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Sergei M. Eisenstein

Highest Rated: 100% Ivan the Terrible, Part One (1943)

Lowest Rated: 91% Alexander Nevsky (1938)

Birthday: Jan 23, 1898

Birthplace: Riga, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire

The father of the film montage, director and film theorist Sergei Eisenstein achieved the perfect blend of avant-garde artistry with state-minded propaganda in becoming a master filmmaker. Eisenstein was first and foremost a dedicated Communist who saw the advantages of using art to propel political ideas soon after the Russian Revolution in 1917. Using a variety of forms, from circuses to Kabuki theater, he directed a few short films before launching his first seminal work, "Strike" (1924), which depicted in almost manipulative fashion, a 1903 strike of factory workers. With his very first film, Eisenstein invented the film montage, where he used rapid editing between two divergent images in order to maximize shock value. Following the success of "Strike," he directed one of the greatest propaganda films ever made, "Battleship Potemkin" (1925), which contained the iconic "Odessa Steps" sequence. His subsequent films, "October" (1928) and "The General Line" (1929), were condemned by party leaders, leading to a tour of Europe and Hollywood. Upon his return, Eisenstein faced a drastically changed political landscape, but triumphed with the surprisingly straightforward "Alexander Nevsky" (1938) and the highly-regarded "Ivan the Terrible, Part I" (1944). But with "Ivan the Terrible, Part II" (1946), Eisenstein faced harsh censorship once again, only to soon die of a heart attack before completing "Part III." Despite his relatively small output, Eisenstein lived on as one of cinema's chief architects whose influence transcended national and political boundaries.

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Highest rated movies

100% 91% Ivan the Terrible, Part One
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100% 89% Ivan the Terrible, Part II
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100% 86% Battleship Potemkin
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100% 82% Strike
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100% 68% The General Line
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92% 77% October
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91% 84% Alexander Nevsky
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71% Thunder Over Mexico
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50% Bezhin Meadow
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Time in the Sun
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Filmography

Movies

Credit
No Score Yet 86% Que Viva Mexico Director - 1979
No Score Yet No Score Yet Ten Days That Shook the World Director - 1967
100% 89% Ivan the Terrible, Part II Director,
Screenwriter
- 1958
100% 91% Ivan the Terrible, Part One Director,
Writer,
Producer,
Film Editing
- 1943
No Score Yet No Score Yet Time in the Sun Director,
Screenwriter
- 1940
91% 84% Alexander Nevsky Director,
Writer,
Film Editing
- 1938
No Score Yet 50% Bezhin Meadow Director,
Screenwriter
- 1937
No Score Yet 71% Thunder Over Mexico Director - 1933
No Score Yet 50% Sentimental Romance Director - 1930
No Score Yet No Score Yet Misery and Fortune of Women Director - 1930
100% 68% The General Line Director,
Writer
- 1929
92% 77% October Director,
Writer
- 1928
100% 86% Battleship Potemkin Odessa Citizen (Character),
Director,
Writer,
Film Editing
$51.0K 1925
100% 82% Strike Director,
Writer
- 1924
No Score Yet 50% Dnevnik Glumova Director - 1923