Eisenstein had shot somewhere between 170,000 and 250,000 feet of film and Sinclair hired producer Sol Lesser to distribute any films made from the footage. Fourteen months later, after illnesses, pressure from Stalin (who was beginning to fear Eisenstein had become a deserter), and not being able to raise additional funds for the film, Sinclair shut down production. Captivated by Mexican society and history, Eisenstein set out on making a six-part film to be titled "¡Que viva México!". Sinclair and a few other investors financed him to make a nonpolitical film of his own artistic choice over the next three to four months in Mexico, giving all film rights and ownership to Sinclair. Sinclair was able to get permission from the Soviet government for Eisenstein, Aleksandrov, and Tisse to go to Mexico, where Eisenstein longed to make a film. His directing style and editing in “Strike" were already unconventional, and as a result the film confused many audiences, though it was critically praised.Įisenstein befriended Charlie Chaplin, who introduced him to American author Upton Sinclair, and Eisenstein and Sinclair hit it off. The Proletcult recruited Eisenstein to direct his first feature film, "Strike", a historical film about the working class in pre-revolutionary Russia. Evolving as a theorist, he wrote "The Montage of Attractions" in 1923 for the Russian journal "Left Front of the Arts”, and continued to write important essays on film theory throughout his life (and teach film as well). Working in the experimental Proletcult Theatre, he directed a production of “The Wise Man”, which included a short film incorporated into the play titled “Glumov’s Diary”, which served as Eisenstein’s first film. After serving in the army, he worked as a set and costume designer and then a theater director. While serving in the Red Army, he was sent to Moscow to study Japanese and was exposed to Kabuki theatre which influenced him for the rest of his life. He also began developing a deep passion for theater. Wanting to be a painter but was told by a teacher he had no talent, Eisenstein originally followed in his father's footsteps studying architecture and engineering. Latvia-born (then part of the Russian Empire) Sergei Eisenstein was the only child in a privileged family.
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