In the history of world cinema, there are a number of iconic works that for many years and decades have determined the main directions of development of this art. First of all, the film “Battleship Potemkin” by the Soviet director Sergei Eisenstein should be attributed to them. This film has become a classic of not only domestic but also world cinema.
about the author
Future director of the first Russian color film "Battleship Potemkin" was born in 1898 in Riga, in the family of the famous city architect M.O. Eisenstein. In the same city, the future director received secondary education in a real school. The fate of the future classic of world cinema was undoubtedly influenced by such childhood hobbies as drawing cartoons and cartoons, as well as acquaintance with the basics of professional photography. Sergei Eisenstein continued his education already in the capital of the Russian Empire, enrolling in the Petrograd Engineering Institute in 1915.
After the revolution
The future director of the first Russian color film "Battleship Potemkin" did not come to art in general and to cinema in particular. Before this was a service in the Red Army on the fronts of the Civil War and numerous trips around the country. Sergei Eisenstein was already a mature, mature man by the time he came to the famous theater figure Vsevolod Meyerhold at the State Higher Director's Studios. He combined his studies with the famous master with the work of the artist-decorator at the Proletkult Theater. Without this school of theatrical creativity, the director of the first Russian color film would not be able to reveal itself to the full extent of his outstanding talent. And ahead of him was a brilliant career for one of the most recognized directors in the history of world cinema.
From theater to cinema
In the early twenties, the theater world was forced to turn to a new, until then unknown to mankind, the art of cinema. And Sergey Eisenstein, who in just a few years will become known to the whole world as the director of the first Russian color film "Battleship Potemkin", was at the forefront of this revolutionary coup. The battles of the Civil War have just died down and in the new Russia, among other things, a new movie has begun to be created. Sergey Eisenstein was among its founders. From the very first works, he declared himself to be a mature, unlike any other master. Eisenstein was characterized by unique thinking with expressive visual images, work on close-ups and unexpected angles. The films of this author could not be confused with others on the basis of editing alone, from episode to episode revealing the growing dynamics of the plot.
A series of films about the Russian revolution
In any artistic work, there is always some element of chance. Not everyone knows that the director of the first Russian color film "Battleship Potemkin" initially planned to remove something not quite what brought him world fame later. Eisenstein planned to shoot a whole series of films devoted to the most important events of the Russian revolution. It was withdrawn from the approval of the Soviet government and had to consist of seven parts. One of the parts of the cycle, "Strike", was already filmed and successfully demonstrated in the cinemas of the country, when the author from above was invited to concentrate his efforts on the events of the first Russian revolution of 1905.
In Odessa
Of the whole whirlwind of the events of the first Russian revolution, Eisenstein chose only one, in his opinion, the most striking episode. The director of the film "Battleship Potemkin" filmed it in the city where twenty years ago there were events he took for the script of his own film. There were many people in the city who not only witnessed everything that was happening in those days, but also took a direct part in everything. They happily responded to the proposal of the author to take part in the mass scenes of the film. The participation of Odessa residents in the filming cannot be underestimated. People often acted as consultants and were able to tell the director a lot of the right decisions for certain scenes. Most cinematic textbooks today include detailed analysis and frame-by-frame analysis of the famous scene of the shooting of troops of the rebellious people on the Potemkin Stairs.
Armadillo Riot
Many non-professional actors participated in mass scenes on the rebellious ship. Looking at these old shots today, one can only admire how these people, who are completely far from the theater and the cinema, were able to so accurately penetrate the idea that the director was trying to bring to the screen. "Battleship Potemkin" is also unique in that the role of the rebellious people in it is not attracted extras, but direct participants in revolutionary events and the Civil War. And no one else could be so convincing in this role. The film keeps in suspense until the last frame and makes you empathize with the sailors of the rebellious “Battleship Potemkin” and the citizens of Odessa, who spoke in their support.
Red color
Sergei Eisenstein entered the history of world cinema as the author of the first color film. It should be understood that at that time there was not even sound cinema. And the technology of color photography was at the stage of theoretical development. That is why what Eisenstein did was so amazing. Illumination visited the author already at the stage of installation of the picture - to take and color the flag on the rebellious battleship manually on the film strip. It is impossible to underestimate the importance of one ingenious gesture - the movement of the brush with red paint, which the director made. "Battleship Potemkin" - a color film. The first in the history of mankind. And it does not matter that there is only one color and in one episode. Resonance from a single brush movement was global. The film was seen not only in the Soviet Union. "Battleship Potemkin" with wild success was shown around the world and according to numerous surveys was recognized as one of the most outstanding works of world cinema. The Soviet director Sergei Eisenstein in the twenties created the cinematic language that will become so popular in the coming decades - a special growing rhythm of changing frames, large contrast plans, sharp unexpected camera angles. Today it is a widespread style of so-called "clip" thinking. And many of those who actively use it do not even suspect that none other than the author of the famous film “Battleship Potemkin” Sergey Mikhailovich Eisenstein invented all these tricks.