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Iskusstvo kino i montazh fil’ma : Opyt vvedeniia v teoriiu i estetiku kino [i.e. Film Art and Film Editing : Experience in Introducing into Theory and Aesthetics of Films]

Timoshenko, S.

Leningrad: Academia, 1926. Item #1578

75, [4] pp., 2 ills. 18,5x14 cm. In original illustrated wrappers. Covers and spine slightly restored and soiled, otherwise very good and clean copy.
One of 5100 copies. An excellent book on fifteen most common methods of Western and Soviet film editing. According to a catalog of Academia books, the cover design and photomontage inserts are created by Vladimir Izenberg (1895—1969). Born to a family of Russian sculptor Konstantin Izenberg, Vladimir followed his craft and was a restorer of father’s monuments much later, but also embarked on book design. In 1926-1927, Vladimir Izenberg contributed to books of the Academia publishing house four times, also designing monographs on dances “Rhythm and Dance Culture”, “Giselle” and “La Sylphide”. Apart from that, he illustrated Osip Mandelstam’s “Kitchen” (1926) published by the Raduga publishing house.
For this edition, Izenberg produced four photomontage compositions dedicated to filmmakers and details of pictures. The first one is about Soviet directors of an avant-garde period, including Sergei Eisenstein, Lev Kuleshov, Ivan Perestiani, Pyotr Chardynin, Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg [as leaders FEKS], but also the author of this book, Semyon Timoshenko. The rest three compositions were made on figures of Western films: DeMille, Chaplin, Stroheim, Gance, et al.
The text is compiled by filmmaker Semyon Timoshenko (1899-1958). In 1918 he attended Vsevolod Meyerhold’s workshop, then he graduated from directors courses at the theater department of the People’s Commissariat for Education in Petrograd. In 1919-1924 he served as an actor and scriptwriter, wrote many plays and miniatures. He participated in the production of mass folk performances and led drama clubs. Since 1925, he had been a director of the Sevzapkino film studio [later Lenfilm]. Timoshenko directed social dramas commissioned by the state for ten years. In the 1930s, he became known for popular comedies based on his own scripts. In the early 1940s he initiated a genre of concert films in Soviet cinematography. His most widespread work is the comedy “Heavenly Slug” (1945) which was filmed during the Great Patriotic War. In 1942, the only popular role of Timoshenko as an actor appeared. Evacuated as others to Alma-Ata, he was offered by Eisenstein to play a Livonian ambassador in the film Ivan the Terrible.
All fifteen film editing methods are listed and analyzed in a chapter “Techniques for Sequencing and Alternating Cuts”. As exemplary and interesting in film editing, the author mentioned pictures ‘Intolerance’, ‘Orphans of the Storm’, ‘Way Down East’ by D. Griffith, ‘The Death Ray’ by L. Kuleshov, ‘Strike’ and ‘Battleship Potemkin’ by S. Eisenstein, ‘The Street’ by K. Grune, ‘Dr. Mabuse the Gambler’ and ‘Die Nibelungen’ by F. Lang, ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’ by R. Wiene. Also, the book includes chapters “The Economy of Perception”, “The Rhythm of Editing and Formal Study Method”, “Credits”.

Worldcat shows copies located in MoMA, University of Southern California, Margaret Herrick Library.

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