Eisenstein in Guanajuato

Released Feb 5, 2016

1h 46m

Biography

Comedy

LGBTQ+

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62%

53 Reviews

Tomatometer

53%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

Venerated filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein (Elmer Bäck) travels to Mexico to shoot his new film after being shunned by Hollywood. There he has a sensual experience that becomes a significant turning point in his life and career.

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Critics Consensus

Eisenstein in Guanajuato is certainly bold, but its provocations aren't always enough to overcome a lack of depth and clear narrative purpose.

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Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

It's never quite as funny or stylistically insightful as it thinks.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 17, 2016

Full Review

David Jenkins

Little White Lies

Formally dazzling, emotionally empty.

Rated: 2/5

Apr 15, 2016

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Kate Muir

Times (UK)

Peter Greenaway's latest, Eisenstein in Guanajuato, may not be up everyone's street, and even fans may find the self-indulgent longueurs towards the end of the film too much. Still, the premise is interesting.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 14, 2016

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David Brake

One Room With A View

Unwieldy in its delivery but joyous nonetheless, Eisenstein in Guanajuato is infectiously inventive and outrageous.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 4, 2019

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Messy but quite amusing portrait of the Internationally celebrated Russian silent filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein.

Rated: B

Mar 27, 2018

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M. Faust

The Public (Buffalo)

Jan 30, 2018

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Audience Member

Despite its narrative problems, Greenaway gives us a movie pleasant to the human eye that will surely please the director's fans and those who seek more style than substance.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

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Audience Member

Many good visuals, but overdone.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

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Audience Member

After a failed attempt to make a movie in Hollywood, Sergei Eisenstein travels to Mexico to make a film under the auspices of Upton Sinclair. While in Mexico, he has a sexual awakening and a love affair with his Mexican guide Palomino. I like Greenaway, but I can't say this one really worked for me. I don't think it's fair to say that Einsenstein's blossoming homosexuality is the only topic that Greenaway is interested in, but it's the only topic that really seems to take any form. Other topics come up, but they are really treated in a sketchy manner (you are well over an hour into the film before you realize that he's been in Mexico for over 8 months). I don't mind the film, but a nearly 2 hour running time seems really excessive.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Peter Greenaway isn't a storyteller so much as a painter. The movie's strength is its aesthetics and should be enjoyed for that.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

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Audience Member

It's a bummer that the return of Peter Greenaway is not a better film. This movie will wear thin quickly -- even for film geeks like myself. This is an organized mess. Greenaway is clearly having fun. Too bad he didn't include his audience in this twisted celebration.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

There's a lot of flash and glitz and glam with little substance, though maybe, sometimes, the presentation is enough on its own. If you're looking for any insight into Eisenstein's time in Mexico, this unfortunately isn't the movie for you- while it's chalk full of facts, it never goes further than flat out listing timeline information. And that almost works because it's such a bizarre and interesting timeline of events. Eisenstein's fascination with Mexico is fascinating, as is his hidden homosexuality and his explicit drawings; and I'm sure the footage he shot would have been if this movie had even vaguely touched upon it. But the movie gets lost in his affair and never really lets go until it over stays its welcome and gets forcefully shut down- aka following exactly Eisenstein's own route in Mexico. Greenaway, to me, is the poor man's Ken Russell without the truly arresting visuals and thoughtful symbolism. But then again, if he had backed off on the constant bombardment of different special effects and wide angle lenses, the movie might have been a real stinker.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

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Peter Greenaway

Director

Elmer Bäck

Sergei Eisenstein

Luis Alberti

Palomino Canedo

Maya Zapata

Concepcion Canedo

Lisa Owen

Mary Sinclair

Stelio Savante

Hunter S. Kimbrough

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Eisenstein in Guanajuato: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Venerated filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein (Elmer Bäck) travels to Mexico to shoot his new film after being shunned by Hollywood. There he has a sensual experience that becomes a significant turning point in his life and career.

Director: Peter Greenaway
Screenwriter: Peter Greenaway
Distributor: Strand Releasing
Production Co: Vrijzinnig Protestantse Radio Omroep (VPRO), Mollywood, Submarine, Potemkino, Yleisradio, Edith Film Oy, ZDF/Arte
Genre: Biography, Comedy, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 5, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $34.3K
Runtime: 1h 46m

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