Vsevolod Pudovkin
Encyclopedia
Vsevolod Illarionovich Pudovkin (16 February 1893 – 20 June 1953) was a Russia
n and Soviet film director
, screenwriter
and actor
who developed influential theories of montage
. Pudovkin's masterpieces are often contrasted with those of his contemporary Sergei Eisenstein
, but whereas Eisenstein utilized montage to glorify the power of the masses, Pudovkin preferred to concentrate on the courage and resilience of individuals.
, being captured by the Germans. After the war, he abandoned his professional activity and joined the world of cinema, first as a screenwriter, actor and art director, and then as an assistant director to Lev Kuleshov
.
After a few tries with advertising cinema, he directed in 1926 that which will be considered one of the masterpieces of silent movies
: Mother
, where he developed several montage theories that would make him famous.
His first feature was followed by The End of St. Petersburg
(1927), and Storm Over Asia
(also known as The Heir of Genghis Khan), titles which compose a trilogy at the service of the bolshevik revolutionary policy.
In 1928, with the advent of sound film
, Pudovkin, Sergei Eisenstein
and Grigori Aleksandrov
signed the Manifest of Sound, in which the possibilities of sound are debated, and always understood as a complement to image. This idea would be brought to bear in his next pictures: A Simple Case
(1932) and The Deserter
(1933), works that do not match the quality of earlier work.
With an interruption due to health concerns, Pudovkin returned to the movies in 1938, with a cycle of historic pieces that are not as successful as earlier works: Victory
(1938); Minin and Pozharsky (1939) and Suvorov
(1941).
With the end of World War II
, under Party criticism, he returned to his earlier subjects. In 1951, Pudovkin was awarded the Stalin Prize. His last work was The Return of Vasili Bortnikov
(1953).
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n and Soviet film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
who developed influential theories of montage
Soviet montage theory
Soviet montage theory is an approach to understanding and creating cinema that relies heavily upon editing...
. Pudovkin's masterpieces are often contrasted with those of his contemporary Sergei Eisenstein
Sergei Eisenstein
Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein , né Eizenshtein, was a pioneering Soviet Russian film director and film theorist, often considered to be the "Father of Montage"...
, but whereas Eisenstein utilized montage to glorify the power of the masses, Pudovkin preferred to concentrate on the courage and resilience of individuals.
Biography
A student of engineering at Moscow University, Pudovkin saw active duty during World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, being captured by the Germans. After the war, he abandoned his professional activity and joined the world of cinema, first as a screenwriter, actor and art director, and then as an assistant director to Lev Kuleshov
Lev Kuleshov
Lev Vladimirovich Kuleshov was a Soviet filmmaker and film theorist who taught at and helped establish the world's first film school .-Career:...
.
After a few tries with advertising cinema, he directed in 1926 that which will be considered one of the masterpieces of silent movies
Silent Movies
Silent Movies are 13 solo guitar compositions by Marc Ribot released September 28, 2010 on Pi Recordings.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4 stars stating "For those interested in one of the more compelling and quietly provocative and graceful guitar records of 2010,...
: Mother
Mother (1926 film)
Mother is a 1926 Soviet film directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin depicting one woman's struggle against Tsarist rule during the Russian Revolution of 1905. The film is based on a novel of the same title by Maxim Gorky....
, where he developed several montage theories that would make him famous.
His first feature was followed by The End of St. Petersburg
The End of St. Petersburg
The End of St. Petersburg is a 1927 silent film directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin and produced by Mezhrabpom. Commissioned to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the October Revolution, The End of St Petersburg was to be Pudovkin's most famous film and secured his place as one of the foremost Soviet...
(1927), and Storm Over Asia
Storm Over Asia
Storm Over Asia is a 1928 Russian film directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin, written by Osip Brik, Ivan Novokshonov and starring Valéry Inkijinoff. It forms part of Pudovkin's "revolutionary trilogy", alongside Mother and The End of St...
