Nonindifferent Nature: Film and the Structure of Things

227 Pages·1988·62.779 MB·English

by  Sergei Eisenstein

NONINDIFFERENT
NATURE
Contents
Pu
Th Cambridge
32 2IRP
lo
I:::duTtio_n
ia by Herben Easre
Acknowledgmenß
@-Cambridge Univers¡ry press l9g7 vii
Notes on the Eanslation xxii
Firsr pubtished l9g7 ro<iii
Poor Salieri (instead ofa dedication)
Printcd ¡n thc Unitcd Srarcs of America
!nthe suuctuÌe ofthings 1
Library of Congrcss Czttaloging-in-publication l)ata Organic unity and patåos 3
Eiscnsrcin, Scrgci, 1898_I948. U 10
Patàos
Nonindiftcrcnt naturc. ,/
(Cambridgc srudics in tilm) d the Holy Grail 38
'franslation of: Ncravnodushnaia priroda. g columns 38
1. Moving-pictures - Aesthetics. 2. Moving-pictures _ 59
PPssyycchhoollooggiiccaall aassppeecctrss.. I3.. MAaerssthhearlli,c sn.e rU+.e Àrt,.i, _---, Pira¡esi or the flux of form r1925
1906- II. Tirte. IlL Series. $amnles of ecstasyl r23
PNt995.E53l3 1987 791.43 86_33457 The Gothic 154
Superconcreteness
ËBirzireisnhs hLreibinra, rSye rCgeaitatogúing_in_publication Data I ü" quesrion of suprahistory 11ó559
The kangaroo 178
Nonindìfferenr narure. _ (Cambridge
studies in ñlm). III 183
l. Moving-picturcs Once ag¡in 6¡ the sEucture of things
l.'l-irtc 200
fV
791. :l'ot PN1995 Nonindifferentnature
i:i;t:i:r"#dscape and the fate ormontase counrerpoint 216
lsBN 0 52t 3241s 7
Epilogue
276
postscript
383
388
Notes
397
Index
v
419
Introduction
by llerbert
Eag1le
Nature to '.poor Salieri,,,who,
,'...True
laments: tone I
must be followed by ,.ever
do." Thus, Nonindifferent
MPoinrtisratriyt socfu Crpurluturer eo of fs rehr;gUeS-i SERis ef_onrs ttneein fbisye Fnrsetdedin.a _MBursilei uam',)t,. rggT (acquired by ttre
unrque approach to the art.
vu
IDtroduction
InEoduction
stage ofthe
D(
and music,
ultimately
expositions
pa'
an
ph
Th
rson, the visible thing, is only an .
given in the quality of a semantic
In his articres of tle late 1g20s (inctuding rhe famous programmatic
dstraorve,m aebnot,u rs itghnee dfu bnyc thioisn cooru seoagùune¿i t-hien ìdiiåre.cr to,ros , pbuedionvgk rined auncde dA rtoo rrah¡e-
stein emphasized the collrsrbn of
the superstitious).
