Eisenstein and Montage

This article really helped me to understand the concept of montage. I had been struggling to define the idea of montage, as the way it is used in film studies differs from my original understanding of the word. I now recognize montage as a collision of elements that make meaning. Conflict is a way in which montage can occur. There can be cinematographic conflicts as well as conflict arising from lighting differences. This kind of conflict is not used as tension between characters, rather it is tension derived from differences within a frame. Some kinds of conflicts arise from the idea of visual counterpoint in films. An example of this is conflicts within a thesis; this is a conflict of motivations. The comparisons with the Japanese cinema gave good examples of how films use montage. I think this quote from the article is the best summary of montage “It is exactly what we do in cinema, combining shots that are depictive, single in meaning neutral in content- into intellectual contexts and series.”(Pg. 129) I now have a better understanding of the word and can recognize its use in other films.