Lev Kuleshov
Encyclopedia
Lev Vladimirovich Kuleshov was a Soviet film
maker and film theorist
who taught at and helped establish the world's first film school (the Moscow Film School).
— developing his theories of editing before those of Sergei Eisenstein
(briefly a student of Kuleshov) and Vsevolod Pudovkin
. For Kuleshov, the essence of the cinema was editing, the juxtaposition of one shot with another. To illustrate this principle, he created what has come to be known as the Kuleshov Experiment
. In this now-famous editing exercise, shots of an actor were intercut with various meaningful images (a casket, a bowl of soup, and so on) in order to show how editing changes viewers' interpretations of images.
In addition to his theoretical work, Kuleshov was an active director of feature-length films until 1943. Since 1943 Kuleshov was serving as the academic rector
of Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography
.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
maker and film theorist
Film theory
Film theory is an academic discipline that aims to explore the essence of the cinema and provides conceptual frameworks for understanding film's relationship to reality, the other arts, individual viewers, and society at large...
who taught at and helped establish the world's first film school (the Moscow Film School).
Career
Kuleshov may well be the very first film theorist as he was a leader in Soviet montage theorySoviet montage theory
Soviet montage theory is an approach to understanding and creating cinema that relies heavily upon editing...
— developing his theories of editing before those of 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"...
(briefly a student of Kuleshov) and Vsevolod Pudovkin
Vsevolod Pudovkin
Vsevolod Illarionovich Pudovkin was a Russian and Soviet film director, screenwriter and actor who developed influential theories of montage...
. For Kuleshov, the essence of the cinema was editing, the juxtaposition of one shot with another. To illustrate this principle, he created what has come to be known as the Kuleshov Experiment
Kuleshov Effect
The Kuleshov Effect is a film editing effect demonstrated by Russian filmmaker Lev Kuleshov in the 1910s and 1920s.-Specifics of the Kuleshov effect:...
. In this now-famous editing exercise, shots of an actor were intercut with various meaningful images (a casket, a bowl of soup, and so on) in order to show how editing changes viewers' interpretations of images.
In addition to his theoretical work, Kuleshov was an active director of feature-length films until 1943. Since 1943 Kuleshov was serving as the academic rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography
Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography
The Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography All-Russian State University of Cinematography named after S. A. Gerasimov), VGIK for short, is a film school in Moscow, Russia.-History:...
.
Filmography
| Year | English Title | Russian Title | Notes |
| 1918 | The Project of Engineer Prite | Проект инженера Прайта | |
| 1919 | An Unfinished Love Song | Песнь любви недопетая | |
| 1920 | On the Red Front | На красном фронте | short; film is lost |
| 1924 | 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:... |
Необычайные приключения мистера Веста в стране большевиков | |
| 1925 | The Death Ray | Луч смерти | |
| 1926 | Locomotive No. 10006 | Паровоз No. 10006 | |
| 1926 | By the Law | По закону | |
| 1927 | Your Acquaintance | Ваша знакомая (Журналистка) | |
| 1929 | The Merry Canary | Веселая канарейка | |
| 1929 | Two-Buldi-Two | Два-бульди-два | co-directed with Nina Agadzhanova |
| 1931 | Forty Hearts | Сорок сердец | |
| 1932 | The Horizon | Горизонт | |
| 1933 | The Great Consoler The Great Consoler The Great Consoler is a 1933 drama film directed by Lev Kuleshov and starring Konstantin Khokhlov. -Cast:* Konstantin Khokhlov - Bill Porter* Ivan Novoseltsev - Jim Valentine - aka Ralph D. Spenser* Vasili Kovrigin - Warden... |
Великий утешитель | |
| 1934 | Dokhunda | Дохунда | |
| 1940 | The Siberians | Сибиряки | |
| 1941 | Incident on a Volcano | Случай в вулкане | |
| 1942 | Timour's Oath | Клятва Тимура | |
| 1943 | We from the Urals We from the Urals We from the Urals is a 1943 Soviet film directed by Lev Kuleshov and Aleksandra Khokhlova.-Cast:* Aleksei Konsovsky - Kuzia Zavarin* Yanina Zhejmo - Vera Zavarina* Sergei Filippov - Specialized worker* Aleksandr Mikhajlov - Vania Tomakurov... |
Мы с Урала |
Awards and honours
- People's Artist of the RSFSR, 1969.
- Order of LeninOrder of LeninThe Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union...
- Order of the Red Banner of LabourOrder of the Red Banner of LabourThe Order of the Red Banner of Labour was an order of the Soviet Union for accomplishments in labour and civil service. It is the labour counterpart of the military Order of the Red Banner. A few institutions and factories, being the pride of Soviet Union, also received the order.-History:The Red...
Further reading
- Kuleshov, Lev. Kuleshov on Film, translated and edited, with an introduction by Ronald Levaco. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1974.