to t-he problem of
iîi*:
suar,, aspecrs
"?lffirïi
rgenic and syncretic
rating inpulses along
Int¡oduction
IDùoduction
w"poaIrtnkhs o" som"n ut hsteht ehp eosistgrshuetcestnsue rqdeu oaemfli trioehtsiion ngthasar, "ts tEaatrieso eupnsrseot depuianc sedsdei osbniyg niwnao tretkhdse bio¡y i r uethrctee. isvte,errr.msh. gsaivmese ttàime eim uangaev ooidf athbalyt sgaromwe st hoeumt eo ff riot,m the opposite point of uiew and at the
qtlE(aeituovaiaasonklpeiiitadnyn ,loags_ bust ettltthyroi nue o a csafttleo susormosrmnee eea rtti sihnedterid eanli ftngn,st ht seiooacitxrptaii o gprtsnh iotnwa issatsiio trtiec h sGs o, to uhroeemlu dcewmes kho ttaahmcancicntey ugbap:¡ rne "eeoihTlcnnsaeógefdvy ),.. ibe otþSoediy u isbicnmtohe. e" mts bah-idene[ethsert he ga oo ivrnpfniþo rle.-or .ãa sobe iertcinerr of"tmp mrai.asi rpltern hotudo esni nis'-a-, :tprTa:husoh iea n tcw, ahtehoselue rs:a tosth lmien y se eaaqccuhtei oonnfc seth oeof f frimretnpmioboati'unersrream l ip rootyiafnsn rtagãeths¡ mrei fesoe btf cr ir rthaftmelohcep ee:ela a tt .dmcnceeeeuadn sds ttrpb aVbryreae ncJkgaeauinea roi srnt fuo sctr thhaiblue Iuink nire.l e dsthbAs eea,t iglfraiiahoInmiinnds
was to fuse the structure of human emotiónat behaviorwith the receive/s - It was 'The reap to a new qualiry" howevel, that became for Eisenstein
woceteeiowoxlmeempnElnmlpe s ipasfhr eioiesIeaonms nntEftiis tcscsmeiteo e moa niBilnoee ofa fs ot tlZisotttoful}o uoetnrtelkscheas ehhe' ,cs dti o pfo wprpn to hrpootmoem eorsbnkent eteo o.it,romta mhrAfpek erhpagiennhorux tayrt.a(ai s1cnsriwa9doe be2lore orr5uka eg)irpnn aidcuadgt.anhs lñdphti nh.uk oaAegineonm,ldet "'siq ,ðx ptua Eposisncoyip sakcebeeeehtreenrnoy cs le,ro hrtudeeag.e iicnncvhTrJas eehtrarraay.ern r tàm etJ¡sb fdya9pte zrn3aauiei9nitfcnd,e) t t ,saui thnthnaaaigedssl- .tetr¡hhvnhaeitsri etu mle¡seooud. sb tT"tdj ePhicamaetts nhpetooh dssra,ttt"uat h dnhwietee h scridc hvcehaove rcnoawostcemttièd(trupr prgittrseaheiinstre i2etðgai c s rmodure) felfor ta itolsetarJhpt,si lpeo åetohof d 'efpstH h jaectteetelh"ha saafäobi prpsois "nt rfetc"tra oorothts imHnao thswrn ftäet rhro uoi:eotfcft l rreîttlgriihfontoaeien nïn ri.:i ani ec:inla:I td"upit ng.*w nit4fiîionfat6e:y ts:_rot heî7o t;enoa,ft
nETehisewe Bnqsoutyaealiinrtiyn d.ae Mrivoerdo ztowvoa bkye yv .p Ir.i nscuirpikleosv:. oFrrgoamn itc,e suen ictyo mapnadr athtieve l esatpud tioes a, (ththe ew aocrkto or f Fvraérdioéu¡sic wk-rLiteeTrsa î(tZreor,a ,t hweh pimoer ta nn,a zawyeaigr,<pöussnt¡ú;iníi; õpe rhfoisrm oewrsn
Although the notion of organicity might seem to be somewhat of a "d.a". :V9i)n, cai)n.d a¡tists (Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, ft Cr""oir"onardo
fccorolroigcrmrhaeén st,iphc E oeuin snwdeisotny srt ktooe,f i natah r tieswoeo orskra_ kwwt,h hseae socn owf n tetrchelel ep ar ts as qtwtruhu eiocte tfsu leti¡thneees re aoc rfool yfno soartgr'r'gdua..cn rstriicipo" e npuc hinofeiifctn yatoh lmrriyese:c new,a.ivTo eh¡odkef Ien at hnoadf n at hgtherie c1yurü lateuwrer,e hi,n isp pafoitlàtmeo¡isnc k c¡ponan ewsathtnue crre_o
nature-" rn Battleship potemkin, Eisenstein found t}'at att five parts of task in rhe otd and thervewwas ," ;:i.ïilT;*r::tïå:tÏlj;Jlå
