According to most wellknown enthusiasts of this style of editing, such as pudovkin and eisenstein himself, the semantic significance of film s mise en scene should not be dialectically explored but rather constructed. Battleship potemkin odessa steps music by gene pritsker. Poltavtseva in battleship potemkin 1925 battleship potemkin 1925 a. Acclaimed director sergei eisenstein shook the world when he released this celebration of the 1905 uprising against tsarism in russia. Read opera norths blog on giving battleship potemkin a new score. A complete score to the famous silent film battleship potemkin 1925 by the soviet director sergei eisenstein. Pdf the music of edmund meisel for the film battleship potemkin. Potemkins debut became an inalterable demarcation point dividing world cinemas aesthetic evolution. Battleship potemkin with live score central cinema. Yet each successive generation has seen battleship potemkin subjected to censorship and recutting, its unforgettable power diluted in unauthorized.
Griffith had used a decade earlier and revolutionized film with his now famous montages. Apr 10, 2020 sergei eisenstein, russian film director and theorist whose work includes the three classic movies battleship potemkin 1925, alexander nevsky 1939, and ivan the terrible released in two parts, 1944 and 1958. Edmund meisel 14 august 1894 14 november 1930 was an austrianborn composer. After the success of strike 1924, sergei eisenstein was commissioned by the soviet government to make a film commemorating the uprising of 1905. This fame both protected him up to a point and brought him to the constant attention of the authorities, involving him in a cat and mouse game for his entire professional life. However, the government sends a squadron of warships to bring the crew of the potemkin to heel. Oct 09, 2017 strike sergei eisenstein, 1925 english subtitles hd 720p. A standard for film students is eisensteins steps sequence from the film the battleship potemkin. If their score is rejected they will still be paid the full amount agreed on in the contract. David selznick in a memo to harry rapfi october 15, 1926.
Battleship potemkin is the film which brought eisenstein, always a citizen of the world, to world attention. Battleship potemkin pet shop boys on allmusic 2005 allmusic. Meisel was one of the more important and pioneering figures in film music. German composer richard wagner believed italian opera had made a mistake in. In the odessa steps sequence a crowd of friendly citizens has gathered on the steps leading down to the port of odessa to celebrate the victory of the mutinous sailors over the czarist officers on the battleship potemkin, which is now waving the red flag of revolution offshore. Battleship potemkin, silent film scoreto the battleship. The odessa steps scene was so beautiful and artistic it truly felt like a piece of art. For eight decades, sergei eisensteins 1925 masterpiece has remained the most influential silent film of all time. Release falsely claims to contain the original 1925 by german composer edmund meisel, but instead contains a compilation of shostakovich symphony fragments used for the 1975 50th anniversary of the film. This work is intended to be performed as a live accompaniment to eisensteins film battleship potemkin 1925. Viveka is an electronic music duo of pakorn musikaboonlert, a film composer known for his soundtracks for criticallyacclaimed vanishing point 2015 and role as bassist in the siam secret service. It seeks to connect the films collision of montage and epic structure with fast moving, multilayered music in equally bold paragraphs. A soviet propaganda film from the silent era, it tells the story of the failed russian revolution of 1905 through the events that happened on the battleship potemkin and in odessa. The battleship potemkin was produced by eisenstein with a specific purpose in mind, and it accomplishes this perfectly in every way.
The crew of the russian battleship potemkin mutiny against their uncaring, sadistic officers and take over the ship. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, lines of government soldiers appear at the top of the steps, and begin firing into the. My interest in this essay will be focused on the studying of an original score written near to the end of the silent period. Innovative cinematography and editing techniques heighten the horrific nature of events. Battleship potemkin is one of the true masterpieces from the silent film era thanks to the innovative editing techniques used by director sergei eisenstein. He took the basic principles of continuous editing that d. The odessa steps scene in the battleship potemkin is an example of an elongated moment. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. In 1925, their deeds were even recreated on the silver screen in the famed silent film battleship potemkin. It was my privilege a few months ago to be present at two private screenings of. The film is based on the mutiny of russian sailors against their tyrannical superiors. In his concept of film montage, images are presented for maximum psychological impact. A technical masterpiece, battleship potemkin is soviet cinema at its finest, and its montage editing techniques remain influential to this day. The film will be introduced by enjoy the silents series curator kelly robinson, livescored by local film composer wil wright and his ensemble, and followed by a special cinematary podcast segment as the cinematary team continues their annual old films young critics series.
