1. Soviet Montage, 1925-1933 Lecture 8

2. Dialectics T HESIS 1 + A NTI -T HESIS 1 = S YNTHESIS 1 S YNTHESIS 1 (T HESIS 2) + A NTI - THESIS 2 = S YNTHESIS 2 … E ISENSTEIN : “The foundation of this philosophy is a dynamic concept of things: Being—as a constant evolution from the interaction of two contradictory opposites. Synthesis—arising from the opposition between thesis and antithesis.”

3. Eisenstein: “By collision. By the conflict of two pieces of film in opposition to each other from the collision of two given factors arises a concept.”

4. October (1927): Dialectics of narrative

5. Dialectics of Form: Eisenstein: “The shot and montage are the basic elements of cinema” “The shot appears as the cell of montage.” (organic metaphor) “So, montage is conflict.” THEN: There must be conflict in the shot as well.

6. Dialectics of Form: Eisenstein: “The shot and montage are the basic elements of cinema” “The shot appears as the cell of montage.” (organic metaphor) “So, montage is conflict.” THEN: There must be conflict in the shot as well.

7. Conflict within the shot 1) Shot (enframed image)— – Graphic conflict – Conflict of planes – Conflict of volume – Light conflict – Spatial conflict – Conflict between matter and viewpoint (ex: canted and other camera angles) – Conflict between matter and its spatial nature (ex: optical distortion) – Conflict between an event and its temporal nature (ex: slow motion, fast motion, stop-motion) – Conflict between optical complex and different sphere (ex: conflict between image and sound)

8. G RAPHIC CONFLICT WITHIN THE SHOT

9. C ONFLICT OF VOLUME, LIGHT, PLANES, SPACE

10. G RAPHIC C ONFLICT /L IGHT C ONFLICT _Battleship Potemkin_ stairs clip

11. C ONFLICT OF VOLUMES

12. S PATIAL CONFLICT ( CONFLICT OF DEPTH ) Bridge clip from _October_

13. C ONFLICT B ETWEEN M ATTER AND V IEWPOINT (ex: camera angles)

14. C ONFLICT BETWEEN MATTER AND ITS SPATIAL NATURE (ex: optical distortion) From Man with a Movie Camera

15. Conflict between an event and its temporal nature (ex: slow motion, fast motion, stop-motion) Clip from _Man with a Movie Camera_

16. C ONFLICT BETWEEN SHOTS ( IN EDITING ) 2) Montage (editing)—conflict between shots – Graphic conflict – Conflict of planes – Conflict of volume – Light conflict – Spatial conflict – Tempo conflict – Association montage – Intellectual montage Physiological effects produced by optical means Emotional effects produced by psychological means New Ideas and attitudes

17. Conflict between shots (in editing)

18. Tempo Conflict _October_ gunner clip

19. T EMPO C ONFLICT

20. Eisenstein: “Association Montage” Produces emotional effects by psychological means

21. Ex: “Association Montage” non-diegetic insert From Strike (1925)

22. The Peacock

23. Ex: “Association Montage” non-diegetic insert (also an example of overlapping editing) From October (1927)—Kerensky peacock sequence

24. Eisenstein: “Intellectual Montage” Produces new ideas and attitudes

25. Eisenstein: “Intellectual Montage” Each shot is like an ideogram Ideogram—a written character symbolizing the idea of a thing without indicating the sounds used to say it

26. Ex 1: “Intellectual Montage” non-diegetic insert Overlapping editing From October (1927) Kerensky, stairs, etc…

27. Clip from _October_ palace sequence

28. Ex 2: “Intellectual Montage” non-diegetic inserts From October (1927) “For God and Country…”

29. Clip

30. Intellectual or Association Montage? Clip

31. Eisenstein: The shot is a montage cell. Just as cells in their division form a phenomenon of another order… so on the other side of the dialectical leap from the shot, there is montage. … from the collision [conflict] of two given factors [shots] arises a concept. While the conventional film directs the emotions, this [intellectual montage] suggests an opportunity to encourage and direct the whole thought process, as well.

32. E X : “I NTELLECTUAL M ONTAGE ” From October (1927)