The essays in this volume were first presented as papers at the ‘Eisenstein at 90’ conference, held at Keble College, Oxford in July 1988, to mark the opening of the touring exhibition Eisenstein: His Life and Work at the Museum of Modern Art, Oxford. This exhibition was organised by David Elliott, Director of the Museum of Modern Art, Oxford, and Ian Christie, then Head of Distribution at the British Film Institute, in association with the USSR Union of Cinematographers and with support from Visiting Arts and the Arts Council of Great Britain. Naum Kleiman, curator of the Eisenstein Archive, Moscow, served as consultant and Richard Taylor as historical adviser.
Thanks are due to all who participated in the conference, including those whose contributions have not been included in the present volume, and to the chairs of conference sessions: Bernard Eisenschitz, David Elliott, the late Maria Enzensberger, Geoffrey Nowell-Smith and Peter Wollen. Generous assistance with organising the conference was provided by the late D.J.Wenden, then Bursar of All Souls, and by Anthony Smith, President of Magdalen. Natasha Ward ably interpreted for the Russian-speaking participants.
Ian Christie also wishes to thank Penelope Houston, former editor of Sight and Sound, for commissioning the article ‘Eisenstein at 90’, on which the introduction to this book is based; and Melanie Tebb, for expert help with the complex communications that editing this collection has involved. Robert Christie provided working space when it was needed and help with references. Much more than thanks are due to Patsy Nightingale, who encouraged, supported and kept other commitments going throughout the whole trajectory that led from planning the exhibition and conference to seeing this book completed.
Richard Taylor would like to thank his family and friends for their usual moral support, and the Department of Politics, University of Swansea, for providing financial and secretarial assistance.
Many Eisenstein photographs and film stills exist in versions of widely differing quality in a number of archives and collections. We have tried to find the best versions, drawing mainly on the resources of BFI Stills, Posters and Designs, but supplementing this with items taken from S. Eizenshtein, Risunki (Moscow: 1961); S.M.Eisenstein. Dibujos Mexicanos Ineditos (Mexico City: 1978); Eisenstein at Work (New York: 1982/ London: 1985) and the GDR edition of the memoirs, YO! Ich selbst (Berlin: 1987). Other pictures and frame enlargements are from the collections of the authors and editors. Stills from Eisenstein’s films appear by kind permission of Contemporary Films. Drawings and personal memorabilia reproduced by courtesy of the Union of Cinematographers/Central State Archive of Literature and Art (TsGALI).