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- With art this grand, maybe communism wasn't such a bad idea
- Fun and informative
- A superlative survey of pre-Communist Russian graphics.
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Film Posters of the Russian Avant-Garde (Jumbo)
Susan Pack
Manufacturer: Benedikt Taschen Verlag
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The Art of Noir: THE POSTERS & GRAPHICS FROM THE CLASSICAL ERA OF FILM NOIR
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The Conformist (Extended Edition)
ASIN: 3822889288 |
Customer Reviews:
With art this grand, maybe communism wasn't such a bad idea.......2006-08-18
If you're a graphic designer, you only need browse this excellent book for a moment or two to realize that Russian artists in the 1920's and 30's knew more about how to make a great poster than any American has ever known before or since.
Every poster designer and film buff loves American designer Saul Bass and I'm no exception, but Bass borrowed a lot from these early Russian designers like Rodchenko, and its no wonder--they were an incredible wellspring of creativity. Open any single page in this collection and you'll find a hundred great ideas regarding use of color, perspective, and mixing photography with illustration. Every designer should have this book at hand for reference. Unfortunately many of these early films have been lost or destroyed over time, but one wonders if the best part hasn't been saved--these glorious posters. I can't say enough good things about this book.
Fun and informative.......2001-12-04
I'm not a collector of Russian/Soviet film posters, so all the liner notes could be complete bullocks, but the book is brilliantly large and appears to really want to give the straight story (for instance it gives the title that the artists gave the posters not the movie title associated w/ it). I've only seen a few of the movies it covers so I bought it solely for the art. If you're a fan of the clean Bauhaus style this book is for you.
A superlative survey of pre-Communist Russian graphics........1998-07-14
Susan Pack's overview of the Russian avant-garde film poster, is a visual delight, and a welcome addition to the library of anyone interested in graphic design. This book is a handsome collection of pre-Communist posters from such notable graphic artists as the Stenberg brothers, and Alexander Rodchenko, as well as many other lesser known, yet talented artisans. Anyone familiar with Russian graphics of this period are in for a treat, and those seeing them for the first time will soon become addicted to their graphic impact, and innovative type treatments. A friend I've shown it to has warned me to keep an eye on it, lest it mysteriously disappear!
The book is written to address audiences in English, German, and French.
Book Description
"If
Sculpting in Time could be distilled to a single message, it would be this: Content and conscience must come before technique—for any artist in any art form."
—Los Angeles Times Book Review
Andrey Tarkovsky, the genius of modern Russian cinema—hailed by Ingmar Bergman as "the most important director of our time"—died an exile in Paris in December 1986. In
Sculpting in Time, he has left his artistic testament, a remarkable revelation of both his life and work. Since
Ivan's Childhood won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1962, the visionary quality and totally original and haunting imagery of Tarkovsky's films have captivated serious movie audiences all over the world, who see in his work a continuation of the great literary traditions of nineteenth-century Russia. Many critics have tried to interpret his intensely personal vision, but he himself always remained inaccessible.
In
Sculpting in Time, Tarkovsky sets down his thoughts and his memories, revealing for the first time the original inspirations for his extraordinary films—
Ivan's Childhood, Andrey Rublyov, Solaris, The Mirror, Stalker, Nostalgia, and
The Sacrifice. He discusses their history and his methods of work, he explores the many problems of visual creativity, and he sets forth the deeply autobiographical content of part of his oeuvre—most fascinatingly in
The Mirror and
Nostalgia. The closing chapter on
The Sacrifice, dictated in the last weeks of Tarkovsky's life, makes the book essential reading for those who already know or who are just discovering his magnificent work.
Customer Reviews:
Why bother reading anything else but Tarkovsky's own words on his movies.......2007-07-12
I bought Tarkovsky's book after seeing all of his seven movies. I would highly recommend this book because of its ultimate honesty. Tarkovsky explains simply but powerfully what motivated him for making his movies; he discusses the role of cinema in general and the great responsibility a film director bears for his audience.
Once I read an essay on the Offret (The Sacrifice) where the author wondered why Alexander burnt his house if he loved his family so much. He could have become mute as he promised, etc. but why deprive them from the comfort of their home. It is precisely such remarks which display the complete lack of understanding of Tarkovsky's art that urged me to obtain this book.