Looking for film scoring and sound design services. Eisensteins scenario, boiled down from what was to have been a multipart epic of the occasion, focussed on the crew of the battleship potemkin. Eisensteins 1925 masterpiece has remained the most influential silent film of all time. Most film composers are able to compose an average of. Although banned outright in many countries outside soviet russia, the film became an international sensation, and has had a lasting impact on world cinema. Symphony of a metropolis 1927, the battleship potemkin 1925, and other films of sergei eisenstein. Sequence analysis the odessa steps in the battleship potemkin.
Battleship potemkin film by eisenstein 1925 britannica. The mutiny starts an uprising against the tsarist government among the people of odessa. Scoring and sound design is your onestopshop for all your music needs whether it is video games, tv shows, or films. Battleship potemkin sometimes rendered as battleship potyomkin, is a 1925 soviet silent film. Silent film orchestra, led by sheldon mirowitz, berklee film scoring professor. Battleship potemkin 1925 is a typical illustration of a film that led to become a sign for revolution. Eisensteins tribute to the early russian revolutionaries and is widely regarded as a masterpiece of international cinema. In his autobiography immoral memories, eisenstein speaks of how meisel ruined a public showing of potemkin by having the film projected slightly more slower than normal.
The film will be introduced by enjoy the silents series curator kelly robinson, livescored by local film composer wil wright and his ensemble, and followed by a special cinematary podcast segment as the cinematary team continues their annual old films young. Where it really livens up though, is once the action switches to the odessa steps. Battleship potemkin, like eisensteins earlier film, strike, has several documentarylike qualities. Sergei eisenstein biography birthday, trivia russian. Battleship potemkin film score edmund meisel releases. May 24, 2011 battleship potemkin film poster by alexander rodchenko photograph. After potemkin, sergei eisensteins theories of montage and the linkage and collision of shots.
Battleship potemkin what they thought battleship potemkin received its premire at the bolshoi theatre, moscow on december 21st 1925. It seeks to connect the film s collision of montage and epic structure with fast moving, multilayered music in equally bold paragraphs. The greatest composers of film movie scores and the films they have composed scores for that are the best examples of their work. The greatest movie composers and the scores that made them. For ensemble 1 flute piccolo, 1 bflat clarinet clarinet in a, 1 horn in f, 1 trumpet in bflat trumpet in c, 1 percussion, 1 piano, 1 violoncello, 1 double bass, plus electronic sound prerecorded, four channel. Yet each successive generation has seen battleship potemkin subjected to censorship and recutting, its unforgettable power diluted in unauthorized public domain editions from dubious sources. Interestingly, this scene once caused somewhat of a dispute between sergei eisenstein and his composer for the battleship potemkin edmund meisel. The word seminal appears next to it on a regular basis.
Sergei eisensteins 1925 film battleship potemkin represents a classical example of formalist editing in cinematography. It presents a dramatized version of the mutiny that occurred in 1905 when the crew of the russian battleship potemkin rebelled against its officers. Battleship potemkin by sergei eisenstein film studies essay. Battleship potemkin is no longer considered the greatest film ever made, but it is obligatory for anyone interested in film history, and the other night in that smalltown parking lot i got a sense, a stirring, of the buried power it still contains, awaiting a call. In this paper i will attempt to discuss montage, the film battleship potemkin, analyze eisensteins methods of montage he used for the film, and come up with an idea as to how to transform this historical piece on to theater stage. Battleship potemkin film poster by alexander rodchenko photograph. Original potemkin beats the censors after 79 years. Battleship potemkin is really a film of two halves. Methods of montage in battleship potemkin film studies essay. Dmitri shostakovich the battleship potemkin original. Since then, a lot of people have seen and praised the film. Sergei eisenstein, russian film director and theorist whose work includes the three classic movies battleship potemkin 1925, alexander nevsky 1939, and ivan the terrible released in two parts, 1944 and 1958. Ed hughes, composer as a composer i am interested in three things strong harmonies, often influenced by 16th century english music, with its soaring melodies and curious structures dancelike and visual rhythms how the act of writing music down in layers can make music more complex and more vivid. The first is a bit slow and sets the scene, showing the sailors mistreatment at the hands of their officers.
