October - Sergei Eisenstein and The Representation of Film

when does it end

Name both screenings for this topic (including release year and director)

• The Fall of the Romanov Dynasty (Esfir Shub 1927)

• October (Grigori Aleksandrov and Sergei Eisenstein 1928)

In what year did the February and October revolutions occur

1917

What happened during the February Revolution

Tsar Nicholas was replaced by a Provisional Government

What happened during the October Revolution

The Provisional Government (established after getting rid of the tsar in February) is replaced by the Bolshevik’s who seize power

In 1919 film schools were founded in WHICH two cities?

Moscow

Petrograd

In what year does Stalin become leader of the USSR

1927

How does Stalin’s rise to power impact the USSR Film Industry

Stalin disliked the avant-garde, leading to a move toward social realism in USSR film

Quote from Lenin on the importance of cinema over other art forms, 1922.

“You must remember always that of all the arts the most important for us is cinema” - Vladimir Lenin (1922)

Why was ‘October’ (1928) created?

The film was commissioned by Stalin to commemorate the 10 year anniversary of the October Revolution

Name two films commissioned to commemorate the October Revolution’s 10 year anniversary

• The Fall of the Romanov Dynasty - Esfir Shub

• October - Grigori Aleksandrov and Sergei Eisenstein

Name 4 key primary sources Eisenstein used to create October

• Personal memoirs

• Newsreels

• Interviews

• John Reed’s book ‘Ten Days that Shook the World’

Give one key example of ‘October’ (1928) NOT being an accurate representation of the events of the October Revolution

Since Trotsky was forced into exile during the film’s production, all mentions of him in the finished product had to be edited out before release

Quote from Esfir Shub arguing AGAINST the staging of historical events in film

“You must not stage a historical fact because the staging distorts the fact”

Quote from ‘October as History’ by Robert A. Rosenstone about Eisenstein’s manipulation of time

“Like any historian, Eisenstein consciously plays with time”

Give 2 reasons why historians dislike/distrust historical films as a source of information

• Films are inaccurate in that they often DISTORT AND ROMANTICIZE THE PAST

• Films are out of the control of historians, creating a ‘historical world’ that reaches far more people than academic articles and books can

What style of film is October (1928) considered an example of?

Soviet Montage

Who was John Reed?

American Journalist present in Petrograd during the events of the October Revolution who later wrote a book (10 Days that Shook the World) details his firsthand account of the events

Name the title of this week’s topic

Reading Films Historically: The Representation of History

Name the main reading for this week

‘October as History’ - Robert A. Rosenstone