A Cinematic Must!.......2006-11-10
Tarkovsky's 'Sculpting in Time' offers a fascinating glimpse into this master's theoretical and poetic approach to his craft. Reading it alongside with 'Time Within Time', his diaries collected, the text casts a new light upon the work and mind of this artist of truth and sacrifice - A true must for art lovers worldwide.
A true inspiration.......2006-10-26
I was introduced to Tarkovsky's work about 20 years ago during my time in film school, and The Sacrifice was the movie that turned me on to his outstanding cinematic legacy. The more I saw, the more I wanted to learn about the artist. Then I came upon Sculpting In Time; a cinematic memoir which has forever changed my life, and my artistic visions.
This book is nothing short of inspirational. I highly recommend it even if you are not familiar with Tarkovsky's work. Each chapter is loving written, eloquently detailed and profoundly insightful on topics such as the importance of sound, story and visual aesthetics in filmmaking. Tarkovsky's ability to, quite literally, sculpt cinematic moments in time in each of his films is nothing short of genius.
Cinema as an Art form.......2006-05-25
"Sculpting in Time" is truly an amazing work of art in its own right. Certainly filmmakers have written books about their artistic styles in the past. Philosophers have written elaborately on the subject of aesthetics as a whole in the past as well. And yet "Sculpting in Time" offers those with aesthetic interests something truly unique.
It should be forewarned that Tarkovsky, like Ingmar Bergman, was heavily interested in aesthetic philosophy. In fact Tarkovsky's ideas regarding art borderline the metaphysical (as this book is often used in higher level philosophy classes), and yet - through the tone in which the book is written - "Sculpting in Time" manages to appeal to the average Tarkovsky or cinema studies fan in such a way that no other aesthetics book has managed.
Tarkovsky's self-written "Sculpting in Time" is an amazing supplement which describes the brilliant filmmaker's use of filmic techniques but also goes a step further by explaining (at great length), why the filmmaker believes those techniques are significant. The value of his tried efforts to create a meaningful work of art directly relate to Tarkovsky's view of art as a whole.
Tarkovsky's views of art are complex and yet are reiterated for the reader so simply they stand out in "Sculpting in Time" like a gem. For instance the underlying theme in Tarkovsky's writing is the idea of an "absolute truth" of art which can be derived a given piece of art. Without giving too much away, Tarkovsky's beliefs, as expressed in his chapter "Imprinted in Time" mostly, is simply that art done for the right reasons - containing some form of objective truth within it - serves to link us (subjective beings), with an "absolute." From that blooms Tarkovsky's entire creative aspect fans of his films know and love him for.
I have to recommend this book to anyone interested in aesthetics, cinema studies, or Tarkovsky. I think this is a nice supplement to have when watching Tarkovsky films as well, so it might just serve to spark the interest in a philosophy buff to check out a few Tarkovsky films! Enjoy!
Instant Light.......2005-01-24
Thames & Hudson have triumphed with what collectors might regard as a limited edition, artist's book.This isn't the place to start chipping into Tarkovsky. It is more the devotee's piece - a touchstone which alludes to the magnificent ediface of his films: all which return the viewer to their world with a deeper, more spacious vision, an expanded present moment. In 'Rubelov','Solaris', 'Stalker', and,'Sacrifice', to name my favourites, he re-invented the epic with sustained inquiries into our transience without heady verbalism or vanity. To grapple with his own thinking about his achievements and how he positioned himself as an artist, one should seek out,'Sculpting In Time,'penned towards the end of his relatively short life. Recently, French documentary-maker, Chris Marker('Sunless') compiled a stunning homage to this Russian cinematic master. Bits of Tarkovsky's aforementioned book, and excerpts from his diaries appear with the reproduced polaroid snaps(the present book's theme)which fall into two geographic zones, Italy & Russia and are bookended with short tributes by two Italian friends. Every effort has been made in layout to convey the darkened atmosphere in which the illuminated materiality of these world's float to the viewer's eye. And in images barely larger than matchboxes this scale has some of the hallucinatory power of his movies. The layout & medium insist on episodic, fragmentary framing. Tarkovsky's films privilege the same exquisite framing with a sensual appetite for textures above narratives that makes us feel newly arrived at a primary experiencing of the world. These polaroids could have served as his flexing towards film projects: even their outtakes.
