Soviet films of silent era Essay Example

Soviet films of silent era Essay Soviet films of silent era The beginning of the new state of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics marked the beginning of the silent era films in the soviet. The state was willing to invest in the film industry, which had largely been neglected, since they intended to use it as a political tool. The political authorities knew that films appealed to the masses and they were willing to invest in it so that they could find an avenue to appeal to the masses. This gave the directors leeway to find ways of creating films, which would attract people back to the cinemas since most people, were already burdened financially, and they could not afford tickets for the film. The decision by the private sector to introduce foreign films in the country marked a turning point for the movie industry in the country. The union was able to see how the other countries had advanced in the production of their films. They noted how the countries, especially America, were sophisticated in their production. This exposure enabled the m to change the way they produced the movies, as they adopted the foreign methods. Some of the most notable changes were especially realized in editing and as the moviemakers adopted these techniques, they were often criticized harshly for letting themselves be drawn more towards the American way. We will write a custom essay sample on Soviet films of silent era specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Soviet films of silent era specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Soviet films of silent era specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The film The Battleship Potemkin (1925) is among the best silent era films and it was directed by Eisenstein Sergei in 1925. The film portrays a rebellion drama about the Russian battleship Potemkin against the Tsarist regime officers, which occurred in 1905. This film is considered as one of the propaganda films of the time. Eisenstein produced this revolutionary propaganda movie and divided it into five episodes. He used the movie to test the montage theories and attempted to edit the film in a way that produced an emotional response. The film reveals the influence of political thought that was noted by Joseph Goebbels, a Nazi minister who called the movie a marvelous film. Although the movie was not banned in Germany, the defense officers were prohibited from watching it. Some of the principal elements used in The Battleship Potemkin (1925) are diverse. First, this propaganda film historically focuses on the Brussels World’s Fair of 1958 after the World War II and it is a political influence film of the time. Eisenstein’s is a historical Soviet filmmaker who uses his film to portray many heroes of the period. For instance, in the first part of the film, The Odessa Steps scene reveals the most celebrated massacre on the Odessa steps. This scene reveals the Tsar soldiers making endless flight steps in order to show their heroism. The massacre on the steps did not take place in real life but it is a form of propaganda demonstrating the imperial regime of the time. The demonstration made by the mass heroically reveals power and politics during the historical period. The editing style was made in such a way that produces an emotional response thus evoking sympathy from the viewer as well as urging feelings of consideration towards the rebellious sailors of the battleship Potemkin. The characterization used in the film is simple in order to make the audience see clearly and understand whom to sympathize with and who to hate for their cruel actions as depicted in the film. The overlapping editing style was employed in order to attract the attention of the viewers thus making the film appealing. Eisenstein employs montage theories that he used in testing the effect of the film editing to audiences. Eisenstein’s experiment was a mixed success but he was later disappointed when the film failed to attract many domestic viewers. However, his film attracted large audiences when it was first released in the international theatre and it shocked many audiences in both Soviet Union as well as overseas. The graphic contrast within The Battleship Potemkin (1925) makes the movie interesting to the viewers. Eisenstein utilized graphic design such as use of humorous images especially use of Odessa Steps, the image of a person with broken glasses and with his mouth wide open while screaming creates amusement. The fragmentation of crucifixion images and other artistic work pays honor to the scene. Additionally, the rapid and rhythmic editing style that was used makes the movie quite appealing. For instance, the instruments that were used were the flute, trumpet, percussion as well as stringed instruments such as the viola thus making the soundtracks of the film quite pleasing. The intercession of the music within the film was meant to commemorate the sixth anniversary of German Premier. The film was named the greatest film of the historical era because it creates dynamic tension among the viewers. This is because it was full of propaganda and the scenes revealed extreme violence. This made the movie banned in the Soviet Union because it created tension in countless people especially when it was first released. Nevertheless, the intercutting style that incorporated contextual text and a flashback narrative as well as elliptical editing used in the movie made many people pay tribute to the film. The use of a desperate crowd of people in the film was an indication of the demonizing nature of the Soviet regime and it was a representation of an inhumane tragedy. The film The Cigarette Girl of Mosselprom (1924) was produced in Soviet Union in 1924 by Mezhrapporn Russ. It was one of the first films produced in the silent era. It is a classic love tale that satirized life in the Soviet Union in the 1920s. It is the story of a young girl, Zina, who is ‘discovered’ by a movie company and she ends up becoming an actor. Three men are interested in Zina and they try all they can to get her attention. The movies title comes from the fact that Zina used to sell cigarettes. There are many moments where the characters do not understand each other and this brings about various complications and funny scenes. The