Eisenstein. I don’t have a ton of Eisenstein films in the archives but they all have fantastic grades (and 5 in the top 500) and certainly he warrants the distinction of “style-plus” direction.  It’s more than that really- it’s a complete dedication to an aesthetic. Eisenstein is the master of the montage style- film art made in the editing room- and the Odessa Steps scene in Potemkin in particular is an all-time genuine stylistic landmark. Griffith may be the father of parallel editing and others are fantastic editors (from Leone, to Truffaut, to Stone, Nolan, Malick and Francis Coppola) but Eisenstein is still face you see when you think of editing. Having said that, there are beautiful images here that deserve praise – if all Eisenstein accomplished was editing- there would be little to share from a still-frame art shot perspective

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framing in October- certainly proof that Eisenstein was more than just an editor

Best film:  Battleship Potemkin. Editing is such an important part of the cinematic language and Eisenstein is justified in being its single person identifier.  Potemkin is his greatest example of this technique.

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The justifiably famous Odessa Steps sequence from Potemkin

total archiveable films:  6

top 100 films: 1 (Battleship Potemkin)

top 500 films: 5 (Battleship Potemkin, Strike, Ivan the Terrible Part II, Ivan the Terrible Part I, October,)

top 100 films of the decade: 5 (Battleship Potemkin, Strike, Ivan the Terrible Part II, Ivan the Terrible Part I, October, Alexander Nevsky)

most overrated:  The Ivan the Terrible films- the TSPDT consensus has it in the 200’s and I’m 100 slots or more behind into the 300s’s but it’s been ages since I’ve seen it- warrants a revisit.

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a page out of Murnau’s book perhaps in Ivan the Terrible
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framing and symmetry in Ivan
stunning image again from Ivan the Terrible

most underrated: Strike. The TSPDT consensus has it at #652 and I have it at #255. It’s a precursor to Potemkin (this came out in April 1925 and Potemkin in December 1925) and while Potemkin is superior—it’s not by the margin the TSPDT consensus would lead you to believe.

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8 months before Potemkin we had Strike
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most of his montages bounced off different angles, and close-ups of course
perfection in mise-en-scene in Strike

gem I want to spotlight:  Alexander Nevsky- the “battle on the ice” is a very famous scene. It was copied (homage) by Branagh in Henry V. It’s simply masterful montage on display combined with gorgeous imagery.

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not quite as famous as Odessa Steps– this battle sequence from Alexander Nevsky warrants the reputation and study

stylistic innovations/traits:   Nobody in cinema is as synonymous with editing as Eisenstein. I actually think I disagree with Sarris who says its Murnau’s moving camera that has proved to be the greater innovation. To me that’s taste—the techniques themselves are equal. I just think Sunrise is better than Potemkin though that margin has closed since my recent viewing of Potemkin in 2016. It’s nearly been 100 years but the idea of rapidly breaking apart a scene/shot, creating a rhythm in the pace, juxtaposing images— it’s revolutionary—avant-garde.

the scene that every student of film needs to see — and grow to appreciate

top 10

silhouette work — it’s not just the arrangement of the images of the montage but the image itself for Eisenstein clearly with all of these great still frame shots
  1. Battleship Potemkin  
  2. Strike,
  3. Ivan the Terrible Part II
  4. Ivan the Terrible Part I
  5. October
  6. Alexander Nevsky

By year and grades

1925- Strike MS
1925- Battleship Potemkin MP
1927- October
1938- Alexander Nevsky HR/MS
1944- Ivan the Terrible Part I MS
1946- Ivan the Terrible Part II MS

*MP is Masterpiece- top 1-3 quality of the year film

MS is Must-see- top 5-6 quality of the year film

HR is Highly Recommend- top 10 quality of the year film

R is Recommend- outside the top 10 of the year quality film but still in the archives