Book Description
This is the first book to deal exclusively with Russian cinema of the 1990s. It introduces readers to the currents and common interests of contemporary Russian cinema, offers close studies of the work of filmmakers like Sokurov, Muratova and Astrakhan, reviews the Russian film industry in a period of massive economic transformation, and assesses cinema's function as a definer of Russia's new identity.
Amazon.com
"The Battleship Potemkin," "By the Law," "Mother," "Earth," "Man With a Movie Camera," "Alexander Nevsky": Russia and the Soviet Union produced some of the greatest films the world has ever seen. Leyda has written a riveting history of the pioneers and artists who made these films. His acclaimed book tells the story of the industry that spawned them and the revolution that both inspired and crushed them.
Book Description
This history of the turbulent destiny of Kino ("film" in Russian) documents the artistic development of the Russian and Soviet cinema and traces its growth from 1896 to the death of Sergei Eisenstein in 1948. The new Postscript surveys the directions taken by Soviet cinema since the end of World War II. Beginning with the Lumiere filming of the coronation of Tsar Nicholas II, Jay Leyda links Russia's pre-Revolutionary past with its Communist present through the observation of a major cultural phenomenon: the evolution of the Soviet film as an artistic and political instrument. The book contains 150 drawings and photographs and five appendices, including a list of selected Russian and Soviet films from 1907 to the present.
Customer Reviews:
An admirable sum of devotion and constancy!.......2005-12-16
Yesterday evening I received by mail a long and unexpected gift. A golden friend sent me a reproduction of this treasured book. And that 's why I just slept few hours tonight, reading here and there the invaluable and remarkable information around the development of the Russian Cinema.
Jay Leda -his author- worked untiringly during three years around the Schools and Cinematographic Soviet Studies. His tour de force allowed him to explore all the impressive amount of material, never released overseas, and obviously known works in the Western World. He made a vivid and authorized portrait of the artistic trajectory of different filmmakers and their works.
Kino is dedicated to any interested reader about the theme as well the specialist, it has been documented with statements of creators, critics and valuable illustrations, some of them never posted previously. It includes besides, a selected catalogue of premiered films between 1908 and 1958, with interesting details about directors, screenwriters, interpreters
and scenographers.
It is a must buy.
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Kino-Eye: The Writings of Dziga Vertov
Dziga Vertov
Manufacturer: University of California Press
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Binding: Paperback
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Film Form: Essays in Film Theory
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ASIN: 0520056302 |
Book Description
Dziga Vertov was one of the greatest innovators of Soviet cinema. The radical complexity of his work--in both sound and silent forms--has given it a central place within contemporary theoretical inquiry. Vertov's writings, collected here, range from calculated manifestos setting forth his heroic vision of film's potential to dark ruminations on the inactivity forced upon him by the bureaucratization of the Soviet state.
Customer Reviews:
enthusiasm.......2006-03-22
a really good collection of his writings. I couldn't help but enjoy the naive and ideological enthusiam for his vision of filmmaking, especially when considering the box office rubbish that gets churned out every week. this book is ideal for anyone interested in film from that era or who has strong ideas about how to make films
Customer Reviews:
Great Book on Great Cinema.......2006-11-05
As a big fan of Russian, Japanese and French cinema this valuable book helps fill the void, at least in Russian Cinema.
Some great names here and lesser known artists. The study of the films are candid and uncompromising...yet Mr. Gillespie gives a very solid and balanced account.
Many Russian classics are shot in Black and White and have a style all their own. Most are very surprising to Western audiences in that they break tabboo's often considered common. Read the book and then try to see the films...you shall be plesantly surprised...and deeply moved.
Book Description
For departments of Russian offering courses in Russian language and conversation at the Intermediate to Advanced level, or survey of Russian cinema in Russian.
