A Russian In Mexico

On Halloween night I figured a non-horror film was in order!



Sergei Eisenstein - Mexican Fantasy (1930-1984)

In 1930 the great Russian filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein arrived in the US. He gave several college lectures and then headed to Hollywood hoping to make a film for Paramount Studios. After a film adaptation of Dreiser’s “An American Tragedy” was scraped and several original films rejected the director probably realized this was not the place for him.

However at the urging of his friend, artist Diego Rivera and fellow filmmaker Robert Flaherty he went to Mexico to begin work on QUE VIVA MEXICO which would encompass not only the modern country and it’s people but it’s entire history. Author Upton Sinclair put up the financing. Eisenstein shot around 100,000 feet of film and had nearly completed the project when Sinclair pulled out. To top it off Stalin called him back to Russia (the dictator was afraid the director might defect). Although the film was suppose to go back with him to Moscow somehow it didn’t and Eisenstein never saw the footage again.

Fortunately the footage survived and was edited together by director Oleg Kovalov into SERGEI EISENSTEIN MEKSILKANSKAYA FANTASIYA (Mexican Fantasy). Kovalova worked from written directions left behind by Eisenstein. He might not have gotten the entire original intent of story correct but it doesn’t really matter too much given the brilliance of what was shot! The footage is beautiful and amazingly photographed. It might remind you a little of Orson Welles’ IT’S ALL TRUE (which like this film was thought lost and then assembled years after Welles’ death). It uses a new soundtrack and sound effects (I think). 

Thanks for reading!