trshetveruo fcluitltumiora,n laa rlsay wwb er(olelt vìaeidsreh rnohcoeed f.o ilgmfr oa va vgsse fanro ewmrah loa ol ers,g ma*an"ni c ginoocrodipe"i_re)"n. atI -n,ú.c Veela'lt,c," h in "pt*oa"r ta, tl"ehtlrtdoo suFegie hna c"errxrrp ""r"e"oistisJi"i-v"se-iàntaeì s"t st ,lra", nesptieci nly'sr icteiscmhn"iq ouveesr
manifestation of greater intensity or larger scale, and there is a turning and.its. "enaerine"ãì "everydav phenomena. .;-*ffä;:: ä:31Ë-
apo qinuti e(tEeirs epnrsotteeisnt tteor mas m ito are " caanegsruy¡ aa")n, dw vhieonle nthte calacstiohn: 'T.lehea pips porovea/c, nf¡ionmg ca¡t''with "Dionysian ryricism."lisenstein focuses his attention on the
execution under a tarpaurin of resisting sailors ',reaps ou"'t', ioto th"
shipboard mutiny; the mourning for thã maftyred sailor vakulinchuk
"leaps over" into an angry demonstration; thé peaceful f¡aternization
between ship ar'd shore turns sudd.enly into a massacre with the scream
ooEffi s atehwneos mtoeadinne sdasenardi v stethedep asan.p pFiemraoprmao.nr ttcahene ot pfp oar iirnnactnsikp o loeff: tfrirain¡sgi ttisoanri sat tn tohoepse" *c,arers"u,oraps otw soe_es hifo ttsh eto s ecploasrea_toupr sw oilfl fwacoersk.,
ots of spinning disks and the feed
And Ít is also iemarkable rhat the jump at each point - is not simply a sudden l,,l the more frequently at various
jump to anothe¡ mood, to anotàer rh¡hm, to anotr¡e¡ event, but eaci -ti:ne it is a use gradually brighter lighting,
transition to a dis¡rnct opposite. Not contastive, but opposite, for each time it ion,' gradually become da¡ker. Ai
s occurs more often, the disks spin
Introduction
xü
Infoductiou
faster and faster. A drop xlu
Finally ttt. àiåi ru¡r, begins to swell.
-
Eisenstein descriles the a sta_rlike spmy. ,ff ;"ili:;i;"H;:ny:::1,?jf
*öi'*.l ?:;'"ï,'fr ?,å*effectsby
inOto*r -t1he1 , pfa¡oil.m the body separator, a jer Tw"o; ;o;fî ;th e #m#os#t iin"åùsÏu:'i"n ã"-',-iä:]ältn ::Pr^t inex ptrho edin s into e a ch oth er
NonindifferentNatu¡e concern tlre art of El G pathos section of
ecaasrelysv, aEriisaennt steiyn irelelsdcr ibes -"ai""--n-"-vJli' t¡"
to
variant. He explores
lorrns; a
sequence
movements in a¡t sho
preceding featu¡es o
*e;
impressionism
and
of realism,s objects.
they themselves
are
as. This ecstacy, which
esi), is akin to the state
overflowing into each e construction elements
Eisenstein, witrr rr g of emotional seizure."
ocperience ur á-ì"t ineering and his early
meaning of a¡chite ;essed by the symboliã
Banleship potem*n utilizes so brilliantly in
composition to cine' m 3 compares a¡chitectural
embodied itr rtorr", ;othic churches ecstacy
'the image or aú reign of Tsar Nicholas -
fieurativerhetoricãrits
;iï,,'å"i:r;i,",:::::
si,s work is reflected in
ot only in stuctural
but also in the poetic
The inspiration
of
Terrible, whe¡e u designs for lvan the
deeper into ùte di
Hiisse ob daccsraeuwdp iseo nda ntbhayer o cegrofiefsesec -tua pols_fosth oteof pt;ea;lrert;ss;c ;ootfpr ihgae aotidf oso.nr Aer "nt h oinf
scrence: nucrear chain-reactio" upon accererations,,in
ooù-"-t'o-;. and multistage rockets, in
accompanies each succeãsive stage.
