Serguéi Eisenstein

Cast · Writer · Director

Born

January 22, 1898 · Riga, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire (now Latvia)

Died

February 11, 1948

Birth name

Sergei Mikhailovich Eizenshtein

"In my personal opinion, the greatest achievement of cinema lies in the ability to unite people together." Eisenstein was an important Soviet film director and theorist known for his innovative contributions to the art of montage. He began his theatrical directing studies at the Moscow State School, where he developed a conception of dramatic art based on the juxtaposition of images. Years later, he wrote about film theory and developed a technique that uses editing as a means of manipulating the audience's emotions, theories that he put into practice in his first play, The Strike (1924). He achieved worldwide fame with Battleship Potemkin (1925), a film that revolutionized film editing since, and like the rest of his films, it underlined a political and social message while reflecting on class conflicts. His communist ideals brought him into conflict with the Soviet government, and his films were censored. He took refuge in teaching and in developing theories about color and sound, but did not have the opportunity to apply these ideas in practice. His legacy remains influential in the development of film language.