The movie montage might never have existed in its current form if not for moviemaker Sergei Eisenstein, born this day in 1898. October: Ten Days That Shook The World, perhaps one of his most famous movies (alongside 1925’s The Battleship Potemkin), was commissioned by the Soviet Union for the tenth anniversary of the 1917 October Revolution. The Latvian director made movies under Soviet guidelines until May 1930, when he moved to Hollywood under a contract with Paramount Pictures. Despite international acclaim for The Battleship Potemkin, his efforts in the broader world of cinema failed. Eisenstein returned home only to find himself unmarketable; subsequently, he chose to take a leading role in the Direction Department at the Moscow Film School until he passed away in February of 1948.
Filmmaker Factoid: Sergei Eisenstein was often known for casting by type—choosing to work with non-professional actors who fit the bill (of a market woman, a carriage driver, the middle-class masses, etc.) instead of trained thespians. While his innovative screen work continues to be studied today, the director’s legacy also lives on with the published works Film Form and The Film Sense.
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