, Eisenstr '
a¡ti cre i",r,"-ã'i",ä;:T, ff gäå j:J,jï1,1î:
..^:_)^9:sol,s preference for the u""tãtiã"cott i. i,
örsenstein, for the
other fourms", .oii,.äui.r u*.ì _of forms
ther, is ?ii,iii
Introduction
xlv InEoduction
tpherrAoiou ddg ehocofa usdote vp ileaottt eefirml,m kin'isn -truhevetu rmfi L lm"to. p rCr-uh"ar*ipi"Jaîuy er vn (a7r9ra3t4iv)e, ,w thheic pha dråaotess e mfrobmod itehde
ddoenirseei gcatnlny om othoveteirfr)s ,p iirnnev tmihoauesn p ypr acycurtarictmue¡i edossf., yMinuo crtaehotear rnse pr;,i ;rnia*ol; t eresp Eettihsiteaiontn sb teouifn 'tf,e ptahyteu'ar¡eem sai drines eoacurcleloTmv:,pagliLtseh::eedd " mb*ay* iimn- -ep-a'rnuos1 toÍ?f an r,tãn,o "d",o."oe"si, :on"ffrol ojtth:m .peo u prsl"rîuhoip ïtr f.oa firn:rwfrdf"a i-trîihdãïe :.a :ãh,r ,jeelcrîano:au î i,pso"" ry,n Ï"tohu;wie,
words. If Eise
a leap_ into the poetic, the Vasiliev
ccomplish a leap from poetic expecta_
Mcoonnstiastgse 'o cCfo tno,we(uro nenrktxae tleãml'n nodo eftiJ ndN e osu stn.uui dnbuydje iNf"cfrteãr rrowãer n n-,t¡i ¿äÇN,rcarsi¿.t9 u o.rf g IL taa ncidstus catahilpyee w carunitldmte tinhn eai ntFio a7nteg 4oo5ff,
mr n_tase,, and potyphonic
":åfr:""ï'"
lg3g_Ð .Iskussryo Krno during
Eisenstein as Iåe F¡?m Sense.l
superposition and integr indicate the process of
landscape *a miqo-an-o^À^^ ¡ctural levels of cinema:
material in an ecstatic work of art. coror.rn*t""'";";Ï"T"à,."i". -",.i;"i:::ä,rr","H:i"f,
î":.i_:31ïå:"",î?
these tevets should ¡eflect ür" d.;;;;:;
ome object tlat prod.uces in him govems all the choices in all the partËpaotfi na gu n.,ilfinieeds ,,t:heme, one which
cy, in itself, is objectless and juxtaposition
ally. Howeveç the aftist recon_ ]lihfee a¡d fo¡bes inotfo r lteàsee ùpgah:ttia ,l tãdei-taäil"s "irn¿ a
pardcipated and whicb u nás togetr,;ñi;
that genera_Ìized a¡tistic_i¡r"ge *h"ì"jiìnî
experiences ràe theme. çrne-rilm s""à'p. ì"r."l.,or,
Eisenstein's work with prokofiev, with the ciaematographers
Moskvin, and with tr" .".o."-ü' i;;; le Teniblewas-to Tisse and
acpanro¡dnc eethrsase , a mfnogurl seti,sc''ea t lha esr ccchoo^rseilt1 uacmLtoli n1ngi"l,u" rtoheefa ti nni"nt-o "naãaiì,o.iothrnre , "afgnrad"m giensgt,u rteh"e oelirgmînhbutoi ndagyc, to ttrrhisse,
integration had to tat eFce";;""ivï.r""nta'y const¡uction whe¡ein
shot to shot) but also vertically: (in co'isions from
Through the progressi.."jlg:
u.eniT|Iine, pervading üre enüre orchest¡a, and
åT:iiîïL:îi?ål"ikï"*-..*l'ä,ioïl,".,,i""¡_o.,",o",,i_ãithewhore
vnieswuwa hpl easnnc oiwrse e,a w'tsuerar nffifn df'r .oo ifmt vn iteshucieassl ssr ma. r.a y-. gwtoeh aeodrfe dt hrare ,n "oei rwïcr h-perasif"ttr iat"oãr tsäìec o fr¡efn ist tou# mthîeaänt t"oafrl Itph aerrn tas.o:u ,dt,hnioins-