Why is the movie battleship potemkin considered propaganda. Edmund meisels score for the first release in berlin of battleship potemkin 1926 and abrief commentary on a second score. When the battleship potemkin was first shown in moscow in. David robinson the international encyclopedia of film, 1972. Watch battleship potemkin and other free sergei eisenstein. Battleship potemkin is a 2005 album of electronic and orchestral music written by neil tennant and chris lowe of pet shop boys, to accompany the 1925 silent film battleship potemkin by sergei eisenstein, is performed by tennant, lowe and the dresdner sinfoniker, conducted by jonathan stockhammer, with orchestrations by torsten rasch. One can argue how this particular work attempted to form a new cinema, and through critically looking at the films themeideology, narrative structure, filmmaking techniques and editing montage, with paying close attention to the communist ideology, imagism, marxism, futurism, the. The intellectual and expressive possibilities revealed by strike, battleship potemkin, and october and the vast culture and intelligence he brought to filmmaking, film teaching and the problems of aesthetic theory in the cinema establish him firmly as one of the incontestable great masters of the art. Original potemkin beats the censors after 79 years film. Were pleased to present a very special collaborative film happening centered around sergei eisensteins landmark agitprop saga. Battleship potemkin 1925 directed by sergei eisenstein. Edmund meisels definitive 1926 score, magnificently rendered by the. The films 75 minute duration is composed of 1,400 takes and is the precise model of its innovatory directors theory of montage.
Here is a clip from the music i wrote for the classic 1925 sergei eisenstein film battleship potemkin. Before potemkin, film editing was a necessary technical encumbrance. Original potemkin beats the censors after 79 years film the. The battleship potemkin, one of the most famous and influential silent films in the history of cinema and containing one of the bestknown sequences ever filmed shines with technical brilliance and dynamic energy. Battleship potemkin had without a doubt the greatest cinematography of its time, and for decades to come. Sergei eisensteins battleship potemkin with the original meisel. Berklee silent film orchestra brings battleship potemkin. Battleship potemkin is screened with a propulsive new score performed live by composer electronic musician jan bang and guitarist matt calvert three trapped tigers.
Thai electrosynth meets battleship potemkin this sunday. Pdf the music of edmund meisel for the film battleship. Battleship potemkin, soviet silent film, released in 1925, that was director sergey m. Morale in russias black sea fleet had long been at rockbottom lows, spurred on by defeats in. Potemkin s debut became an inalterable demarcation point dividing world cinemas aesthetic evolution. Battleship potemkin pet shop boys on allmusic 2005. Battleship potemkin, sergei eisensteins masterpiece of martial. The music of edmund meisel for the film battleship potemkin. Sergei eisensteins soviet film classic potemkin is.
Aug 29, 2018 the potemkin uprising was sparked by a disagreement over food, but it was anything but accidental. Berklee silent film orchestra to perform original score for. Soundtrack to the 1925 silent film battleship potemkin by sergei eisenstein. It presents a dramatized version o the mutiny that occurred in 1905 when the crew o the roushie battleship potemkin rebelled against thair officers o the tsarist.
Eisensteins advice to the composer was the music for this reel should be rhythm, rhythm and, before all else, rhythm. Battleship potemkin is the classic masterpiece silent film from director sergej eisenstein from 1925. No one who has taken a film class has avoided seeing battleship potemkin. But the berklee silent film orchestra, from bostons berklee college of music, will add its score to a jan. A russian doublethreat of filmmaker and film theorist in the 1920s through the late 1940s, eisenstein pioneered many nowessential editing. Film scoring, video game sound effects, music for film, tv.
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