The Theme That Sings In Every Stone

Historical reenactment efforts come to life when creators fully immerse themselves in the environment and times they are trying to represent.

The script is attacked. Filming will begin. For now, the Russian director Eisenstein is preparing. In the winter of 1938, he goes to Novgorod, contemplates the old buildings and through them "feels the theme that sings in every stone".

Try to imagine the people who populated these places seven centuries ago. How did they talk, how did they eat, how did they walk? Try to see those people. The effort of imagination is intense. They climb the walls, the old towers. He looks around, he thinks that he now sees the same landscape that they had seen and the people that he tries to imagine. They feel the things that have passed through their hands, trying to feel their reality. An attempt to recreate their paths through the city fails, as the places now look different. However, the Spas-Neredita cathedral, built from the 12th century, has been preserved here. He thinks intensely. "These stones saw Alexander, and Alexander saw these stones." But it does not succeed in overcoming the abstraction of this thought. The living contact with the age is not yet born. It surrounds the walls of the cathedral.

And suddenly he sees a sign with the usual inscription "construction started on this date and ended on this date." It does a natural calculation. He learns that in a few months only the cathedral was erected. In a few months of the twelfth century. Concrete months, concrete time. And the sensation of construction appears, Eisenstein perceives the materiality of events. So the cathedral was built by people... Yes, of course, by people who come, not by stylized silhouettes from the icons and miniatures of the time. People like us. He sees them, feels them. He will be able to draw them, and then create them on the screen. The images of the film are now born, concrete, materializable.

In an effort to familiarize yourself with the thinking of past times, have you ever been guided by the idea that living and breathing the atmosphere of places can bring greater clarity to the visual representation of your operetta?

A director's method of imagination involves not only a rigorous documentation of the historical subject chosen for the film, but also a total immersion in the context of the era represented by the well-known heroes of those times. This composition process is not easy to do, because it requires a commitment to "live" history through each individual thing, to breathe the atmosphere of the places and to connect emotionally and intellectually with the thinking of those times. In the attempt to restore the setting of those times, the director can reproduce not only the events, but also the human essence of the respective period.

Eisenstein's directorial effort in the winter of 1938 demonstrates this deep historical method. Preparing for the upcoming filming, he does not limit himself to rigorous documentation, but engages in an intense imagining of the lives of the people who walked the streets of Novgorod seven centuries ago. Attacked by the need to understand how these people spoke, how they ate and how they lived, Eisenstein explores the scenario not only through books, but also by contemplating the old buildings, feeling the theme that "sings in every stone".

Direct interaction with historical artifacts can facilitate a better understanding and representation of the past in an exceptional display. And authentic recreation of the past in art depends on the ability to see beyond historical abstractions and perceive common humanity.

Through the lens of total engagement with historical detail, have you realized how artifacts can serve as a visual cue for better understanding and representation of context in your work?

Eisenstein's ascent of the old walls and towers is not only a visual quest, but an attempt to see the landscape through their eyes. Although they fail in their attempt to retrace their paths through the modern city, the contact with the Spas-Neredita cathedral, a 12th-century construction, amplifies their desire to overcome the abstraction of thoughts and establish a living contact with the era.

Thus, Eisenstein's deep historical method involves more than the rigorous documentation of the construction of the cathedral revealed by an inscription on a tablet, reflecting a precise calculation of time. This extends to an immersion in the twelfth century, allowing it to "live" in the concrete months in which the structure was erected. It not only explores the real materiality of the works, but connects with real people, far from the stylized silhouettes of icons and miniatures of the era. Through this method, Eisenstein not only visualizes, but manages to create on the screen the authentic images of the film, bringing before the viewers the palpable human essence and the concrete time of the period represented.

As an idea, by connecting with the realities of life from other ages, we can authentically render the human essence and context of that time. Immersion in historical details allows not only to document, but also to experience significant moments from the past. And the failure to follow the old ways in a modern city can intensify the desire to overcome the barriers of abstract thought. In addition, the ascent of large-scale constructions is not only a visual discovery, but also an attempt to understand the perspective of those from the past.

With the vision of a director who feels and perceives history through every stone of old buildings, have you ever thought about how this deep perception of the past can influence the expressiveness and characteristic force of your creation?

The theme that sings in each stone must be viewed differently, from director to director, because it constitutes a support point in the visual reconstruction of a forgotten past. In the idea that direct interaction with the past, through meticulous imaging, can lead you to reveal a palpable reality, how do you shape your approach to ensure an inner transfiguration of your historical perceptions?

* Note: Ion Barna - Eisenstein, Tineretului Publishing House, 1966.