D.W. Griffith's 1916 film Intolerance
was a major influence on the Russian development of montage. Russian
filmmakers closely studied how Griffith used his cuts to drive the
narrative, to integrate diverse material, to intensify emotions with
its rhythms, and to mirror internal thoughts and sensations. The
following essay will show how Sergei Eisenstein used Griffith's
techniques to achieve those four results in his 1925 film Battleship
Potemkin.
One of the best examples of
Eisenstein's use of cutting to drive the narrative is the mutiny
sequence, where we are first shown, one by one, the various affronts
and abuses that are the reasons for the men's anger, then given the
final straw that starts the mutiny: the attempted execution. In the
uproar that follows, cutting is rapid, showing the men running about,
grabbing weapons, and the fate of each officer after the chase.
Eisenstein intersperses takes of the men chasing and dispatching the
officers with dramatic shots of the Potemkin's flag flying high, as
if urging them on.
Directly before the mutiny sequence,
Eisenstein used his editing in a slightly different way. To build up
the tension before the mutiny and to amass evidence for the benefit
of the audience, Eisenstein enumerates the cruelties wreaked upon the
harried crew, the foremost among these being the rotten food. The
unsympathetic doctor, the vicious First Mate, the crazed priest, and
the difficult working conditions are also highlighted. Eisenstein
juxtaposes the men going about their daily routine with shots of the
stew containing the rotted meat; shots of their exhausted sleep with
the belligerent night-snooping of the boatswain, and takes of the men
buying food with those of the uneaten stew to show that they've
refused it. Later in the film, Eisenstein again links up
diverse material through the narrative by playing shots of the
freedom-loving Odessans against the oppressive, freedom-shattering
Imperial Guard.
Eisenstein's rhythmic cutting plays on
the emotions, building suspense, terror, or anger almost to a fever
pitch. His quick switches from the terrified Odessans fleeing down
the steps in screaming disorder and the calm, unfeeling onward march
of the soldiers creates an irregular rhythm that is quite
disquieting. His cuts from the sailors of the Potemkin waking and
preparing to face the oncoming fleet to those of the ships as they
approach builds suspense—this sequence seems to go on forever,
until the tension is released by the information that the fleet has
joined the revolutionary cause.
Although this film depicts large
numbers of people as its “main character”, Eisenstein still
manages to show individual emotion: the anger on the face of the
dishwasher as he breaks the plate; the clenching of the fists of the
funeral observers; the expression on the face of the mother who sees
her boy prone and trampled on the steps; the tearful embrace of the
sailors who believe they are going to their deaths. All these and
many others give the audience a sense of pathos, stirring emotions
enough to generate genuine interest in the story and heartfelt
sympathy for its characters and their cause.
Potemkin is one of the greatest
examples of Soviet montage because of the way Eisenstein's editing
has shown all of these things, creating drama and intensity in an
artistic way while still maintaining a clear narrative.
To read more, including a plot summary,
visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battleship_Potemkin
The film can be seen here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4Qfuzn25sI
Image of Battleship Potemkin from
Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.
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