Eisenstein on Disney
Encyclopedia
Eisenstein on Disney is a book by film critic Jay Leyda
that collects and reprints the various literature that Sergei Eisenstein
produced about Disney. Eisenstein composed the majority of the text in 1941 after his introduction to the Hollywood culture industry
. It was published much later than most of Leyda's other seminal works on Eisenstein and it presents a unique side of this highly theoretical Soviet film director who is an outsider to American pop culture.
which is concerned with the correlation of the rational and the sensuous
in art. The binary
separation of these two lines of aspiration creates a remarkable tension of unity of form and content characteristic of great art. Eisenstein focuses on Disney as a subject for analysing the Grund-problem and finds several notable features.
. For Eisenstein, Disney's use of the principles of totemism traces a process of moving between three stages of psychological development. In the first stage, man and animal are the same. This view of the world does not differentiate between the subjective
and the objective
. The second stage of totemism is noted by a simultaneous double existence of identical identities. He cites the Bororo people
of the Brazilian rainforests who believe themselves to be a particular kind of red parrot native to Brazil. The third stage is characterized by the sophisticated strata of valuation where certain animal characteristics are observable in human behavior, such as the "wiley" coyote, the "daffy" duck and the "messy" pig.
to be "like a direct embodiment of the method of animism
." For him this animism is like fire
and the attractiveness of fire lies in its infinite changeability, like an embodiment of the principle of eternal becoming
. Fire is also seen as a spectacle of worship that is free from moral
evaluation. Eisenstein makes a critical connection between fire and ecstasy. He sees the pursuit of ecstasy as a futile pursuit of sensation, since one cannot truly sense that which is intangible in its very nature.
Jay Leyda
Jay Leyda was an American avant-garde filmmaker and film historian, noted for his work on U.S, Soviet and Chinese Cinema. His The Melville Log was a day to day compilation of documents which he had painstakingly collected on the life of Herman Melville. He was a member of the Workers Film and...
that collects and reprints the various literature that Sergei Eisenstein
Sergei Eisenstein
Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein , né Eizenshtein, was a pioneering Soviet Russian film director and film theorist, often considered to be the "Father of Montage"...
produced about Disney. Eisenstein composed the majority of the text in 1941 after his introduction to the Hollywood culture industry
Culture industry
Culture industry is a term coined by critical theorists Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer , who argued in the chapter of their book Dialectic of Enlightenment, 'The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception' ; that popular culture is akin to a factory producing standardized cultural goods...
. It was published much later than most of Leyda's other seminal works on Eisenstein and it presents a unique side of this highly theoretical Soviet film director who is an outsider to American pop culture.
The Grund-problem
This is a problem of AestheticsAesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
which is concerned with the correlation of the rational and the sensuous
Passion (emotion)
Passion is a term applied to a very strong feeling about a person or thing. Passion is an intense emotion compelling feeling, enthusiasm, or desire for something....
in art. The binary
Binary function
In mathematics, a binary function, or function of two variables, is a function which takes two inputs.Precisely stated, a function f is binary if there exists sets X, Y, Z such that\,f \colon X \times Y \rightarrow Z...
separation of these two lines of aspiration creates a remarkable tension of unity of form and content characteristic of great art. Eisenstein focuses on Disney as a subject for analysing the Grund-problem and finds several notable features.
Totemism
Eisenstein finds that Disney's approach to the Grund-problem appeals to pre-logical beliefs in totemismTotemism
Totemism is a system of belief in which humans are said to have kinship or a mystical relationship with a spirit-being, such as an animal or plant...
. For Eisenstein, Disney's use of the principles of totemism traces a process of moving between three stages of psychological development. In the first stage, man and animal are the same. This view of the world does not differentiate between the subjective
Subjectivity
Subjectivity refers to the subject and his or her perspective, feelings, beliefs, and desires. In philosophy, the term is usually contrasted with objectivity.-Qualia:...
and the objective
Objectivity (philosophy)
Objectivity is a central philosophical concept which has been variously defined by sources. A proposition is generally considered to be objectively true when its truth conditions are met and are "mind-independent"—that is, not met by the judgment of a conscious entity or subject.- Objectivism...
. The second stage of totemism is noted by a simultaneous double existence of identical identities. He cites the Bororo people
Bororo people
The Bororo or Bororo-Boe people live in the Mato Grosso region of Brazil; they also extended into Bolivia and the Brazilian state of Goiás. The Western Bororo, now extinct, lived around the Jauru and Cabaçal rivers...
of the Brazilian rainforests who believe themselves to be a particular kind of red parrot native to Brazil. The third stage is characterized by the sophisticated strata of valuation where certain animal characteristics are observable in human behavior, such as the "wiley" coyote, the "daffy" duck and the "messy" pig.
The Protean nature of Fire
Eisenstein understands the very idea of the animated cartoonAnimated cartoon
An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
to be "like a direct embodiment of the method of animism
Animism
Animism refers to the belief that non-human entities are spiritual beings, or at least embody some kind of life-principle....
." For him this animism is like fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
and the attractiveness of fire lies in its infinite changeability, like an embodiment of the principle of eternal becoming
Eternal return
Eternal return is a concept which posits that the universe has been recurring, and will continue to recur, in a self-similar form an infinite number of times across infinite time or space. The concept initially inherent in Indian philosophy was later found in ancient Egypt, and was subsequently...
. Fire is also seen as a spectacle of worship that is free from moral
Morality
Morality is the differentiation among intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are good and bad . A moral code is a system of morality and a moral is any one practice or teaching within a moral code...
evaluation. Eisenstein makes a critical connection between fire and ecstasy. He sees the pursuit of ecstasy as a futile pursuit of sensation, since one cannot truly sense that which is intangible in its very nature.
See also
- Culture industryCulture industryCulture industry is a term coined by critical theorists Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer , who argued in the chapter of their book Dialectic of Enlightenment, 'The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception' ; that popular culture is akin to a factory producing standardized cultural goods...
- LeninismLeninismIn Marxist philosophy, Leninism is the body of political theory for the democratic organisation of a revolutionary vanguard party, and the achievement of a direct-democracy dictatorship of the proletariat, as political prelude to the establishment of socialism...
- The Walt Disney CompanyThe Walt Disney CompanyThe Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
- Political CinemaPolitical cinemaPolitical cinema in the narrow sense of the term is a cinema which portrays current or historical events or social conditions in a partisan way in order to inform or to agitate the spectator...
- Traditional animationTraditional animationTraditional animation, is an animation technique where each frame is drawn by hand...
- Animated cartoonAnimated cartoonAn animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
- Maxim GorkyMaxim GorkyAlexei Maximovich Peshkov , primarily known as Maxim Gorky , was a Russian and Soviet author, a founder of the Socialist Realism literary method and a political activist.-Early years:...
- HegemonyHegemonyHegemony is an indirect form of imperial dominance in which the hegemon rules sub-ordinate states by the implied means of power rather than direct military force. In Ancient Greece , hegemony denoted the politico–military dominance of a city-state over other city-states...