Deleuze and Eisenstein on Cinema, Montage, and Time

Cinema and the Limits of Traditional Visual Art

Both Deleuze and Eisenstein show how cinema allows artists to play with time, representing temporal reality in ways other art forms do not permit. Deleuze notes that traditional visual arts offer a limited perspective: not only can they not represent the passage of time, but visual arts such as painting cannot portray motion the way cinema can. In cinema, disparate images are linked in ways that would be impossible on a singular frame of a two-dimensional canvas. Parallels can be drawn between symbols, and that which lies outside the viewer's immediate field remains meaningful. Moreover, irrationality can function productively in cinema — images and symbols are linked in non-linear ways. Eisenstein focuses on montage to illustrate similar points. A filmmaker can arrange a montage for purposeful effects, playing with imagery, symbols, and time. Although Deleuze and Eisenstein use different terminology and different points of reference, both authors address the power of motion pictures to accomplish artistic goals.

Eisenstein's Theory of Montage and Dominance

Eisenstein appreciates notions of dominance in montage. Contrast and opposition become particularly salient on screen when foreground images compete with one another for semantic efficacy. Eisenstein compares a montage with a piece of instrumental music: dominant tones alternate with subordinate ones to create a panoply of images, ideas, and emotions.

Brain, Perception, and the Processing of Film Images

Both Eisenstein and Deleuze refer to the way the brain processes images. Deleuze notes that the "Euclidean coordinates" of the brain are superseded by a more complex representation of reality when film is the predominant medium (p. 209). The Euclidean coordinates to which Deleuze refers are the axes of association and integration. Images can be freely associated, then pieced together or differentiated to allow interpretation. Eisenstein esoterically alludes to the "psychic" component of imagery interpretation (p. 225). According to Eisenstein, the brain's cortex can form gestalt wholes from disparate parts. Montage is an apt medium to illustrate the power of the brain in creating nuanced yet meaningful interpretations of imagery. Eisenstein also mentions the "higher nervous activity" that accompanies perception of motion pictures (p. 225). The physical impact of visual imagery is, according to Eisenstein, deeply felt. Motion pictures are visceral.

Conclusion: Cinema as a Dynamic Art Form

Film is an active and intellectually engaged art form, and both Eisenstein and Deleuze champion the medium. Motion pictures capture attention, creating the illusion of true time and motion where neither actually occurs. Moreover, film can release flashes of sounds and imagery that the brain pieces together into coherent meaning. Although the two authors approach their subject matter differently, their core conclusions are the same: film is a dynamic art form that can be manipulated to create meaning. Viewers draw parallels between the imagery they see on screen and their life experiences, much like a nocturnal dream divulges the psychological content of daily reality.

References

Deleuze, Gilles. "Thought and Cinema: The Time-Image."

Eisenstein, Sergei. "On Montage and the Filmic Fourth Dimension."