OCTOBER,1946 301 audienceforJoyceandJamesandProustandEliot.The"con- tradictionsofcapitalism,"thatbourgeoisanarchyatwhich generationsofMarxistsrailed,nowturnoutinourpresent ghastlyperiodtohavetheiradvantages.Forinthekindof societythathasdevelopedinRussia,therearenocrannies, nocontradictions,noconflictingforces—atleastnoneofa growthsturdyenoughtogive sheltertotheartist.Thereis onlyoneculture,oneconceptionofart,onecriterionof tasteandachievement;andif,assemstobefatallythecase, theonestandardisthatofFrickreadingthe Satevepost (withouttheRembrandt),thenthemostdignifiedwayoutforthe artistisMayakovsky's. ThebestillustrationIknowofthisgeneralizationisthe careerofSergeiEisenstein,inmyopinionandnotonlymine —thegreatestmasterthecinemahasyetproduced. Ihave writenagooddealabouttheearlierphasesofEisenstein's tragiccareer*andanywaythegeneraloutlinesarewell- known.MypointhereisthatEisensteinhasmadeeverypossibleefforttoadapthistalentstotheusesrequiredofthem; henotonlycapitulatedandkeptoncapitulatinginthemost cynicalandshamelessway,butheactivelyatackedthe estheticprinciplesonwhichhisgreatfilmsarefounded(see hisbook, TheFilmSense, publishedoverherein1942)and lenthisprestigetosuchpoliticalmaneuversasthe N. Y. Times ofFebruary19,1940,reported,duringtheNazi- Sovietpact:"SergeiEisenstein,oneofthemostprominent Sovietfilmdirectors,todaylaunchedaSoviet-Germancul- turalcooperationprogramovertheCominternRadioStation. BroadcastingespecialytoGermany,Mr.Eisensteinsaidthat friendlyRussian-Germanrelationsestablishedlastyearformed asolidbasis'forincreasedculturalcooperationbetweenthe twogreatpeoples.'" ThetremendoussignificanceofEisenstein'spost-1929ca- reeristhat,inspiteofallhisefortstoproducethekindof artthebureaucracywanted,hehasbeenunabletodoso.Be- tweenhislastgreatfilm, OldandNew, whichappearedin 1929justastheStalinregimewasconsolidatingitspower, andthepresent,hehasbegunnumerousprojectswhichhave cometonothing,hasdoneafirstdraftofonefilm, Bezhin Meadow, whichwasdestroyedbytheauthoritiesbeforeit waspubliclyexhibited,andhascompletedjusttwofilms: AlexanderNevsky (1938)andthefirstpartofaprojected trilogy, IvantheTerrible (1946). Ihaveseen Nevsky, and itismyjudgementthat it isabadmovie,andforreasons directlyconnectedwiththepoliticsoftheKremlin;itseemed tomeatthetime"astatickindofmasqueorpageant,slowpaced,devoidofanycontentotherthanaposter-likekindof patriotism,andquiteconventionalinitscinematictechnique."Montage,thebasicprincipleofcinema,whichinthe twentiesEisenstein,Pudovkin,DovzenkoandtheotherRussiandirectorstookoverfromD.W.Griffithandmadethe cornerstoneoftheirart,in Nevsky hasdegeneratedtoaHollywoodlevel;thefilmhasbecomeagainsimplyaphoto- graphedstageplay. Ivan soundslikethesamekindofthing, fromtheaccountsof it in Time (April1)and LesTemps Modernes(June). ThereasonswhytheRussianbureaucracyobjectedto montage,whichisanexpressionof"formalist"tendenciesin thecinema,aretoocomplextogointohere;thecuriousare *Seethethree-partstudy,"TheSovietCinema,1930-1938"in Partisan Review forJuly,1938;August-September,1938;andWinter,1939.Also: "TheEisensteinTra_giedy," PsrtisanReview, November-December,1942. BibliotecaGnoBianco WELLDONE,THOUGOOD ANDFAITHFULSERVANT! ASTwinterMichaelIvanovitchKalinindied.Hewasamedio- 4 critywhoformanyyearssuccessfulyfilledthepostof PresidentoftheSovietUnion.Hissuccesswasduetotwoqualities (asidefromhismediocrity):(1)helookedlikeatypicalpeasant, and(2)heknewhowtokeephismouthshut. AccordingtotheJuly2issueof"Trud,"theorganoftheAllUnionCentralCouncilofSovietTradeUnions,theCouncilofMin- istershasdecreedthatthefollowingmeasuresshalbetakento keepgreenthememoryofMichaelIvanovitchKalinin: I.ErectmonumentstoMichaelIvanovitchKalinininMoscow, Leningrad,andKalinin. 