Sergei Eisenstein

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Matthew Lappin

HUM 260-O06B

Research Paper

October 27^th 2014

The Influence of Sergei Eisenstein

In Sergei Eisenstein’s “A Dialectic Approach to Film Form”, he wrote that the montage is “ the nerve of the cinema”. His use

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of the montage in 5 different methods revolutionized how film was used as an artistic expression. Many modern filmmakers have taken their cues from Eisenstein. Without Eisenstein’s five methods some of the most classic scenes of modern cinema would cease to exist.

Russian director, Vsevolod Meyerhold, defines the montage as “a sequence of conflicting images which served to abbreviate time spans and overlap symbolic meanings, with the cumulative emotional effect of a scene greater that the sum of its parts.” One method of montage is the metric montage. The metric montage can be defined as when, “the pieces are joined together according to their lengths, in a formula-scheme corresponding to a measure of music. Realization is the repetition of these “measures””. The length of the shot can be manipulated in order to deliver a message to the audience. This

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plays to the most primal and emotional responses of the audience. A brilliant example of this was Eisenstein’s October. Eisenstein was able to cut from the crowd in disarray to quickly back forth from a maniacal soldier to the cannon bombarding the frightened citizens. Throughout the shot Eisenstein was able to convey an atmosphere of chaos through seemingly unrelated visuals. A modern day example of metric montage can be found in the 2001 Wes Anderson film The Royal Tenenbaums. In this scene as the character Richie Tenenbaum (Luke Wilson) attempts to commit suicide, Anderson quickly changes images of his adopted stepsister Margo Tenenbaum( Gwyenth Paltrow) and his pet falcon that he just lost. This easily conveyed to the audience as a man under complete emotional distress. The metric montage style is extremely effective tool in revealing chaos the character or characters may be going through.

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Eisenstein’s second method of montage is a derivative of the metric montage, the rhythmic montage. Rhythmic montage is defined by the content of the shot, where as metric is not. An example of this rhythm is one of Eisenstein’s greatest works the Odessa Steps sequence in Battleship Potemkin. In Eisenstein’s essay, “The Fourth Dimension of Cinema” he refers to this famous shot in his definition of rhythmic montage. “ The ‘drumbeat’ of the soldiers’ feet descending the steps destroys all metrical conventions. It occurs outside the intervals prescribed by the metre and each time it appears in a different shot resolution. The final build-up of tension is produced by the switching from the rhythm of the soldiers tread as they descend the steps to another, new form of movement- the next stage in the intensification of the same action – the pram

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rolling down the steps. Here the pram works in relation to the feet as a direct staged accelerator. The descent of the feet

becomes the ‘rolling down’ of the pram.” As the soldiers descend the steps the carriage is also descending. The faster the carriage descends the faster the soldiers descend, in constant visual of good versus evil, the innocence of an infant against the murderous intentions of the soldiers. One example of this in modern day cinema is from John Avildsen’s, The Karate Kid. In this montage each combatant is give roughly 4 seconds of screen time in rhythm, one good ( Daniel-san) to one evil ( Cobra-kai), increasing in intensity to a climax.

The next stage of montage is the Tonal Montage. This is more complex than a rhythmic or metric montage, as this is used to evoke a response from the audience using the content of each individual shot. Eisenstein defines it as, “emotionally

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tonality of the shot by an apparent impressionistic movement.” Images on the screen will evoke a reaction out of the audience.

For example, a shot of a laughing infant would conjure feelings of happiness where as one of a damp dark alleyway should give

the audience a nervous reaction. Continuing with the “ Odessa Steps” scene. Eisenstein uses the mother of a trampled child as a tonal montage. The audience feels nervous about her fate as she confronts the soldiers who are indirectly responsible for her son’s death. She is met with ruthless aggression on behalf of these men. In contemporary cinema, David Fincher’s 1999 film Fight Club; the audience receives the feeling of calmness amongst the chaos. As the buildings are destroyed around them the couple is a peace for what has happened in their lives and what will happen in their futures.

Overtonal montage is the next sequence of montage. This is a combination of metric, rhythmic and tonal montages.

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Overtonal montages, like tonal montages, are used to evoke emotion out of the audience. Yet, it uses otherwise meaningless objects only to reveal they all interchange into one. Eisenstein’s greatest example of this is from his 1925 film Strike. The viewer is led to believe the striking workers and the fireman are completely separated. It is then revealed that it was a setup and the firemen turn their hoses onto the striking workers. Brian Singer’s 1995 film The Usual Suspects is a prime example of this in the modern era. Chazz Palminteri finally put all the little, seemingly irrelevant facts together to confirm that Kevin Spacey’s character is the evil Kaiser Soze. This type of montage is most easily used in today’s suspense-thrillers.

