Lev Kuleshov(1899-1970)was the first aesthetic theorist of the cinema. An outstanding figure in the "montage" school, both as thinker and practitioner, her was a key influence on Eisenstein and Pudovkin, and through them on all film theorists since. Kuleshov was the first to see clearly that montage - the assemblage and alternation of shots - was the very essence and structure of cinematic expression, often overriding the significance of the content of the shots themselves.

Deriving his insights from close study of American films (particularly D.W.Griffith's) Kuleshov used his experience in pre-revolutionary Russian films and his wartime efforts in Soviet documentaries to conduct experiments in film acting and montage.

This book contains essays on both the theoretical and practical sides of filmmaking.

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ESSAYS:

Americanitis

The Question of the Film Repertory

Handiwork

Will...Tenacity...Eye

Why I Am Not Working

David Griffith and Charlie Chaplin

The Rehearsal Method

Our First Experiences

Address to the Union of Soviet Film Workers

The Principles of Montage

In Maloi Gnezdnikovsky Lane

On the Red Front