movie was largely criticized for having a more Western appeal at the expense of the soviet traditions. The critics claimed the movie had a lot of American influence in terms of the language used and the emotions and sentiments expressed by the characters. Many of the people did not hold this thought however, and the movie was one of the most successful movies in the silent era. In terms of content, the movie was different from the common movies of the time in the Soviet Union. Most of the movies produced in the country showed the country’s struggle and hardships, and the revolution. The movie industry in the country had been experiencing slow growth because of the harsh economic times and the fact that the country’s movie industry had not opened up to the other countries. This changed however and the country began importing movies from America and the rest of Europe. This changed the movie industry in the country and the moviemakers started changing the way they were making movies. They changed the way movies were edited after seeing the more complex ways that American movies were made. The Cigarette Girl of the Mosselprom adopted some of these techniques, hence the criticism brought towards them that the movie did not reflect the Soviet Union. Prior to the American influence, Russian movies were more of theatrical performances One of the differences between American and Russian films especially before the Russian revolution was seen in editing. American films could incorporate many details within a short time and this aided in developing the plot. Russia did not produce lengthy films at the time. They learned how to develop the plot and avoid awkward moments in film by learning from the American films. In the film, the directors have tried to incorporate many details in several scenes. For instance, the arrival of MacBright is a classic example. The directors looked for someone who was overweight and smoked. He presented himself as a rich yet selfish man in the way he treated the taxi driver. The presentation of the rich in the society represents the capitalist system that was present at the time. The scene shows how the capitalist system exploited the vulnerable in the society. The image of the capitalist system in the society is replicated in many of the movies that were produced in the country in the 19 20s. The silent era movie The End of St. Petersburg (1927) was directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin and Mikhail Doller, and produced by Mezhrabpom in 1927. The main intention of filming the film was to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the revolution. The movie shows the atmosphere that surrounded Russia at the time of the revolution. It depicted people’s suffering as they moved from the farms to the city to look for work. It shows the internal conflicts that were facing Russia at the time. People were tired of the few capitalist who enjoyed majority of the wealth, yet the majority poor were suffering and they lacked food. It shows the impending war with Germany and the sacrifices that individuals and families had to make when their loved ones went to war. This is realized in the life of the protagonist, a peasant farmer who is forced to travel to the city in search of work. The farmer ends up being arrested and he is sent to fight in the war. The directors used various techniques to portray contrasting elements in the movie. For instance, they used different shots to emphasize the difference between various groups and individuals. This is clear in the way the images of the stockbrokers, who in this case represent the capitalist system, are contrasted with the dead soldiers. The photographer captured the images of the stockbrokers at a high angle, while he caught the images of the dead soldiers at close-up. The director was more interested in showing the courage of different individuals in the film. He realized this by demonstrating the conflicting situations and challenges that the people were going through. For instance in the movie, a woman carrying what seems to be her last portion of food is seen looking for her son so that she can share the meal with him. She instead ends up sharing with the men who are fighting the war. America was the face of the capitalist system and it often conflicted with communist nations. Russians had a different view of the capitalist system. They did not like the capitalist system since it only worked to benefit a few people in the society, while the majority struggled to survive. This resentment was not only reflected in real life, but it was also captured in the film. The film is a classic example of how the people felt towards capitalism. The director brought out this clearly in the way he depicted the stockbrokers making their deals and in the soldiers dying in the mud. The people were tired of capitalism and they fought to end exploitation. The directors noted the way the people were suffering during this period and he incorporated it in his work. Kuleshov developed his theory of making films in montage, which included combining different shots instead of the earlier practiced method of having individual shots. Other directors in the country developed the idea in the c ountry to suit their own taste. This technique was largely utilized by directors such as Eisenstein and Pudovkin. This is clear in the film as the protagonist appears in almost every scene. The movies in the silent era, just like some movies today, represented the society as it was then. One of the most common themes in the story is the way the system of capitalism was disliked by the people. Although capitalism was effective in most economies, it was not always reflected as such in other economies. Few individuals chose to exploit the people, especially the most vulnerable in the society, and this contributed the general negative perception that most people had. The end of the revolution and the beginning of a new union also marked the beginning of a new era in the silent movie industry. The moviemakers during this time realized that the American film industry was more sophisticated than their own. They realized that they had to add other themes, other than war related themes in the movies. They needed to attract people if they intended to develop and grow the movie industry in their country.