(also known as The Heir of Genghis Khan), titles which compose a trilogy at the service of the bolshevik revolutionary policy.
In 1928, with the advent of sound film
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
, Pudovkin, Sergei Eisenstein
Sergei Eisenstein
Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein , né Eizenshtein, was a pioneering Soviet Russian film director and film theorist, often considered to be the "Father of Montage"...
and Grigori Aleksandrov
Grigori Aleksandrov
Grigori Vasilyevich Aleksandrov or Alexandrov was a prominent Soviet film director who was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1947 and a Hero of Socialist Labor in 1973...
signed the Manifest of Sound, in which the possibilities of sound are debated, and always understood as a complement to image. This idea would be brought to bear in his next pictures: A Simple Case
A Simple Case
A Simple Case is a 1932 Soviet film directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin and Mikhail Doller.-Cast:* Aleksandr Baturin - Langovoy* Yevgeniya Rogulina - Mashenka* Aleksandr Chistyakov - Uncle Sasha* V. Kuzmich - Zheltikov* Mariya Belousova...
(1932) and The Deserter
The Deserter (1933 film)
The Deserter is a 1933 Soviet film directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin.-Cast:* Boris Livanov - Karl Renn* Vasili Kovrigin - Ludwig Zelle* Aleksandr Chistyakov - Fritz Muller* Tamara Makarova - Greta Zelle* Semyon Svashenko - Bruno...
(1933), works that do not match the quality of earlier work.
With an interruption due to health concerns, Pudovkin returned to the movies in 1938, with a cycle of historic pieces that are not as successful as earlier works: Victory
Victory (1938 film)
Victory is a 1938 Soviet film directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin and Mikhail Doller.-Cast:* Yekaterina Korchagina-Aleksandrovskaya - Mother Samoylova* Vladimir Solovyov - Klim Samoylov, stratoplane pilot* S. Ostroumov - Lomov* N. Sanov - Gudiashvili...
(1938); Minin and Pozharsky (1939) and Suvorov
Suvorov (film)
Suvorov is a 1941 Soviet film directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin and Mikhail Doller, based on the life of Russian general Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov , one of the few great generals in history who never lost a battle. It was released as General Suvorov in the USA...
(1941).
With the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, under Party criticism, he returned to his earlier subjects. In 1951, Pudovkin was awarded the Stalin Prize. His last work was The Return of Vasili Bortnikov
The Return of Vasili Bortnikov
The Return of Vasili Bortnikov is a 1953 Soviet film directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin based on the novel The Harvest by Galina Nikolayeva.-Cast:* Sergei Lukyanov - Vasili Bortnikov* Natalya Medvedeva - Avdotya* Nikolai Timofeyev - Stephan...
(1953).
Filmography
| Year | Original Title | English Title | Notes |
| 1920 | В дни борьбы | Days of Struggle | actor |
| 1921 | Серп и молот | Sickle and Hammer | actor; screenwriter; assistant director |
| Голод… голод… голод… | Hunger... Hunger... Hunger... | screenwriter; assistant director | |
| 1923 | Слесарь и канцлер | Locksmith and Chancellor | screenwriter |
| 1924 | Необычайные приключения мистера Веста в стране большевиков | The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr. West in the Land of the Bolsheviks The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr. West in the Land of the Bolsheviks The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr. West in the Land of the Bolsheviks is a 1924 film by Soviet director Lev Kuleshov. It is notable as the first Soviet film that is explicitly anti-American.-Plot:... |
actor; art director |
| 1925 | Луч смерти | The Death Ray | actor; screenwriter; assistant director; art director |
| Шахматная горячка | Chess Fever Chess Fever Chess Fever is a 1925 Soviet silent comedy film directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin and Nikolai Shpikovsky. Chess Fever is a comedy about Moscow 1925 chess tournament, made by Pudovkin during the pause in the filming of Mechanics of the Brain... |
