Sergei Eisenstein

22 January 1898 – 11 February 1948

Sergei Eisenstein was a Soviet film director and film theorist, a pioneer in the theory and practice of montage. His silent films Battleship Potemkin and October, along with theoretical writings on editing, made him one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema.

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Lived at the same time

Well-documented people whose lives overlapped with Sergei Eisenstein.

Life events

Born in Riga, Russian Empire
22 January 1898

Eisenstein was born in Riga in present-day Latvia to a middle-class family.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Studied engineering in Petrograd
1915

He studied civil engineering and architecture before turning to theatre and film.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Released Strike
1925

His feature debut applied montage theory to depict a workers' strike.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Released Battleship Potemkin
21 December 1925

The film, featuring the famous Odessa Steps sequence, became a landmark of world cinema.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Traveled to the West and Mexico
1929 – 1932

Eisenstein toured Europe and the United States and began the unfinished film Que Viva Mexico!.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Released Alexander Nevsky
1938

His first sound film, with a score by Sergei Prokofiev, won the Stalin Prize.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Released Ivan the Terrible, Part I
1944

The first part of his historical epic won a Stalin Prize.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Ivan the Terrible, Part II banned
1946

The second part was suppressed by Soviet authorities and not released until 1958.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Died in Moscow
11 February 1948

Eisenstein died of a heart attack at age 50.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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