 2019
Un excelente libro para introducirte al montaje en la cinematografía, con ejemplos claros de como este mecanismo sólo es una manifestación de como entendemos el mundo con los sentidos
El último capítulo se hace tedioso si no se ha visto el filme Alejandro Nevski, del mismo autor
El último capítulo se hace tedioso si no se ha visto el filme Alejandro Nevski, del mismo autor
January 1, 2008
When I was writing poetry (must get back to that!) I was very much inspired by Sergei Eisenstein's "The Film Sense." His thoughts on montage clearly made sense to me as a writer. The fact that you can add something and another thing which equals something else was incredibly inspiring. Although this book is geared towards the making of films, I think a writer can pick up on it and use this text as something practical for their work (writings).
February 14, 2020
"A work of art, understood dynamically, is just this process of arranging images in the feelings and mind of the spectator. It is this that constitutes the peculiarity of a truly vital work of art and distinguishes it from a lifeless one, in which the spectator receives the represented result of a given consummated process of creation, instead of being drawn into the process as it occurs."
December 13, 2024
3.7⭐️
El sentido del cine de Sergei Eisenstein es un texto denso, que explora las profundidades del montaje cinematográfico como un arte total, relacionándolo con disciplinas como la pintura, la arquitectura, la poesía y el sonido.
Es evidente que Eisenstein no solo fue un cineasta brillante, sino también un teórico que entendía el cine como algo que junta todas las artes.
Sin embargo, mi experiencia estuvo algo limitada porque no he visto ninguna de sus películas, como El acorazado Potemkin o Qué Viva México .
Sin ese contexto visual, a veces me resultó difícil conectar completamente con las ideas que propone.
Muchos de sus ejemplos están basados en su propia obra o en referencias culturales de su época, lo que puede hacer que ciertos pasajes se sientan un poco inaccesibles si no estás familiarizado con ellos.
Dicho esto, los capítulos dedicados al montaje y cómo este está influido por otras formas de arte son particularmente muy buenas. Su comparación del cine con la arquitectura o su análisis del ritmo en la poesía como precursor del montaje cinematográfico son argumentos que me dejaron reflexionando demasiado.
Es un libro clave para quienes quieren comprender el cine más allá de su superficie. Aunque puede ser un poco técnico.
El sentido del cine de Sergei Eisenstein es un texto denso, que explora las profundidades del montaje cinematográfico como un arte total, relacionándolo con disciplinas como la pintura, la arquitectura, la poesía y el sonido.
Es evidente que Eisenstein no solo fue un cineasta brillante, sino también un teórico que entendía el cine como algo que junta todas las artes.
Sin embargo, mi experiencia estuvo algo limitada porque no he visto ninguna de sus películas, como El acorazado Potemkin o Qué Viva México .
Sin ese contexto visual, a veces me resultó difícil conectar completamente con las ideas que propone.
Muchos de sus ejemplos están basados en su propia obra o en referencias culturales de su época, lo que puede hacer que ciertos pasajes se sientan un poco inaccesibles si no estás familiarizado con ellos.
Dicho esto, los capítulos dedicados al montaje y cómo este está influido por otras formas de arte son particularmente muy buenas. Su comparación del cine con la arquitectura o su análisis del ritmo en la poesía como precursor del montaje cinematográfico son argumentos que me dejaron reflexionando demasiado.
Es un libro clave para quienes quieren comprender el cine más allá de su superficie. Aunque puede ser un poco técnico.
