The Eisenstein Reader

by Sergei Eisenstein, Richard Taylor (Editor)

This book presents, in a concise form, a selection of Sergei Eisenstein's significant writings. The texts, drawn from the BFI's "Selected Works of Eisenstein", address subjects including sound, film language, and his theories of "montage". This reader provides an accessible introduction to Eisenstein's work.

272 pages, Paperback

First published October 27, 1998

About the author

Sergei 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.

Reviews

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book sits somewhere between the brilliant and the unintelligible - I've actually spent hours with google, a dictionary, and a lot of patience, but simply could not untangle certain passages and certain ideas. Interesting nonetheless.

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

We finally have definitive proof that someone said "flibbertigibbet" in the presence of Stalin.