This two-volume series presents fourteen films in historical order. Each chapter focuses on one film and includes assignments for students ranging from Intermediate to Advanced Plus proficiency according to the ACTFL guidelines. The books have a modular structure that allows instructors to select the films according to the students' interests and goals of the class. The books can be used on their own as textbooks or to provide supplemental materials for classes at various levels. While the books' main purpose is the development of students' conversational skills, each chapter also includes texts for reading comprehension and exercises that focus on the acquisition of written skills and grammatical accuracy.
Average customer rating:
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Russian War Films: On the Cinema Front, 1914-2005
Denise J. Youngblood
Manufacturer: University Press of Kansas
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0700614893 |
Book Description
War movies have long been the most influential genre in Russian cinema, so much so that in the Soviet Union's militaristic society, "cinema front" was used to describe the film industry itself. Denise J. Youngblood, an internationally recognized authority on Russian and Soviet cinema, provides the first comprehensive guide to this long-neglected genre.
Youngblood explores more than 160 fiction films on Russian conflicts from World War I to Chechnya. These movies represent a wide range of cinematic styles and critical receptions. While not ignoring classic war films like Chapaev and The Cranes Are Flying, Youngblood introduces readers to the films that shaped and reflected Soviet views of war, like the rousing World War II favorite Two Warriors, the Thaw classic The Living and the Dead, and the Brezhnevian extravaganza Liberation. This remarkably humanistic body of work was often at odds with official policies and depicted the futility of war. Youngblood is especially insightful regarding the relationship between Stalinism, Socialist Realism, and filmmakers in creating the war film genre during an era marked by increasing militarization, conformism, and state terror and by the importance of cinema in the World War II propaganda effort. Stalin's obsession with movies led to the "revisioning" of his role in the Civil War and the "Great Patriotic War."
Yet, Youngblood argues, Soviet filmmakers were not mere puppets of repressive regimes. Indeed, some filmmakers subtly subverted official politics and history in the guise of art or Hollywood-style entertainment. She brings the story to the present by showing how post-Soviet Russian filmmakers have not only turned a critical eye on the recent wars in Afghanistan and Chechnya but are also revisiting the complex realities of World War II.
Youngblood tells a fascinating story that will appeal equally to film aficionados and history buffs. By tracing the evolution of cinema through the twists and turns of both Soviet and post-Soviet society, she helps us understand the role movies played in 20th-century Russia, not only in the making and unmaking of political myths but also in the "writing" of history.
Book Description
The story of Soviet film in the period covered by Peter Kenez is central to the history of world cinema. The author explores the roots of Soviet cinema in the film heritage of pre-Revolutionary Russia; the changes in content, style, technical means, and production capacities generated by the Revolution of 1917; the constraints on form and subject imposed from the 1930s in the name of Socialist Realism; the relative freedom of expression accorded to film-makers during World War Two; and the extraordinary repression during the final years of the Stalin era.
Customer Reviews:
An Essential Book on Soviet Cinema.......2002-08-05
Anyone who wants to understand the movies of the Soviet Union should start with this book. It is very thorough and written in a lively, bright style that is free of academic jargon.
Kenez begins with the pre-Revolutionary film industry and shows how it broke down and was built back up by the Soviets. He pays equal attention to the "high art" films that were famous in the West for decades (those of Eisenstein and Pudovkin) and the entertainment films that attracted the average Soviet citizen (such as the musical comedies of the 1930s, like "Volga-Volga.") He shows how Soviet movies responded to the imposition of Socialist Realism, World War II, and the cultural freeze of the late Stalin era.
The only problem with this book is that it is TOO SHORT. Upon reaching the end, the reader wants to see Kenez tackle the films of the Khrushchev Thaw and the Brezhnev era. However, one should be thankful for what one has, and in this volume, one has a truly indispensible book.
Product Description
Each of this two-volume series presents seven films in historical order. Each chapter focuses on one film and includes assignments ranging from Intermediate to Advanced Plus proficiency according to the ACTFL guidelines. The modular structure allows instructors to select the films according to the studentsÂ’ interests and course goals, as textbooks or as supplemental materials for classes at various levels. While the booksÂ’ main purpose is to development conversation skills, each chapter includes texts for reading comprehension and exercises that focus on the acquisition of written skills and grammatical accuracy. For departments of Russian offering courses in Russian language and conversation at the Intermediate to Advanced level, or survey of Russian cinema in Russian.
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