April 21, 2024
المخرج والمنظّر الروسي سيرغي آيزنشتاين، أو: شكسبير السينما
"المسكون بإنتاج المعنى عن طريق المونتاج والإنارة وشعر الهايكو"
نرى هنا كيف استقى نظريته للمونتاج، والتي طبقها في أفلامه
من روايات وقصص كبار الأدباء الروس كدوستويفسكي وتولستوي
كما يستلهم المونتاج من تقطيع الشاعر الروسي ماياكوفسكي لقصائده
ومن تمدد الجملة بين بيتين واستمرارية المعنى للشاعر الروسي بوشكين
ومن المفكر الفنّي الروسي زيرمنسكي، ورسومات الفنان الروسي كاندينسكي
وعلى تحليل الأمثال الشعبية، مثل: طار الغراب بينما كان الكلب يجلس على ذيله
الاطلاع التراثي الروسي الذي ساعده على تطوير أصالته النظريّة والعمليّة الفريدة
والذي لم يمنعه من التفاعل مع فناني العالم مثل تحليل أعمال الفرنسيّين بلزاك وستاندال
وبالإضافة إلى لوحات دافنشي وفان جوغ وبيكاسو وشعر الهايكو وإليوت وروتمان وغيرهم
ويشير بوعي إلى استمداد السينما الصينية -من النظرة الصينية للعالم- على مبادئ النور والظلام
وهي عقيدة وفلسفة "دائرة يانغ وين" السوداء والبيضاء التي تشكل نواة ثقافتهم السمعية والبصرية
كما يلاحظ تفرع الفنون بمختلف أشكالها من منبع روحيّ مثل بناء المنازل الرومانية وحدائق فراساي
مطابقة لبناء الموسيقى الكلاسيكية، وحديثه بأن ما نراه في الرسوم التكعيبية هو ما نسمعه من موسيقى الجاز
.
الكتاب تقنيّ دقيق، والترجمة صعبة، ويتطلب اطلاعا جيدا على أعمال آيزنشتاين
"المسكون بإنتاج المعنى عن طريق المونتاج والإنارة وشعر الهايكو"
نرى هنا كيف استقى نظريته للمونتاج، والتي طبقها في أفلامه
من روايات وقصص كبار الأدباء الروس كدوستويفسكي وتولستوي
كما يستلهم المونتاج من تقطيع الشاعر الروسي ماياكوفسكي لقصائده
ومن تمدد الجملة بين بيتين واستمرارية المعنى للشاعر الروسي بوشكين
ومن المفكر الفنّي الروسي زيرمنسكي، ورسومات الفنان الروسي كاندينسكي
وعلى تحليل الأمثال الشعبية، مثل: طار الغراب بينما كان الكلب يجلس على ذيله
الاطلاع التراثي الروسي الذي ساعده على تطوير أصالته النظريّة والعمليّة الفريدة
والذي لم يمنعه من التفاعل مع فناني العالم مثل تحليل أعمال الفرنسيّين بلزاك وستاندال
وبالإضافة إلى لوحات دافنشي وفان جوغ وبيكاسو وشعر الهايكو وإليوت وروتمان وغيرهم
ويشير بوعي إلى استمداد السينما الصينية -من النظرة الصينية للعالم- على مبادئ النور والظلام
وهي عقيدة وفلسفة "دائرة يانغ وين" السوداء والبيضاء التي تشكل نواة ثقافتهم السمعية والبصرية
كما يلاحظ تفرع الفنون بمختلف أشكالها من منبع روحيّ مثل بناء المنازل الرومانية وحدائق فراساي
مطابقة لبناء الموسيقى الكلاسيكية، وحديثه بأن ما نراه في الرسوم التكعيبية هو ما نسمعه من موسيقى الجاز
.
الكتاب تقنيّ دقيق، والترجمة صعبة، ويتطلب اطلاعا جيدا على أعمال آيزنشتاين
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May 30, 2021Sovyet Rus Sineması'nın Kurucu Yönetmenlerinden Yönetmen Yazar Sergei Eisenstein'ın "Film Duyumu" kitabını yıllar önce Nijat Özon "Film Biçimi", "Sinema Dersleri" gibi kitaplarıyla birlikte çevirmişti! Payel Yayınevi'nin Türkçe sinema okurları için yayınladığı "Film Duyumu", Eisenstein'ın sinema çabalarını en iyi yansıtan - Eisenstein'ın yazarlığı ile!- kitaplardan biridir. Eisenstein, sinema filmi üretmeyi nasıl anladığını anlatıyor "Film Duyumu" kitabında. 20. Yüzyıl'ın sanatı olarak, çok yeni bir sanat olduğunun bilincinde bir sinema literatürünün oluşmasında kuşkusuz Eisenstein'ın farklı ülkelerde yayınlanmış kitaplarının rolü tartışılmazdır! Eisenstein, "Film Duyumu"nda, sinemanın öbür sanatlarla nasıl bir ilgisi olduğunu açıklarken, yazın, tiyatro, resim, müzik, mimarlık gibi çok eski sanatların gelişmesinden sinemanın nasıl oluştuğunu, sinemanın öbür sanatlarla farklarını, sinema filminin bir sanat eseri olarak nasıl üretildiğini anlatıyor.
