Battleship Potemkin / Birth of a Nation

The portrayal of historical events in Birth of a Nation is intended to have a dual affect on the audience. First and foremost it forces them to become drawn into the film because of their own sense of history and how they personally relate to it.

Eisentien, however, raises the bar when he introduces a powerful new cinematic tool: the montage. Though he is the first to use this potent new device he uses it very effectively throughout the entirety of the film. The first montage we see is a double-hitter, in that it is demanding the audience’s attention on at least two levels. The montage starts with shots of sleeping men swinging in their hammocks when an officer bumps into one of the hammocks. He strikes the man in the hammock (Vakulenchuck) who responds by turning over in his hammock, face down, and crying. Seeing him cry indirectly by the motions of his back is meant to be more dramatic then seeing him outright cry. The audience should be able to identify with Vakulenchuck and feel pity for him, furthering their involvement in the film.

Griffith and Eisenstein w

Some topics in this essay:
Lillian Gish’s, Step Sequence, Sergei Eisenstein, Griffith Eisenstein, Birth Nation, President Lincoln, Directors Mission, Battleship Potemkin, odessa step sequence, historical events, Odessa Step, audience participation, battleship potemkin, step sequence, odessa step, events symbols, birth nation,