Contemporary Russian cinema is sluggish and unstructured. Directors and screenwriters imitate their Hollywood idols. But there were times when Soviet models served as trendsetters in cinema. Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein (and his experience and school) has now been written off to the museum. However, no one denies its influence on the development of the most important art for us.
Origin - from the nobility
The biography of Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein could have developed in a completely different way. The child was born in Riga. The city was considered international in all its characteristics and way of life. The family was one of the well-to-do units of society. His father, who achieved the title of nobility by his labors, served as a city architect. Mother Yulia Ivanovna Konetskaya - from the merchant class, she was the heiress of a large fortune. At first, the husband and wife got along well with each other. The mutual love of parents illuminated the first years of Seryozha's life.
In 1907, when Sergei turned nine years old, he was assigned to the local real school. Receiving an elementary classical education, the boy showed a keen interest in the art of photography, quickly mastered the technique of drawing in watercolors and pencils. Comics and cartoons came out from under his hand aroused the interest of others. In addition, as a scion of a noble family, Serge mastered horseback riding and received piano lessons. It is important to note that the carefree childhood ended unexpectedly when the boy was only 10 years old.
The reason for the destruction of the familiar world is simple and banal to the point of disgrace - the mother and father decided to divorce. From the height of the past years, it does not matter at all who cheated first and for what reasons. Much more important is that Sergei received psychological trauma for the rest of his life. The divorce proceedings lasted almost four years. Many times the boy found himself in a situation where he was forced to make a choice - are you for mom or for dad? It is easy to guess that such "procedures" do not contribute to the formation of a stable psyche in a small person.
Classic of Soviet cinema
After graduating from a real school, Sergei entered the Petrograd Institute of Civil Engineers. Initially, the work of an architect, which his father was engaged in, did not attract the young man. But in order not to contradict the priest, he yielded to persistent wishes. The events that broke out in 1917, when “a sailor is running, a soldier is running, shooting on the move,” irrevocably destroyed the previous foundations of relations. Eisenstein is called up for military service. Not for long. Already in 1918, he himself enrolled in the Red Army. It was from this moment that his career as an artist and director began.
Sergei enthusiastically works as a decorator for an army propaganda train. For two years of service, he traveled to large cities and small stations, observing how the country lives in a period of global changes. The personal life of a decorator does not add up. For some time he communicates closely with the ballerina Maria Pushkina. However, the relationship does not add up, and the couple breaks up. In 1920, Eisenstein came to Moscow and entered the Meyerhold course at the State Higher Director's Workshops.
In 1924 Sergei Eisenstein directed his most successful film, Battleship Potemkin. Critics now refer to this tape as a classic. In all fairness, it should be noted that the director's further creative destiny was successful. Several times Sergei Mikhailovich tried to start a family. He had to marry the journalist and film critic Pere Atasheva twice. The second time the marriage was concluded shortly before the death of the classic in 1948.