*
S. Eiseñstein, The Eiln Sease; J. Leyd.a, ed.. and ùans., Faber & Faber, London, r9s3.
I¡rtroduction
xvi
InEoduction
xvii
hpiasitnoürinagnss iwnh momus Eiciaste ntesrtmeisn, qi;u;o-t,ehs" "consistently discuss these scroll
èr"m",,t-"u.""ãäi,,"au"ã"y-*;-ù;t"lJt:"i"ffi
ï::*"lr:::":11
ffi ,i:rîï!:",: throus h "ñ;;;ariation ; o,,i; öi',", u,,.",
o,,
The comprem""i:1-prilcipres
(inE icsheinnsetseein ì 'acaitdessc'a f-pãers * a"sr "tnpeiy" ,¿1o" iänoå fa rs n,e ugmmbeenrta ltfi odnis apnadra tceo ncutinltuu¡itayl ffiogrumres
ftaounriormoth re'arr* pawolerri ytiipnnthgeog).nr aiEctre.esdmt eienantmots 'u-i Fh""'om'a" r;"**ì",; ot"iil-,c swrp hiorl¿ien "ptrah""iensitr i n.oîgípr p"a"oånsdïict. ihoGnarsein et;ko t ,ho,oenxye-
these properties but rkainisdess otrrr e"mun tãosìrl-r eãã"¡'eàaiEftfei"ssre"t rn,cs.o teminp,r enxoiryt oinn rtye remmsb oofd tiehse
:åTffJ#.X'f"rent s ieniryin s system s rh at
In all of tlese art forrrs, Eisenstein contends, it is the human
cal terms,
painting),
voices of n¿urators an ology), or
::'"i"*"åihî:":|ff
ii"ilTï:i:ï#:"îitffi
ff iiå;","',i,,ii
Eisenstein's s<cursions into anthropologicar
theory are quite fascina_
iJ;
g) an
ldulrT."andmysteryii.iÈ,i,:riï,1;ir""î'itJJirivesretainrhequest
tohre orirdedtirceia snt uRcotularen da sg "wt ett"' "( s-*oãm;edw'ähìå"to-la te,rru, .t-h"e t hFere ndcrihv es trruoc taunrsawliesrt
hemteneuüc
he inclinatio
tein locates
*ii"lå:i:
#:iåff
;""::'f";ïo'låJ*o p,ot comprications or
-yle^a.m-*ijn}st" gio otife t hrniso ttso,n ågi:n .g9 o hf aevaec hs ekenno, t, t*o bdee"i,ilï,:ri;.îä:ï¡iå:: ""
oJÏt all the same, wherh"r i o""*, ; il graphic knots of Leona¡do and
o"lT"T" frequencies of vibrations of vowels that wind into the phonetic knots of
equoar tliyn pthues hpkeirnip, eteias ofctroren arraraang.eãmáe-ndt ;o; fthe_sequence ofscenes thar atract
|oseph weuesl
InhoductioD
x\,ltu Inuoduction
xD(
tTherTrorhuibeglsehe, tdahereev eitnthoteep gimnrgae tttehhdoe d fismlo tawhga eot foEisenstein himself emproyed in Ivan the csorumsehwedhe erere dseeeepm sw tioth cino wheimr bsel
the lighting and camera angles affirmation arises _ at the sce
image (the "landscape,'in tlre b moods and drives is rendered
wfstTiierooestnrrutra ipbhr l eiass nttaoadstr eiwrc haoietrf h t h tshnitraeodg tee(sa,da nti_rth.idn e Ecgreui;s lemwthnaiesns tae stteihinnce og-il n)s dshetoaeogdeti nsoger erosirf - h loi-sno gw"-isouhriok"l täso,rn rf .r.iIorvrmas¿ ottnhnee" cmsmsatheoutoainlntfttia avfblgroqroeueicm.ea e)kT d,s ah tbehsdo oeosv uwhegnna rda trhtp plrta hrectai acmcr mekloive nveareeaalsml l saoecofn ntthse
eP
þut
nc
(Eis
thererribte)istherehi,,."?"i?,li""lï.:J"?lrtt*'Liå*i:.rXË jî::
j
e"acxnocdlel isessixoivcnee" s ssthehose'u" lEd isbeen statekienn's hdeisrae vwowitha aå t ghriasi nw oofr ks aorft ;t hbee c1agu2s0es t rares
valorization of
formalism had
Eisenstein might be seen as po
himself somewhat from this ,Torma
in 19-45 that many of rhe devices in Batrleså ip potemkin courd be ffi:J"*ra urrimatery constitute an antithesis that develops along rwo
described. as the "exposed nerye" of montage, whereas the "ha¡bor mist
sequence" represents "a fused sftucture of contapuntat curients,, trrat The line of death
anticipates the potyphonic montage of. Ivan tJ,e Tenibte. Anastasia, passe
But Eisenstein does not want to completery d.isavow the shock tactics theme of pimen's
of hÍs early "montage of atractions,,; ràther, he now sees those diverse
_ is taken up by the Basmanovs (father
old man,s speech passes into the fiery
tively how what was done in this di servants in the rear fi¡es of the torches. f the tsar, and ends with the flight oi
from what had been done in potemkin.,,Thus, what Eisenstein in the
c1a9l2ls0 sa t e"srmysetde mcoatlliics iuonnisty o of fo dpipvoesrseed ceolemmpeonntesn ttos .,f,o nTnh ea.tbtaascitcio pnrsin, chipe rneo owf say pshteymsisc aol f mopapnoifseistetas_.