The final type of montage is the Intellectual montage. This can be described as having two images seemingly unrelated being cut and edited to have identical meanings. Eisenstein’s most famous example of this is his 1925 film Strike. In his

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slaughter scene, he represents the angst of the oppressed citizens to that of a slaughtered bull. It can be conceived that the people were rising up against the totalitarianism and refused to be slaughtered. Francis Ford Coppolla 1972 film The Godfather, is a great example of Eisenstein’s intellectual montage. During the Baptism scene, Coppolla uses the images of Michael Corleone baptizing his nephew into juxtaposition of the murder of the heads of the Five Families, as his birth into crime. The viewer is easily led to this conclusion because of the expert cutting of the director.

In conclusion, Sergei Eisenstein’s brilliance and technical acumen have led to some of the most revered and beloved scenes in cinematic history. Some attribute this to his prior career as a mechanical engineer leading to his numerous masterpieces. The film community, as a whole, owes a debt to

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Eisenstein’s groundbreaking artistry and development of editing.

 

Works Cited

• Eisenstein, Sergei, and Jay Leyda. Film Form; Essays in Film Theory,. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1949. Print.
• Eisenstein, Sergei. Film Form [and] The Film Sense; Two Complete and Unabridged Works. New York: Meridian, 1957. Print.
• D, V. E, and Edward Braun. Meyerhold on Theatre. New York: Hill and Wang, 1969. Print.
• October. Tartan Video, 1997. Film.
• The Royal Tenenbaums. Touchstone Home Video :, 2002. Film.
• The Battleship Potemkin. Video Images, 1984. Film
• The Karate Kid. Sony Pictures, 1984. Film.
• Fight Club. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2002. Film.
• Strike. Kino International, 1925. Film.
• The Usual Suspects. Polygram Video, 1997. Film
• The Godfather. Paramount, 1972. Film.

Louis Armstrong

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Matthew Lappin

HUM260.O06B

Research Paper

December 5^th 2014

Satchmo: The Life of Louis Armstrong

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With the first vibration of a his vocal chords, Louis Armstrong’s voice is instantly recognizable Legendary singer Billy Eckstine once said, “ I forget who it was that once said that Louis Armstrong was the greatest singer in the world without a voice. And he was because what Louis did to a song nobody else could do.” Armstrong was so much more than a singer. He was the epitome of a jazz soloist, a pioneer in race relations, and the most influential jazz musician of the 20^th century.

Armstrong always proclaimed he was born on the 4^th of July. Which would have been fitting but also wrong. Researcher and Armstrong expert, Tad Jones, uncovered Armstrong’s baptismal certificate indicating the date of his birth August 4^th, 1901. Born in New Orleans, to an extremely poor family, Armstrong was abandoned by his father as an infant. His mother shortly there after left him in the care of his grandmother, Josephine. His first interaction with music and jazz was from the coronet player, Joe “King” Oliver. Armstrong later said, “If it had not been for Joe Oliver, Jazz would not be what it is today.”

Armstrong later worked for a family, which would turn out to be extremely influential in his life. The Karnofsky’s, a Lithuanian-Jewish family, hire Armstrong to perform jobs associated with their junk hauling business. They did not so much of have a musical influence but definitely a sociological impact. In his memoir with the family Armstrong wrote, “ I had a long time admiration for the Jewish People. Especially with their long time of courage, taking So Much Abuse for so long. I was only seven years old, but I could easily see the ungodly treatment that the White Folks were handing the poor Jewish family whom I worked for. It dawned on me,

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how drastically. Even ‘my race,’ , the Negroes, the way that I saw it, they were having a little better break than the Jewish people, with jobs a plenty around. Of course, we can understand all the situations and handicaps that was going on, but to me we were better off than the Jewish people.” This influence not only Armstrong, who wore a Star of David for the rest of his life, but also the city of New Orleans, which initiated The Karnofsky Project, a program for donating used band instruments to underprivileged children in the city.

Professor Peter Davis also assisted in molding a young Armstrong’s career. Armstrong started playing coronet in the New Orleans Home for Colored Waifs band. At this point, Armstrong was basically self-taught, though talented, completely undisciplined and with a lack of musical theory. With practice and dedication, Davis eventually found his new bandleader in Armstrong, giving Louis a sense of leadership. At 14 years old he was released from the home and landed his first job at Henry Ponce’s dance hall, in a band led by legendary jazz drummer Black Benny. Later Armstrong’s big break would come.

