The Secret Life Of Sergei Eisenstein

Legendary Russian filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein tells his own story in this fascinating biography which combines first-person narration (based on Eisenstein's writing) with documentary footage of his life, times, and movies. Warning the viewer that he or she is in the company of an "unpleasant author," Eisenstein reflects on how he came to be deeply sympathetic to the causes of social injustice--not from any perception of the outside political world, but because his wealthy father was a tyrant. Born in Riga, in 1898, the young Eisenstein took to drawing and cartooning early on in life (and, in many ways, drawing remained his first love) and gained employment as a political cartoonist, and as a designer of costumes for operas. Following his first feature film Strike, which not only set the tone for the Eisenstein oeuvre, but introduced new cinematic concepts, the director premiered his Potemkin in 1925, and the next morning "woke up famous at 27." In addition to fascinating insights on the making of Eisenstein's films, this documentary covers Eisenstein's European tour, during which he met and befriended the likes of Fritz Lang, Bertold Brecht, Albert Einstein, James Joyce, and many others. There's also an instructive episode about Eisenstein being hired by Paramount, put up in a Beverly Hills townhouse, treated like royalty, and consistently vetoed on every movie project he offered. The film concludes with Eisenstein's reflections on Ivan the Terrible, his two-part feature film, the second part of which was banned in Russia, and not publicly shown until after Eisenstein's death. An absorbing video biography, which will be of great interest to film buffs, but should also appeal to general patrons. Highly recommended. (Available from: Mystic Fire Video, Box 1092, Cooper Station, New York, NY 10276.)