Mother Vsevelod Pudovkin, 1926

The Opening Ten minutes The situation: 1905, Tsarist Russia 1.The Father, a drunken labourer has run out of money for vodka. He goes home to find something to sell 2.He returns to the bar. A group of strike breakers meets there to discuss their plans to suppress a local Bolshevik group.

Tasks 1.Analyse the editing What strikes you as unusual? How is editing used to convey meaning in the two sequences? How does editing construct the space? How does editing construct the rhythm of the film?

Tasks 2. Analyse the mise-en-scene How is pre-revolutionary Russia represented by the sets, costumes, etc? Why do you think this is the case? Is there any use of symbolism through props, setting, etc? If so, what could it mean?

Tasks 3. Analyse the performance The events and characters are presented as apocryphal, meaning not true, but true to life – representative of a greater truth or symbolic, hence the main characters referred to as the Mother, the Father and the Son What do you observe about the performance style? How are the characters represented through their individual performance? Is there a wider symbolism suggested through the characters?

Other thoughts Why do you think the film opens with a montage of still images shot with a moving camera?

Can we make any comparisons or contrasts with the opening of Dovzhenko’s Arsenal?

How can we compare and/or contrast Mother with Weimar cinema: a) generally b) directly?

Homework Select any sequence from Pudovkin’s MotherPudovkin’s Mother Analyse the sequence in detail to answer the question: Is it true to say that Pudovkin’s filmmaking is characterised entirely by its approach to editing? 1000 words Suggested sequences: The father returns home drunk The Mother and Son grapple over the guns The trial The Son learns of the coming prison break The breakout