The General Line / Old and New

1929 feature, from Eisenstein, with the purpose to forward agricultural mechanisation
the montage has again slowed down. Intensely lyrical once again, but more in the content that the rythm
use of the rippling cornfields, and weather effects, show Tarkovsky as becoming increasingly concerned with what is in frame
the heroic framing has also been upped, as has the axial cutting
showings of wild excess in the creamery, and in the quite, quite surreal cows
the whole cows motif, of dreams, is at once intellectual montage and the kind of view of the 'organic' removed from the more mechanistic parts of Eisenstein
there are sections with significant cloe-ups, but Eisenstein probably has more mid and ling shots here than before
ultimately, there's a lot of cows and tractors, but Eisenstein manages to still create some striking images, always beautiful
almost documentary-like fascination with his rural subjects
understandably not seen as one of the 'essential' Eisensteins, but clearly the work of a master, if the content isn't all too much