John Streckfus, a riverboat owner, ordered noted bandleader Fate Marable to hire the 17-year-old phenom cornet player. Armstrong would later call the three seasons he spent on the Mississippi River his “university”. Here playing stack music he learned to read music and attain a better understanding of musical theory. For the first time Armstrong was outside of the New Orleans city limits. In William Howland Kenney’s book Jazz on the River, Armstrong recalls the first sight of St. Louis Missouri, “ There was nothing like that in my home town and I could not

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Imagine what they were all for. I wanted to ask someone badly but I was afraid I would be kidded for being so dumb. Finally, when we were going back to our hotel I got enough courage to question Fate Marable. ‘What are all those tall buildings? Colleges?’ ‘ Aw boy,’ Fate answered, ‘Don’t be so damn dumb.’” St. Louis became an extremely important city in the growth of Jazz across the nation. While on board the riverboats Armstrong and company where not allowed to play the “hot” music from New Orleans but instead pretty music used to sooth and entertain. The musicians needed an outlet, which became the after hours clubs in St. Louis. Armstrong’s improvisational skills became that of lore. Renowned Jazz scholar Gerald Early called St. Louis at the time the “Black Heartland.” After three seasons onboard the riverboats Armstrong returned home to New Orleans briefly. An old friend would return into his life.

Joe “King” Oliver had called onto his young protégé to join him in Chicago, now the center of Jazz in the United States. Oliver’s band, the “Creole Jazz Band” was by for the most influential in the city, and Armstrong became the star. Musicians would come from all over the city and beyond to challenge to the young trumpeter to “cutting contests”. These were musical “battles” to try and outdo the competition. Armstrong dominated.

At the urging of his then second wife, Lil Hardin Armstrong, Louis moved to New York City to attain higher recognition and income. Playing in the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, the top African American band at the time, Armstrong played in the best concert halls in front of white-only audiences. In 1925 Armstrong

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returned to Chicago feeling the restricted style of the Orchestra was limiting his artistic growth.

Armstrong played with Erksine Tate’s symphony. This gave him the chance to play more of a classical style of music and broaden his horizons. Always the innovator, this is how he developed the technique of scat singing. Legend has it that during the recording of “Heebie Jeebies” Armstrong drooped the sheet music and had to improvise. Scat singing was born.

An unfortunate fact of life in the 1920’s to 1930’s is that the Mob ran a lot of the country at the time. Armstrong was no stranger to this and had run-ins with some of the most nefarious gangsters of the time. One intriguing story, Armstrong performed at a mob-owned Chicago club when as Armstrong recalled, “a big bad-ass hood”, approached him about performing at an opening of a New York club. When Armstrong denied and stated he was staying in Chicago, the hood pulled out a gun. Armstrong recalled, “So I look down at that steel and say, ‘Weeellll, maybe I do open in New York tomorrow.” Armstrong later went on the run from the mob touring in Europe. Armstrong later returned under the protection of Joe Glaser, who later became his manager. Glaser later stood up to the one and only Al Capone in Armstrong’s defense stating, “ I think that Louis Armstrong is the world’s greatest and this is my place and I defy anybody to take his name down from there.” Armstrong later said “He saved me from the gangsters of Chicago, he saved me from the gangsters in New York.”

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Armstrong was not free of criticism however. Many African American artists considered Louis as an “Uncle Tom”. Though he was one of the few African American performers who were widely accepted by white society, he did stand up for certain social issues. Armstrong in an interview with Larry Lubenow accused President Eisenhower of being “two-faced” and having “no guts” due to his inaction of the desegregation of the school system in Little Rock Arkansas. Armstrong at the time was planning on attending a good will tour of the Soviet Union on behalf of the State Department, but decided to take a stand. “The way they are treating my people in the South, the government can go to hell,” adding, “ The people over there ask me what’s wrong with my country. What am I supposed to say?”

In conclusion, Louis Armstrong’s life was that of an amazing man. He was the most influential Jazz musician of the 20^th century, but more than that he allowed White Americans to take a look into African American culture. Louis Armstrong helped define this country and the music within it. He once said, “My whole life has been happiness. Through all my misfortunes, I did not plan anything. Life was there for me, and I accepted it. And life whatever came out has been beautiful to me, and I love everybody.” What a wonderful world indeed Mr. Armstrong.

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Works Cited

Andrews, William L., and Gerald Lyn. Early. Black Heartland: African American Life, the Middle West, and the Meaning of American Regionalism. St. Louis, MO.: Washington U, 1997. Print.

Armstrong, Louis, and Thomas David. Brothers. Louis Armstrong, in His Own Words: Selected Writings. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1999. Print.

Bergreen, Laurence. Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life. New York: Broadway, 1997. Print.

Goetting, Jay. Joined at the Hip: A History of Jazz in the Twin Cities. St. Paul, MN: Minnesota Historical Society, 2011. Print

“Heebie Jeebies-Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five.” YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2014.

Kenney, William Howland. Jazz on the River. Chicago: U of Chicago, 2005. Print.

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Margolick, David. “The Day Louis Armstrong Made Noise.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 22 Sept. 2007. Web. 08 Dec. 2014.

“The Name.” The Name. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2014.

“Satchmo and the Mob.” Daily Express Express Yourself RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2014.

“What a Wonderful World – LOUIS ARMSTRONG.” YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2014.