an integrative montage structute, a synthesis of diverse ,."oloãprrrrt.t,, ibe these oppositions
stimuri, remains the same. Fisenstein simpry expaads and refomrurates
hpio¡.liidtiecaasll ys od iassr etop uptuat bsloem'Teo rdmisatalniscte,, between his theories of l94s and his
past.
The centerpiece of Eisenstein's discussion of polyphonic montage is
; in potenkm a¡d fva¡ the Terrible.
e death of his beloved Anastasia.
hrosinia Staritskaya, but Ivan does
oasnsdi,b alyt tah icso nscdeenme,nsa ntiaodni rf,r ovmirt uGaoldly. aoraf nscheo ttos thoef vgieriweevri,nsg p efarcceepsti oonv.e,,r
not only a note of grief but also a
Introduction
Introduction
dtsheigiasnt h s.oufi tseo cisia ar pcroarsrsra aitn odf othf eo tuhneirv eev.searyiidÇa'oy tr itfhee o g<rpieerf ieonvceer sV. aTkhueli necffheuckt ,osf theC chrait¡iaccistemri sttfircaat llnyä, sEoisemnsetetiinmes the validity: oorfi
aalfifzeec tsit sli noewanr rmh¡ohnmtlgice mone nthtes oatnhder ,h hise paosssetannsa aly msisu ocf hth sses tvoenrsy teoxop fearri-;
same time integmting impact on tìe dãvetopment of the crnema as an afi ,orroTo indetibre
e in fya¡ theTerrible, Eisenstein also University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
H. E.
who in the 1920s compared the ,.tu
ftarucortnmo rf 'rstoh maeb voruanperi to cugosem spvflairscreut sav,e l srasuend ddto ea ntuh eds ihanielf txsrti .n iAnecs cv e(ocnchtasal n wignietthos innian et iauocgih h ostr h toomnt uac_sorimcity)e;,
these accents, in Eisenstein's view, are most effective when the visual
accent counterpoints the- musicar accent, so that the pattern proaucea is
laenvaeLlo sghoousu ltdo nthoat t coofi nbcriidckel awyiitntlg-t i(rwe hìere tire ¡unctures of the bricks at one
akin to enjambement in poetry, w
of organization do not coincide,
tensions of the verse fonrr. In fi
s enuin e rv emorion al land s cape *" *Tå iÏ;" #r$:"-.ï3"f
tinetmerppeernaemtreanttio"' n soufc nha ta. u rteo taanl du mniatyn wofit ha aralrn tdhsec oavpeer fwloiwthin gth vea srioeutyl oo"ff r hi"tissî
creator is achieved in works sr¡ch as EI Greco's storm ovet Toredo.
In the "Epilogue" to NonindifferentN;tuæ,
thhieso oriwesn hreo rper einse tnhteed d einv ethloãp mvoelunmt oef: so;àt cEiniseemnsat eiinn sthoeu grhigt htot joufs tthifey
ffi:r""äJ""ngs conrained a whole series of books under tìe general title
wmheInic tahsl s' ionb erfosooirdmke .so nt hmeyir fiilmmms eadsi abteei nagim "ds,i d.ahc;tyic"' toc oan ctaeirnta rines "e,aft¡ecnhte; st haant dis o, ctrproesrie-
These researches and experiments a¡e made so tl¡at - iD another interpretation
banyd a flrlo omf uasn owrhoerrk iinngd iovnid uthael cproeinatt ioonfv oief wn m- sth einy cgoeunledr abl.e used late. cãilectioely