On-campus film series puts focus on Russian cinema

The Weber State Russian Film series debuted Wednesday, Jan. 20 with the 1925 silent film Strike. The series will feature seven films and will run every two weeks throughout the spring semester.
Although six of the seven films are by director Sergei Eisenstein, Dr. Greg Lewis, who is hosting the series, said the movie that inspired the series was Dziga Verton’s Man With a Movie Camera,.
“This will be the fourth film (in the series),” Lewis said. “Man with a Movie Camera would probably best be described as a documentary. It’s described as an experimental film. And literally, the guy in 1929, Vertov, the director, just goes around and films everything he sees in the Soviet Union. He’s got an eye like Eisenstein for the working of modern society.”
Strike depicts a massive strike in a Moscow factory in which the aristocratic factory owner and members of the government dispatch infiltrators to break the unity of the strikers. When that doesn’t work, they allow aggressive police enforcement. Senior Katherine Reeder, an English major and history minor, said she was fascinated with the film.
“I thought the film (had a) really interesting take,” Reeder said. “I’ve studied some of the history of it, I’ve studied some of the strikes, but seeing someone’s take on it made it so much more real. Because you can read it all you want, but there’s something about seeing it on film that makes it so much more alive.”
The turnout was a mix of students, history professors and local non-students. Several of those in attendance participated in the discussion after the film.
“I’ll be here for every one of (these films),” said Reeder, who contributed to the discussion with her love of “all things Russian.”
Dr. Lewis started showing Chinese films 11 years ago, in a semester series format, but this is the first time he is doing Russian films.
“It’s primarily because I found (these Russian films) in China,” Lewis said. “You can find them on the Net, but they’re expensive, plus the fact that Eisenstein is very different, and this early period in Russian film is really overlooked. There is an optimism in the ‘20s with the Soviets that I think (the films) don’t have (because) Stalin hasn’t reared his ugly head.”
Dr. Lewis hopes students will share in the merit of the ideas he’s found in these early films.
“I think part of why we elected (Obama) as president is to say, ‘Let’s go in a new direction,’” Lewis said. “‘Let’s tap into some energy that we haven’t done before.’ And in teaching, I’m begging the kids, you know, just realize your potential. It’s your world. I’m mid-50s; in 10 years I’m out of here. You’re the ones that are going to make the impact over the long run. Not people like us. The world is yours, so let’s go! So I like throwing stuff out there that will maybe catch your attention, your fancy; maybe it doesn’t.”
The next movie that will be shown is The Battleship Potemkin at the Wildcat Theater on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. Calendars of future film schedules will be available at the showings.