director (with Nikolai Shpikovsky) | |
| 1926 | Механика головного мозга | Mechanics of the Brain Mechanics of the Brain Mechanics of the Brain is a 1926 Soviet documentary film directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin, a popularization of Ivan Pavlov's studies in classical conditioning... |
director; screenwriter |
| Мать | Mother Mother (1926 film) Mother is a 1926 Soviet film directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin depicting one woman's struggle against Tsarist rule during the Russian Revolution of 1905. The film is based on a novel of the same title by Maxim Gorky.... |
director; actor | |
| 1927 | Конец Санкт-Петербурга | The End of St. Petersburg The End of St. Petersburg The End of St. Petersburg is a 1927 silent film directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin and produced by Mezhrabpom. Commissioned to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the October Revolution, The End of St Petersburg was to be Pudovkin's most famous film and secured his place as one of the foremost Soviet... |
director; actor |
| 1928 | Потомок Чингиз-Хана | Storm Over Asia Storm Over Asia Storm Over Asia is a 1928 Russian film directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin, written by Osip Brik, Ivan Novokshonov and starring Valéry Inkijinoff. It forms part of Pudovkin's "revolutionary trilogy", alongside Mother and The End of St... |
director |
| 1929 | Новый Вавилон | The New Babylon The New Babylon The New Babylon is a 1929 silent film written and directed by Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg... |
actor |
| Живой труп | The Living Corpse | actor | |
| Веселая канарейка | The Gay Canary | actor | |
| 1932 | Простой случай | A Simple Case A Simple Case A Simple Case is a 1932 Soviet film directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin and Mikhail Doller.-Cast:* Aleksandr Baturin - Langovoy* Yevgeniya Rogulina - Mashenka* Aleksandr Chistyakov - Uncle Sasha* V. Kuzmich - Zheltikov* Mariya Belousova... |
director (with Mikhail Doller Mikhail Doller Mikhail Doller was a Soviet film director and screenwriter. He worked as co-director with Vsevolod Pudovkin and was awarded Stalin Prize twice in 1941.-Life:... ) |
| 1933 | Дезертир | The Deserter The Deserter (1933 film) The Deserter is a 1933 Soviet film directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin.-Cast:* Boris Livanov - Karl Renn* Vasili Kovrigin - Ludwig Zelle* Aleksandr Chistyakov - Fritz Muller* Tamara Makarova - Greta Zelle* Semyon Svashenko - Bruno... |
director |
| 1938 | Победа | Victory Victory (1938 film) Victory is a 1938 Soviet film directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin and Mikhail Doller.-Cast:* Yekaterina Korchagina-Aleksandrovskaya - Mother Samoylova* Vladimir Solovyov - Klim Samoylov, stratoplane pilot* S. Ostroumov - Lomov* N. Sanov - Gudiashvili... |
director (with Mikhail Doller Mikhail Doller Mikhail Doller was a Soviet film director and screenwriter. He worked as co-director with Vsevolod Pudovkin and was awarded Stalin Prize twice in 1941.-Life:... ) |
| 1939 | Минин и Пожарский | Minin and Pozharsky | director (with Mikhail Doller Mikhail Doller Mikhail Doller was a Soviet film director and screenwriter. He worked as co-director with Vsevolod Pudovkin and was awarded Stalin Prize twice in 1941.-Life:... ) |
| 1941 | Суворов | Suvorov Suvorov (film) Suvorov is a 1941 Soviet film directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin and Mikhail Doller, based on the life of Russian general Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov , one of the few great generals in history who never lost a battle. It was released as General Suvorov in the USA... |
director (with Mikhail Doller Mikhail Doller Mikhail Doller was a Soviet film director and screenwriter. He worked as co-director with Vsevolod Pudovkin and was awarded Stalin Prize twice in 1941.-Life:... ) |
