Eisenstein's Montage Technique in the 1925 Film Strike
This paper examines Sergei Eisenstein's pioneering use of the "montage of attractions" in his 1925 silent film Strike. Drawing on Eisenstein's theoretical writings and his background as a Marxist engineer and architect, the paper explains how montage works by juxtaposing seemingly unrelated images to produce a third, emotionally charged meaning in the viewer's mind. The analysis focuses on several key montages in Strike — including the pairing of animals with spies and workers, a squeezed lemon with striking laborers, and slaughtered cattle with murdered workers — and considers both the lasting influence of Eisenstein's technique and the criticism it has received for blunt propaganda and emotional manipulation.
- Introduction: Eisenstein's Cinematic Vision: Eisenstein's background and montage's cinematic significance
- The Theory of Montage of Attractions: Theoretical basis and Japanese hieroglyphic analogy
- Plot and Political Context of Strike: Summary of Strike's narrative and Marxist themes
- Montage Techniques in Strike: Animal imagery and juxtaposition sequences analyzed
- Critical Reception and Legacy: Criticism from Bazin and Thomson; influence on later directors
- Conclusion: Synthesis of montage theory, examples, and Eisenstein's legacy
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What makes this paper effective
- Grounds abstract film theory in concrete, scene-by-scene examples drawn directly from Strike, making Eisenstein's montage concept tangible and easy to follow.
- Balances exposition of Eisenstein's own theoretical writings with outside critical perspectives, including both admirers and detractors such as Bazin and Thomson.
- Uses the Japanese hieroglyphic analogy — drawn from Eisenstein's own writings — as an accessible entry point before applying the concept to the film's specific imagery.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates textual and visual analysis linked to theoretical framework. Rather than simply describing what happens in Strike, the author consistently ties each montage example back to Eisenstein's stated theory of the "montage of attractions," showing how practice and theory align. This move — theory first, then evidence — is a strong pattern for analytical film essays at the undergraduate level.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a brief thesis establishing Eisenstein's background and the significance of montage. It then explains the theoretical basis of montage of attractions using primary sources. A plot summary of Strike provides context before the analytical core, which walks through individual montage sequences in the film. A section on critical reception situates Eisenstein within broader film history. The conclusion synthesizes all major points, recapping both the specific montage examples and Eisenstein's enduring legacy.
Introduction: Eisenstein's Cinematic Vision
A Marxist engineer and architect by formal training, Sergei Eisenstein used his background to create the technique known as the "montage." Though Eisenstein's work has attracted criticism for using blunt imagery to convey heavy-handed propaganda, his seminal contributions are widely regarded as the basis for montage sequences in the work of such eminent directors as Hitchcock, De Palma, and Coppola. By arousing strong emotional impact from the juxtaposition of seemingly unrelated images, Eisenstein demonstrated the power of montage most effectively in his first film, Strike.
Sergei Eisenstein (1898–1948) was one of the most famous filmmakers of the early 20th century (Archive Media Project, LP). His formal training as an engineer and architect in St. Petersburg greatly influenced his eventual career in filmmaking. In addition, his Marxist ideology and Russian heritage profoundly shaped his work. Eisenstein experimented with several cinematic devices, and due to his contributions, was recognized by the British Film Institute as one of a triumvirate — alongside D. W. Griffith and Charles Chaplin — that laid the artistic foundations of cinema (Shaw).
Bibliography
Anonymous. "Sergei Eisenstein." n.d. isites.harvard.edu Web site. Web. 31 October 2012.
Archive Media Project, LP. Russian Archives Online > Gallery > Eisenstein. 2008. Web. 31 October 2012.
Shaw, Dan. Sergei Eisenstein. 2012. Web. 31 October 2012.
Strike. Dir. Sergei M. Eisenstein. Perf. Grigori Aleksandrov and Maksim Shtraukh. 1925. DVD.
Taylor, Richard. The Eisenstein Reader. London, UK: British Film Institute, 1998. Print.
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