October 14, 2018
The book is a great gateway in the thinking of the great Eisenstein. It shows a beautiful method of thinking AND practice with a lot of valuable references and examples.
The part where he dissects the score that affects the image is super interesting, however having seen the film is preferable.
The film, Aleksandar Nevsky (1938) is a classic Soviet film in all its pathos and theatrical sense. It is dated, but it is still spectacular. A lot of the criticism that Eisenstein expresses towards other films could be backed up by his film because the fight scenes and montage are exquisite.
The part where he dissects the score that affects the image is super interesting, however having seen the film is preferable.
The film, Aleksandar Nevsky (1938) is a classic Soviet film in all its pathos and theatrical sense. It is dated, but it is still spectacular. A lot of the criticism that Eisenstein expresses towards other films could be backed up by his film because the fight scenes and montage are exquisite.
January 22, 2025
Sergei Eisenstein explora en "El Sentido del Cine" el complejo concepto de montaje cinematográfico, diferenciando entre la yuxtaposición de imágenes y su significado en relación. Al integrar elementos de música, pintura y literatura, destaca la función del director como orquestador, transformando planos y tomas en contenidos nuevos con coherencia y orden.
https://briseidaalcala.com/2020/01/22...
https://briseidaalcala.com/2020/01/22...
August 2, 2021
“Build your thoughts not through inference, but lay it out directly in frames and in the course of composition…
The artist thinks directly in terms of manipulating his [sic] resources and materials. His thought is transmuted into direct action…The pleasure of deciphering these bases remains to post-analysis”. Pp. 215-6
The artist thinks directly in terms of manipulating his [sic] resources and materials. His thought is transmuted into direct action…The pleasure of deciphering these bases remains to post-analysis”. Pp. 215-6
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January 24, 2022In this collection of analytical essays, Russian filmmaker and film theorist Sergei Eisenstein draws upon examples of art throughout history as well as his own filmmaking to further expand on the possibilities of montage and the potential of synthesizing multiple sensory experiences (i.e., color, sound and image) through film. When motion picture technology first arrived on the scene in the early 20th century, few seized its promise as staunchly and wrote about it as eloquently as Eisenstein. Another invigorating read!
September 22, 2023
Dense analysis and methodology of montage as it appears in all art forms. If you’re into music it’s even better cause the relation of image and sound is a big part of the book, which I sadly couldn’t fully comprehend since I’m not versed in understanding music technically.
No doubt of Eisenstein’s brilliance.
No doubt of Eisenstein’s brilliance.
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August 3, 2022intelectual demais pra mim. enchi o livro de post-its, só não lembro se a maioria tá em trechos que eu entendi ou que preciso ler novamente pra tentar raciocinar. eisenstein viaja demais!!!!! (apesar que se vacilar posso soar exatamente igual a ele 🤡)
November 29, 2022
It’s incredible to peer inside the mind of such a monumental filmmaker as Eisenstein. At times his writing gets a little involved, and he may be reaching quite a bit at points, but perhaps that amount of ambition is what it takes to make a true innovator.
May 28, 2017
This book is totally outdated, though it's talk about the basics of storytelling, it dies so in a very old and unnecessarily difficult manner.
April 17, 2020
كتاب مهم ،حيث يشرح شعرية الكتابة الفيلمية.
May 21, 2025
Me abrió la cabeza. Denme una cámara y horas para ver y analizar películas, gracias.
November 25, 2008
So I know Eisenstein is a vital component of film theory, but man, he is a little hard to read. You really only need one parenthetical phrase per sentence, if that. I don't know how much of it is his writing and how much of it is the translation, but it's a bit of a slog. Topics covered include film as a language, the role of film to tell stories, and the ever important component of montage in film and in all the arts.
December 24, 2011
The Film Sense is a book that will be an awesome read for any kind of artist (writer, musician, actor, painter, etc.) for it approaches the art of filmmaking and montage from each and every of the other arts using information/theories from other artists and some very interesting pieces of historical information.
November 25, 2012
Basically is about editing, but it really helps you to understand why is it so important to be careful even before production just so that editing will be easier. Great book, though I expected more from Eisenstein...
February 25, 2013
Todos os aspectos do filme, desde a relação entre palavra e imagem, a sincronização dos sentidos, as cores e seus significados e a correspondência entre forma e conteúdo. Uma aula do mestre Eisenstein.
February 19, 2023
Yes sir.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews