Sergei Eisenstein's Montage

Sergei Eisenstein's theory of montage involves the combining of fragmental shots of film into intellectual series and contexts. How the fragments combine and are formed is the essence of his notion of montage by conflict. This theory challenges traditional narrative movies because it involves taking an idea and recombining broken fragments in an incongruent way to produce new ideas, and occasional shocks. As a result, montage reflects more on community because it requires a wider …

…shot is taken showing one revolutionary citizen without legs mixed with shots of the troops. Wider range of images used may create bigger conflicts, thus communicating a broader concept--broad enough to become symbols. Again, time and space are limitless as Carl Reisz evaluates Eisenstein: "He envisaged that experiments along these lines would lead towards a purely intellectual film, freed from traditional limitations, achieving direct forms for ideas, systems and concepts, without any need for transitions."