| Пир в Жирмунке | Feast in Zhirmunka | director (with Mikhail Doller Mikhail Doller Mikhail Doller was a Soviet film director and screenwriter. He worked as co-director with Vsevolod Pudovkin and was awarded Stalin Prize twice in 1941.-Life:... ) |
|
| 1942 | Убийцы выходят на дорогу | The Murderers are Coming The Murderers are Coming The Murderers are Coming is a 1942 Soviet film directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin and Yuri Tarich based on the play Fear and Misery of the Third Reich by Bertolt Brecht. The film was not allowed to screen by Soviet censors.-Cast:* Mikhail Astangov - Franz... |
director (with Yuri Tarich); screenwriter |
| 1943 | Во имя Родины | In the Name of the Fatherland In the Name of the Fatherland In the Name of the Fatherland is a 1943 Soviet film directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin and Dmitriy Vasilyev based on the play Russian People by Konstantin Simonov.-Cast:* Nikolai Kryuchkov - Safonov * Yelena Tyapkina - Safonova* Mikhail Zharov - Globa... |
director (with Dmitri Vasilyev Dmitri Vasilyev (director) Dmitri Ivanovich Vasilyev was a Soviet film director. He directed in 9 films between 1931 and 1960.-Selected filmography:* Iron Brigade ; co-directed with Mikhail Verner* Lenin in October ; co-directed with Mikhail Romm... ); screenwriter; actor |
| Юный Фриц | The Young Fritz The Young Fritz The Young Fritz is a 1943 Soviet film directed by Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg based on a short satiric poem by Samuil Marshak. The film was banned by censors, never released, and is believed to be lost.-Cast:* Mikhail Zharov - Fritz... |
actor | |
| 1944 | Иван Грозный | Ivan the Terrible Ivan the Terrible (film) Ivan the Terrible is a two-part historical epic film about Ivan IV of Russia made by Russian director Sergei Eisenstein. Part 1 was released in 1944 but Part 2 was not released until 1958 due to political censorship... |
director; actor |
| 1947 | Адмирал Нахимов | Admiral Nakhimov Admiral Nakhimov (film) Admiral Nakhimov is a 1947 Soviet film directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin, based on the life of Russian Admiral Pavel Nakhimov . In 1946 Pudovkin, Golovnya, Lukovsky, Kryukov, Dikiy, Simonov, and Knyazev received the Stalin Prize.-Cast:... |
director; actor |
| 1948 | Три встречи | Three Encounters | director (segment) |
| 1950 | Жуковский | Zhukovsky Zhukovsky (film) Zhukovsky is a 1950 Soviet film directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin and Dmitri Vasilyev, based on the life of Russian scientist Nikolai Zhukovsky , founding father of modern aero- and hydrodynamics. In 1950 Pudovkin received the Best Director award at the 5th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival for... |
director |
| 1952 | Возвращение Василия Бортникова | The Return of Vasili Bortnikov The Return of Vasili Bortnikov The Return of Vasili Bortnikov is a 1953 Soviet film directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin based on the novel The Harvest by Galina Nikolayeva.-Cast:* Sergei Lukyanov - Vasili Bortnikov* Natalya Medvedeva - Avdotya* Nikolai Timofeyev - Stephan... |
director (with Dmitri Vasilyev Dmitri Vasilyev (director) Dmitri Ivanovich Vasilyev was a Soviet film director. He directed in 9 films between 1931 and 1960.-Selected filmography:* Iron Brigade ; co-directed with Mikhail Verner* Lenin in October ; co-directed with Mikhail Romm... ) |
Published works
- Film Technique and Film Acting Grove Press. 1958.
External links
- The silent revolutionary: Jonathan JonesJonathan Jones (journalist)Jonathan Jones is an English journalist and art critic who has been writing for The Guardian since 1999.He was on the jury for the 2009 Turner Prize.-External links:*...
on the work of Vsevolod Pudovkin, at Guardian UnlimitedGuardian Unlimitedguardian.co.uk, formerly known as Guardian Unlimited, is a British website owned by the Guardian Media Group. Georgina Henry is the editor...