Chronology of Soviet Montage Movement (1924-1930)

1917 – February: Tsar Nicholas II is overthrown; the provisional government is established.

            October: The Bolshevik Revolution. Take year to develop national film industry. Private companies resist nationalization- doesn’t supply government theaters, etc.

1918 – Narkompros (the People’s Commissariat of education) takes charge of regulating the film industry.

July: State Commission of Education- restricts sale of film stock- private companies hoard stock.

1919 – August: Nationalization of the film industry, Foundation of the State Film School.

1920 – Lev Kuleshov joins the State Film School and forms his workshop.

            Sergie Eisenstien (Engineer) (works at propaganda delivery in civil war), starts workers theatre-1920 Vsevolod Pudovkin (Chemist), acting debut in play put on by STATE FILM SCHOOL.

            ALL inspired by DW Griffith- Intolerance/BirthofANation (Fairbanks and Pickford), films that kept circulating because of small Russian output.

            None of MONTAGE school where important film makers of PRE-REVOLUTION.

The Influence of Soviet Montage in "Hanna"

According to Eisenstein, there are 5 types of montage: Metric, Rhythmic, Tonal, Overtonal and Intellectual montage. In “Hanna”, the director has used the elements of overtonal montage and intellectual in the movie.

Overtonal montage element occur the scene where Hanna was in the hotel. When Hanna walks into the hotel room, she is curious with the electronic devices such as light tubes, kettle, television, fan and etc.  She plays around with the light switch, the hotel manager switch on the television and kettle for her. Hanna touch the kettle when the water is boiled but the surface of the kettle is hot and Hanna gets scald. She tries to close the kettle but she unable to close it, then she start panic because all the electronic devices are out of control. The director use overtonal montage which he cuts the shots of spinning fan, ringing phone, boiling kettle, shower tap and other irrelevant moving object such as helicopter, armies (which showing on television) to show out Hanna’s feeling of panic, anxiety and nervous.

The second montage style be used in this movie is intellectual montage. Hanna accidentally gets her DNA report which stated her has abnormal DNA and this make her confuse with her own background. She went to the internet café to online and checks the information about DNA.

The scene shows that the keywords -“DNA” follow by other words such as “interference” and “intervention into mothers uterus”, it helps audience to related those terms and inference Hanna’s background.  The visual which conduct a series of pictures related to the human experiment, for example experimental rat, DNA chart, a experiment process of test tube inject into cell and state “unsanctioned by scientific community”, a drawing which a bird monster eating a human and birds fly out from human anus, human testing about genetic, finger prints, human development graph and baby born short clips. The elements mention above is to summarize the background of Hanna and shows Hanna carry different DNA with normal people.

Besides, Hanna also search the name of her dad – ‘Erik Heller’, the result of her searching shows that he is related to Hanna’s mother murder cases. The iris of Hanna’s father (Erik) is different form Hanna’s iris. It shows that Hanna has different DNA with her father and she might not biological relations.

Another montage that use by the director is on the scene after Hanna turns on the signal decoder device, then it cut to the scene of Marissa’s bedroom. In the scene it shows Marissa is freshen up herself then it cut back again to Hanna’s house.

Some significant montage that can found in this movie is the scene which shows the soldiers come to Hanna’s house to arrest Erik. There are intercut shots between the close up of Hanna’s eye and a group of soldiers coming towards her house.     

Film Analysis-Hanna 2011

Hanna is a 16 years old girl. But her living influences her so much. From the beginning scene, she is hunting an antelope. Not all the girl can slaughter a huge animal like she does. What she does was taught by his father-Erik Heller. That is the reason she knew few languages and she good in fighting and shooting. She was prepared to help Erik to kill. (Thomas Caldwell,2011)  

Screen shot 1          

Screen shot 1 showing the setting which reflecting the place they are living. It’s empty. Look at the snow, Erik walks in straight line. Hanna is beside him at the first but then she turns and walks in circle which around him. From this particular scene, we could see how the story will go on. The straight line reflected they are living together and they have the same mind set. When the circle starts which Hanna goes out from the wilderness she will be the one who helps Erick. Yes, to kill Merissa. Focus on Erik, he forward the sun. This means he has a hope to achieve which quite far from the place he stays. Hanna, she stands behide him. She looks at him all the way because he is the one she relies on and the one she trust the most. This is respect as a daughter of him.

Characteristic of Soviet Montage

1. Montage editing


Montage editing is emphasizes dynamic and discontinuous relationship in between two different shot. This editing style was developed by the Soviet filmmaker of the 1920s such as Pudovkin, Vertov and Eisenstein. In montage editing, juxtaposition is apply in the film to present the compress narrative film. Juxtaposition is refers to two different shots that have been joined together to make a contrast. Montage editing is classified into five categories:

(a) Metric montage - In metric montage, the shots are joined together according to their absolute lengths of the pieces, in a formula-scheme corresponding to a measure of music

(b) Rhythm montage - It is determining the lengths of the pieces, the content within the frame is a factor possessing equal rights to consideration. Abstract determination of the piece-lengths gives way to a flexible relationship of the actual lengths. It is movement within the frame that impels the montage movement from frame to frame. Such movements within the frame may be of objects in motion, or of the spectator's eye directed along the lines of some immobile object.

(c) Tonal montage - The movement is perceived in a wider sense. The concept of movement embraces all affects of the montage piece. Here montage is based on the characteristic emotional sound of the piece-of its dominant. The general tone of the piece. Besides, working with combinations of varying degrees of soft-focus or varying degrees of "shrillness" would be

a typical use of tonal montage.

(d) Overtonal montage - Intellectual montage is montage not of generally physiological overtonal sounds, but of sounds and overtones of an intellectual sort: i.e., conflict-juxtaposition of accompanying intellectual affects.

(e) Intellectual montage - The intellectual montage will be that which resolves the conflict-juxtaposition of the physiological and intellectual overtones. By using intellectual montage which puts ideas together (A + B = C)

The best example to explain all kind of montage is from the film of Battleship Potemkin, a silent film directed by Sergei Eisensten. This is a most influential films ever made as well as one of the finest examples of film art.

*Silent film: The ideal of silent film begins because during that period great portions of the masses were illiterate and spoke in different dialects.