DuetosomecommoninterestsbetweenGermanandRussianaristocracy(theRussiansevenhadaristocratsintheirpastnottomentiontheyhadanEmpresscalledCatherinetheGreat,asgreatasthisGermancount'sheiresses…),itisnotstrangethatthisTeutoniccounthasunderstoodandevenenjoyedHerrS.M.Eisenstein'sStaroyeINovoye. ItisnotveryusualthatforthearistocracytoenjoyBolshevistfilmsfullofproletariandemandsthatputprivatepropertyatriskorasithappensinthiscase,afilmabouttheCommunistParty'spolicyonthesubjectofthecollectivizationoftheSovietagriculture.NormallythiswouldbeperfectgibberishforthisGermancount,butthankstoHerrEisenstein'sgreatnessanddirectorialtalent,thehardshipsoftheheroineofthefilm,DameMarfa(DameMarfaLapkina)breachedeventhethickaristocraticSchlosswalls. Andthat'soneofthefirstremarkableaspectsofthisoeuvre;inspiteofthepoliticalsubjectofthefilm,thepowerfulimagesandlyricism(astonishingandbeautifulshotcompositions),especiallyduringthefirstpartofthemovie,preservetheartisticmeritsent
2024-04-09
