Giuseppe De Santis

Soviet documentary film about Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein, filmed for the 60th anniversary of his birth.

The film uses materials from the State Film Fund. link
The film includes shots: fragments of S. Eisenstein’s films – “Strike”, “Battleship Potemkin”, “October”, “Old and New”, “Alexander Nevsky”, “Ivan”, “Long Live Mexico!”, “Dream” ; interview with film director G.V. Alexandrova about working with S.M. Eisenstein in Mexico; portraits: S.M. Eisenstein, E. Tisse, assistants S.M. Eisenstein: Levshina, Antonova, Gomorova, Straukh, Aleksandrov; film director S. Eisenstein among the students of VGIK, among his friends, on the set of M. Romm’s film “Dream”, at work at home; the interior of S. Eisenstein’s apartment; composer S. Prokofiev with S. Eisenstein on the set of the film “Ivan the Terrible”; drawings by S. Eisenstein.

1961 – Prize at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in ScotlandRead More »

Quote:
Giorni di Gloria has been called “the first documentary on the Resistance” (Antonio Vitti) and “the most revolutionary film in existence” (Paolo Gobetti). I prefer the film’s own dedication:

«A tutti coloro che in Italia hanno sofferto e combattuto l´oppressione nazifascista è dedicato questo film di lotta partigiana e di rinascita nazionale»

“For all those in Italy who have suffered and fought Nazi oppression, this film is dedicated to the partisan struggle and national rebirth.”

The film is raw, brutal, humane, outraged and unflagging in its celebration of resistance in the service of political justice. The photography – credited to a dozen cinematographers, including Gianni Di Venanzo’s first film credit – is starkly beautiful.Read More »