Author: Mike O'Mahony<br />File Type: pdf<br />A major influence on such filmmakers as Hitchcock, Godard, Fellini, and Scorsese, Sergei Eisenstein left an enduring legacy that was deeply informed by the political realities of early-twentieth-century Soviet Communism. In Sergei Eisenstein, Mike OMahony uses this historical lens to examine the richly diverse films, writings, and artwork of one of the foremost filmmakers of the twentieth century.Drawing on an extensive archive of Eisensteins published and unpublished writings, OMahony situates his oeuvre in the social and political context of the first three decades of Communist rule in the Soviet Union. The book analyzes his most influential filmsincluding Battleship Potemkin, October, and Aleksandr Nevskiias well as his uncompleted film projects, pioneering theories and methods, and copious archive of writings and drawings. OMahony examines how Eisensteins projects were generated or constrained by his volatile and complex personality, ongoing political events, and the conflict between his beliefs the Stalinist regime and his beliefs as a Bolshevik artist. The arcs of success and defeat in Eisensteins career, the book ultimately reveals, are inextricably intertwined with these fraught political and personal circumstances.An in-depth and thoughtful biographical treatment, Sergei Eisenstein gives us a new, richer understanding of this standard-bearer in modern filmmaking, making this an accessible and essential read for historians, scholars of film history, and movie buffs alike.ReviewOMahonys readings of the films are alert to telling details and provide context. A good basic bibliography tops off a compelling, accessible volume.(Choice )Mike OMahoney is to be congratulated on producing an authoritative and persuasive biography of Sergei Eisenstein . . . I can offer no higher praise than to say that, had I ever got round to writing a biography of Eisenstein myself, I hope that it might have been half as good as this one! Richard Taylor, Studies in Russian and Soviet Cinema(Studies in Russian and Soviet Cinema ) About the AuthorMike OMahony is lecturer inart history at the University of Bristol. He is also the author of Sport in the USSR Physical CultureVisual Culture.