CIN201Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Lev Kuleshov, Soviet Montage Theory, Gerasimov Institute Of Cinematography
Professor Charles Keil Oct. 25, 2016
CIN201 LECTURE 7
SOVIET MONTAGE CINEMA
LECTURE OUTLINE:
1) Introduction Comparing Germany and Russia
- underdeveloped film industry prior to crucial developments
- necessity for government intervention
- centrality of a few key institutions
- influential role of a dominant art movement
- decline linked to changes in political climate
2) The State of the Pre-Revolutionary Industry
3) Government Action
- NEP
4) The VGIK and Lev Kuleshov’s Workshop
- Kuleshov and Montage
• World Wars have a way of changing the natural filmmaking landscape fairly easily
COMPARING GERMANY AND RUSSIA
• Parallels exist between the German and Soviet national cinemas
• A central difference between the German cinema of the Weimar period and the Soviet
cinema of the pre-Stalin revolutionary era is the importance of theory to the development
of the Soviet cinema
THE STATE OF THE PRE-REVOLUTIONARY INDUSTRY
• Domestic companies began to emerge around 1907 (such as DRANKOV)
• The emergence of some important directors in the early teens (such as BAUER and
PROTAZANOV) revealed a style quite different from that adopted in the post-
Revolutionary period
• The pre-Revolutionary industry’s interests were not shared by those of the BOLSHEVIK
government (the October Revolution occurs in 1917)
GOVERNMENT ACTION
• The newly installed Bolshevik government needed to unify the country and convince the
Soviet populace to support its policies
• Film would become instrumental in the government achieving those goals
• In 1919, the film industry was nationalized under the Educational Commissariat
(NARKOMPROS), headed by A.V. LUNACHARSKI
• Initial conditions made expanded film production virtually impossible
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Document Summary
Lecture outline: introduction comparing germany and russia. Underdeveloped film industry prior to crucial developments. Necessity for government intervention centrality of a few key institutions influential role of a dominant art movement. Decline linked to changes in political climate: the state of the pre-revolutionary industry, government action. Nep: the vgik and lev kuleshov"s workshop. Kuleshov and montage: world wars have a way of changing the natural filmmaking landscape fairly easily. The state of the pre-revolutionary industry: domestic companies began to emerge around 1907 (such as drankov, the emergence of some important directors in the early teens (such as bauer and. Protazanov) revealed a style quite different from that adopted in the post- Revolutionary period: the pre-revolutionary industry"s interests were not shared by those of the bolshevik government (the october revolution occurs in 1917) Government action: the newly installed bolshevik government needed to unify the country and convince the.
