Colleen McGovern Film Theory Class Project

1. Through Theater to Cinema
Eisenstein Essay - Group one
Colleen McGovern, Marlon Escobar,
Kanisha Wiggins, Caitlin Patterson,
and Amanda Volturo

2. Frame Composition
Primo - photo-fragments of nature
Secundo - Combined in montage
- The differences between the arts?
- How frame composition gives film an advantage.
- Class Determined Tendencies in framing.
- Remodeling of Nature to help the story.
- Every frame a painting.

3. Drive

4. Where It Started...
● It is said that Eisenstein’s film career started with
his production of Ostrovsky’s play, “Enough
Simplicity in Every Sage.” This was in Moscow in
1923.
● However, Eisenstein believes that his “film
tendencies” started with his production of “The
Mexican” in 1920. (This was a theatrical
production of Jack London’s story.)

5. Plot- The Mexican, 1920
● A Mexican Revolutionary group needs
money for their events and activities they
perform. A Mexican young boy helps
fund the money by training for a boxing
fight. He gives permission to the
champion to let him beat him as long as
he gives him a fraction of the prize.
● The boy ends up beating the champion.
This results in winning the overall prize
amount.
Climax: Prize
Fight!

6. Making it Realistic!
● With the Prize fight scene the first move to making
it seem realistic was:
o Bring the fight be brought into view.
o Scene be staged in the center of the
auditorium.
● Overall, recreate the same circumstances
in which a REAL match would look like if a
person was viewing it.
● During filming, actors were using the
“Stanislavski’s System” = techniques used to train
actors/actresses to bring believable emotions into
their performances.
This would affect the
audience!
Scenes had: real fighting,
panting, sweat on the
body, blood!

7. ● In “The Sage, he used this same
element again.
● Eisenstein said that this tendency
started not only from illusionary acting
movements but from the actual physical
fact of calisthenics.
● “A gesture expands into gymnastics,
rage is exposed through a somersault,
exaltation (happiness) through a salto-
mortale (dangerous jump), lyricism on
“the mast of death.”
Continued...

8. ● In The Sage, Eisenstein experiments with montage
● He credits this experiment to the principles of the circus
and music hall
● Music hall was needed to help emerge the montage
● Interweaving of 2 lines (scene from Madame Bovary)
● The 2 lines being interwoven in the scene are
thematically identical and equally trivial
● The speech of the orator in the square and the
conversation between the 2 future lovers are used

9. In the play, Precipice:
Eisenstein used running scenery, pieces
of buildings and details, but also
shifting scenery to connect moving
decorations with people in scenes

10. Understanding “Typage”
•Eisenstein refers to “typage” and discusses that the concept is deeply rooted
in theater.
•“Typage” is a way of characterizing a performer and their technique to fit a
specific role or to represent and portray a social class or other group.
•Typage played a vital role in film by helping actors and the characters they
were portraying be more powerful and convincing.
•Eisenstein also begins to delve into the specifics of film montage, explaining
how this concept helped to shape the world of cinema.

11. The Theory of Montage•Eisenstein goes on to explain how montage became a crucial method for
developing a story and creating intrigue among the characters.
•He uses the short film called “The Sage” to help describe how montage helps
tell the story.
•Montage is form of film editing. Eisenstein explains that it emphasizes
dynamic, often especially for relationships between shots. It uses images to
create ideas not present in the film itself. Its main purpose of providing a lot of
information in a short period of time.

12. The Theory of Montage
Eisenstein goes on to explain
using a segment of film that
summarizes a topic or
compresses a passage of time
into brief symbolic or typical
image. Most of these scenes and
images are linked in a montage
sequence, and then frequently
dissolve and fade out.
--The shower scene in the movie
Psycho(1960) is an example of
montage editing.-->

13. Famous Movie “Strike”
Mis-en-scence:is an interrelation of people in
action.
Mis-en-cadre: is the pictorial composition of
mutally dependent candres.
The Strike

14. CREDITS
Marlon Escobar - Slides 2-3
Colleen McGovern - Slides 4-7
Amanda Volturo - Slides 8-9
Caitlin Patterson- Slides 10-12
Kanisha Wiggins - Slide 13