Classic
Russian films on video Directed by Sergei Eisenstein including STRIKE
( Towards the Dictatorship of the Proletariat), THE BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN, TEN DAYS THAT SHOOK THE WORLD (October), ALEXANDER NEVSKY, IVAN THE TERRIBLE (Ivan Groxnyi), EISENSTEIN. |
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STRIKE In 1912. after peaceful efforts to settle a strike fail the government sends in cavalrymen and a terrible slaughter ensues. Exceptional of use of caricature, visual metaphor and shock cutting Russian Montage. The sequences in which shots of the police killing the strikers and their families are intercut with slaughterhouse footage is a classic overshadowed only by the Odessa Steps sequence. This was Eisenstein's first feature film and was Intended to be the first of an eight part series documenting the events that lead to the worker's revolt. Although the series was never completed, Strike stands alone as one of Eisenstein's masterpieces. Directed by Sergei Eisenstein. Script; Sergei Eisenstein,Valeri Pletniov, Kravchinovski. Photo; Edward Tisse. Cast; Maxim Shtraukh, Grigori Alexandrov, Mikhail Gomorov, I. Ivanov, I. Klukvin USSR; 1924 81m Silent
film with synchronized score added by Mosfilm.
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THE
BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN Einstiein’s thrilling filming of an incident during the 1905 revolution when the crew of the battleship Prince Potemkin mutinied rather than eat rotting food, an action supported by some of the civilian population who were mown down by government troops. “The film contains in the massacre on the Odessa Steps (an invention of Eisenstein's)--one of the most memorable and exciting sequences in all cinema. The rapid montage, and the effects devised by using a trolley and a camera strapped to the waist of an acrobat, still take the breath away. The film that put Soviet Cinema and Eisenstein on the international map.’— Holt’s Foreign Film Guide A rare, exhilarating film experience; considered Eisenstein's masterpiece; repeatedly listed as one of the 10 greatest film ever made by critics worldwide. This NYFA video edition is made from a flawless, 1940's re-release print with a score from Mosfilm Directed by Sergei Eisenstein. Script; Sergei Eisenstein. Photo; Edward Tisse. Cast; A. Antonov, Vladimir Barski, Grigori Alexandrov, M. Gomorov. USSR 1925 70m. Silent
film with added music score. |
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TEN
DAYS THAT SHOOK THE WORLD Einstein presents the 10 days in October 1917 when the Bolsheviks brought down the Kerensky government. A cast of thousands, location filming, and Eisenstein's spectacular, manic montage are employed to recreate the dismantling of the statue of Alexander III and the storming of the Winter Palace. Directed by Sergei Eisenstein. Script; Sergei Eisenstein, Grigori Alexandrov. Photo; Edward Tisse. Cast; Nikandrov, Vladimir Popov, Boris Livanov, soldiers of the Red Army, sailors of the Red Navy, and citizens of Leningrad. USSR 1928 104m. Silent
film with added music score. |
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ALEXANDER NEVSKY Prince Alexander Nevsky forms a people's army to drive brutal Teutonic invaders from the soil of Holy Russia in 1242. With this, his first
sound film Eisenstein abandoned much of the montage and made what most
viewers would consider a straightforward, formal film. In fact, he was
charged with employing 'formalism' by the authorities! Eisenstin explained
that he had employed a 'cinematic symphonic structure’ in part inspired
by Prokofiev’s score. The result is a patriotic operatic pageant replete
with classic heroic images, dramatic music, and the memorable Battle of
the Ice sequence. Alexander Nevsky was withdrawn at the time of the German-soviet
1939 German-Soviet pact and only re-released (appropriately) when the
nazis invaded. Directed by Sergei Eisenstein. Script; Sergei Eisenstein, Piotr Pavlenko. Photo; Edward Tisse. Music; Prokofiev. Cast; Nikolai Cherkassov, Nikolai Okhlopov, Alexander Abrikosov, Dmitri Orlov. USSR 1938 1l2mins
Subtitled. |
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IVAN
THE TERRIBLE PART 1 In 1941, Eisenstein began organizing the most ambitious project of his career; a three part epic trilogy on the life of Czar Ivan IV. Eisenstien employed lavish photography, a refined linear editing technique and grand scale action sequences to bring his story to life. Part one begins with Ivan’s coronation, his attempts to unify the nation & ends with his self imposed exile. Directed by Sergei Eisenstein. Script; Sergei Eisenstein. Photo; Edward Tisse. Music; Sergei Prokofiev. Cast; Nikolai Cherkassov, Ludmila Tselikovskaya, Serafima Birman, Pavel Kadochnikov, Mikhail Nazvanov, Andrei Abrikosov, Vsevolod Pudovkin. USSR 1944 97m Subtitled
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IVAN
THE TERRIBLE PART 2 Part 2 opens with
a summary of the first part and proceeds with Ivan returning from exile
and seeking revenge against those who he thinks have betrayed him. Eisenstin
continued his quest to create the ultimate Soviet cinematic epic even
employing a revolutionary color process for the lavish banquet sequences.
Elsewhere, Eisenstein uses imagery from the Grand Opera, the Japanese
Kabuki Theatre and even religious themes from Russian icons to create
his epic vision. Although approved by the authorities, including Stalin
himself, when the film was finished ,they were put off by Cherkassov's
powerful, brooding performance as Ivan (perhaps the resemblence to Stalin
was too much) and the film was not released until 1958. Directed by Sergei Eisenstein. Script; Sergei Eisenstein. Photo; Edward Tisse. Music; Sergei Prokofiev. Cast; Nikolai Cherkassov, Ludmila Tselikovskaya, Serafima Birman, Pavel Kadochnikov, Mikhail Nazvanov, Andrei Abrikosov, Vsevolod Pudovkin. USSR 1946 99m. Subtitled |
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EISENSTEIN A soviet made documentary which explores the life, work and theories of Sergei Eisenstein. Includes many scenes and examples from his films. 1958 49m English narration. |
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ALSO
AVAILABLE
EISENSTEIN
New
Descriptions, Redesigned artwork, backgrounds and stylized logos
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