Film Eisenstein example essay topic

Eisenstein's The Battleship: Potemkin is a landmark in film history. The camera work has paved the way for all the movies that are viewed today. In this film Eisenstein introduced many new forms of filming and editing that are still used today. By using these new forms of editing he was able to introduce things such as the montage, jump cuts, and fading. These were the first form of special effects the industry ever saw. The most famous montage in this film is the Odessa steps scene, although there are others.

Another effect seen a few times is the fade. Both the fade and the montage used for the very first time in this film and are beautifully executed. The Odessa steps scene is the most famous part of this film. This is because it so perfectly edited, creating a montage that really shows the tragedy of what is happening. The most renowned part of this scene is when the baby carriage is falling down the steps. It cuts back and forth between the soldiers shooting, civilians dying, the mother dying, and the carriage rushing down the steps.

Each cut is only about two seconds long, and is shot form several different angles and speeds. This creates a scene with very high tension and suspense; the shots of the civilian's faces show the tragedy of the moment. Another example of the montage is on the ship when the crew is putting the dishes out and the one sailor reads the plate and becomes so enraged he smashes the plate. While the sailor is smashing the plate Eisenstein uses jump cuts and slow motion to show the anger of the sailor and the breaking point that the sailors will not take anymore.

The use of the montage in this film is very well done considering it was the first time anything like that had ever been attempted. The fade shot is another effect that was introduced by Eisenstein. The use of the fade can be seen in a couple scenes. One of the scenes is when the captain is ordering the men to hang the other sailors from the mast. The camera moves up to the empty mast and then 'magically' two bodies are hanging there.

Another example is when Eisenstein has a long shot of the empty steps, and then hundred of soldiers marching down the stairs fades in. These may seem minute to us today, but in 1925 it was the birth of special effects. The Battleship: Potemkin was one of the most influential movies ever made; it opened up many doors in filmmaking. Giving film goers their first taste of the montage and special effects will never be forgotten, Eisenstein's work can be seen in many other directors' films to this day.

This shows the impact it had on the film industry. Movies and Meaning: An Introduction to Film, Third Edition. Prince, Stephen. Chestnut Hill Enterprises, Inc. 2004. The Battleship: Potemkin.

Dir. Sergei Eisenstein. Image Entertainment, 1925.