Eisenstein on the Audiovisual: The Montage of Music, Image and Sound in Cinema

by Robert Robertson

Overview

The pioneering film director and theorist Sergei Eisenstein is known for the unequalled impact his films have had on the development of cinema. Less is known about his remarkable and extensive writings, which present a continent of ideas about film. Robert Robertson presents a lucid and engaging introduction to a key area of Eisenstein's thought: his ideas about the audiovisual in cinema, which are more pertinent today than ever before. With the advent of digital technology, music and sound now act as independent variables combined with the visual medium to produce a truly audiovisual result. Eisenstein explored in his writings this complex, exciting subject with more depth and originality than any other practitioner, and this is an accessible and original exploration of his ideas. Winner of the Kraszna Krausz Foundations' And/Or Award for Best Moving Image Book of 2009, "Eisenstein on the Audiovisual" is essential reading for students and practitioners of the audiovisual in cinema and related audiovisual forms, including theatre, opera, dance and multimedia.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781848857315
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	03/24/2011
Series:	International Library of Cultural Studies
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Robert Robertson is a composer and filmmaker. He has an MFA in Film Production from the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema, Montreal. His music/films include 'Oserake and The River That Walks', 'Doors of the Spirits', and 'I'm Back', and he has produced the operas 'The Kingdom', 'The Cathars', and 'Empedocles'. He has been influ enced by Eisenstein's ideas since 1977, and this book is the result of his doctoral research at King's College London, UK.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1 Audiovisual counterpoint
2 Organic unity
3 Nonindifferent nature
4 Synaesthesia

Editorial Reviews

"We had no hesitation in choosing the winner. Composer and filmmaker Robert Robertson achieves the near-impossible, shedding fresh light on Eisenstein without loading him with ideology. Like the work it describes, this book is symphonic; it draws together strong influences and forces around Eisenstein into a compelling and cogent narrative - at once enjoyable, provocative." — Francine Stock, chair of the Moving Image judging panel for the Kraszna Krausz And/Or Book Awards 2009

From the Publisher