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Eisenstein’a Amerika’dan gönderilen “yoldaş” – Ali Polat, Engin Kurtay

Istanbul Institute of
Russian and Sovietic Studies

Bu makale daha önce yayımladığımız “Sergei Eisenstein’ı anlamak” başlıklı ana makaleye ikinci ektir. Ana makalenin Türkçe versiyonunu teknik bir arıza nedeniyle sunamıyoruz, İngilizce’siyle idare edin.


“Avant-garde dedikleri bu mu?”

“ya da Ortaçağ keşişinin modern versiyonu mu ?…”

Eisenstein’ın 1933’te depresyon tedavisi için akıl hastanesine kapatıldığını ifade eden Marie Seton, bu depresyonun nedenini Meksika projesini tamamlayamamış olmanın üzüntüsüne yorarken yine gerçeğin sadece bir kısmını – yarattığı Eisenstein efsanesiyle uyumlu, kitlelere yedirip yutturabileceği kısmını – dile getirmektedir. Biz ise Eisenstein’ın Meksika’dayken eşcinselliğinin ifşa olması nedeniyle hastaneye kapatıldığını düşünüyoruz, çünkü Stalin dönemi devlet bakışı eşcinselliği hastalık olarak görmektedir. Upton Sinclair‘ın projeyi durdurması ve Eisenstein’ı kovmasının nedeni ise, aylar boyu yaptığı çekimlerde 61 km negatif yakmasına rağmen izlenebilir bir ürün çıkaramaması, üstüne üstlük rehberiyle ilişkisinin ifşa olması ve Sinclair’den hortumladıkları parayla ekibin böyle bohem bir hayat sürmesinin Upton’ın eşi Marie Craig Sinclair‘in sabrını taşırmasıdır. Continue reading “Eisenstein’a Amerika’dan gönderilen “yoldaş” – Ali Polat, Engin Kurtay”

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The “comrade” sent to Eisenstein from USA – Ali Polat, Engin Kurtay

Istanbul Institute of
Russian and Sovietic Studies

2nd Appendix to our article “Understanding the prodigy of Sergei Eisenstein”


“or Middle Ages monk ?…”

Marie Seton relates the depression of Eisenstein to not being able to complete Sinclair’s project in Mexico. Marie Seton’s evaluation, however, expresses only some part of the truth – the part that is compatible with the Eisenstein myth she created, making it convenient to be told to the masses. The reason why Upton Sinclair stopped the project and fired Eisenstein was the exposure of Eisenstein’s relationship with his guide. This disclosure was the last drop. Upton’s wife, Marie Craig Sinclair got off at half-cock seeing Eisenstein’s bohemian life without being able to produce any piece of viewable film having spent months for burning thousands of meters of negatives. Continue reading “The “comrade” sent to Eisenstein from USA – Ali Polat, Engin Kurtay”

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Was “Bezhin Meadow” a test bringing Shumyatsky and Babel to execution? – Ali Polat, Engin Kurtay

Istanbul Institute of
Russian and Sovietic Studies

1st Appendix to our article “Understanding the prodigy of Sergei Eisenstein”

In 1925 The film Potemkin Battleship of Sergei Eisenstein + Grigory Alexandrov was only shown in Moscow in just one cinema and only for a week. People were not interested. The Bolshevik government did not support the film even though it was its own orders. The film was removed to storage. Then, with the intervention of Mayakovsky, the negatives were taken from the depot and sent to Berlin. The famous German director Piel Jutzi was commissioned to re-trim the 45 km long negatives to reform a viewable 1.7 km movie. With an international PR work, the film was shown in Berlin on December 17, 1926 with the participation of Hollywood celebrities like Douglas Fairbanks Sr., Mary Pickford and embassies, consuls from various countries. In the days following this glaze in Berlin, the film was introduced as a masterpiece of art and Sergei Eisenstein as a genius all over the world, with the coordinated publications of the American and British press. Continue reading “Was “Bezhin Meadow” a test bringing Shumyatsky and Babel to execution? – Ali Polat, Engin Kurtay”