2.Changethenamesof (a)KonigsbergtoKaliningrad,andKonigsbergProvinceto KalininProvince; (b)KrasnogvardeiskydistrictofLeningradtoKalinindistrict; (c)KrasnopakhorskydistrictofMoscowProvincetoKalinin distri (cdt; )KolpinskydistrictofTalinntoKalinindistrict. 3.GivethenameofMichaelIvanovitchKalininto (a)theTalinnlocomotiverepairshops(whereKalininworked inexile),whichhenceforthshalbeknownastheMichaelIvan- ovitchKalininTallinnLocomotiveRepairShops; (b)theAltaitractorworksinRubtsovsk,whichhenceforth shalbeknownastheMichaelIvanovitchKalininAltaiTractor Work( sc; )themachineryplantinPodolsk,intheMoscowdistrict, whichhenceforthshalbeknownastheMichaelIvanovitchKalinin PodolskMachineryPlant. 4.GivethenameofMichaelIvanovitchKalininto (a)theHigherMilitaryPedagogicalInstitute,whichhenceforthshalbeknownastheMichaelIvanovitchKalininHigher MilitaryPedagogicalInstitute; (b)theSecondGuardsRifleTamanskyRedBannerDivisionof theOrderofSuvoro-v,whichshalhenceforthbeknownasthe MichaelIvanovitchKalininSecondGuardsRifleTamanskyRed BannerDivisionoftheOrderofSuvorov. 5.Publishin1947-8 (a)thecompleteworksofMichaelIvanovitchKalinin; (b)theauthorizedbiographyofMichaelIvanovitchKalinin; (c)anartisticalbumdepictingthelifeandworkofMichael IvanovitchKalinin. (It isthedutyoftheMarx-Engels-LeninInstitutetoprepare thematerialsandtopublishtheworksofMichaelIvanovich Ka6 li . nC i hn a .) ngethenameofVozdvizhenkaStreetinMoscowtoKalininStreet. 7.Establish40MichaelIvanovitchKalininscholarshipsof500 rubleseach,supplementarytotheexistingones,foroutstanding studentsinthefolowinginstitutions:theLomonosavStateUniversityinMoscow(10);theTimiryazevAgriculturalAcademy(15); theMichaelIvanovitchKalininStatePedagogicalInstituteinKalinin (5);theLeninInstituteofRailroadTransportEngineersinTiflis (4);thePolytechnicalInstituteinTallinn(3); theKazakState University(3). 8.CreateaMichaelIvanovitchKalininMuseuminMoscow,reflectingthelifeandworkofMichaelIvanovitchKalinin. 9.InstructtheExecutiveCommiteesoftheMoscowandLenin- gradMunicipalCouncils,theExecutiveCommiteesoftheMoscow andKalininProvincialCouncils,andtheCouncilofMinistersof theGeorgianandEstonianSovietSocialistRepublicstosetup memorialplaquesonallbuildingsconnectedwiththelifeand workofMichaelIvanovitchKalinin. referredtomyarticlesinPR.Thepointistheydidobject, andEisensteincomplied,butwiththeresultthathecompletedonlytwopoorfilmsinalmosttwentyyears,andthe furtherresultthathehasbeenindifficultieswiththeauthoritiesthroughoutmostoftheperiod.Mostoftheothertalented artistsinRussiahavealsotriedhardtofolowpartydirectives;theiratempthasnotsucceeded,anymorethanhis,in avoidingconstantharassment.Isuggestthatonedifficultyis simplythattheyaremenoftalentthatis,conscious,per-
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