Eisenstein (2000)

64% of critics liked it
(11 reviews)
33% of users liked it
(56 ratings)

A biographical drama about the life of great Russian filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein), Eisenstein stars Simon McBurney as its eponymous protagonist. Beginning in 1922, when the young Eisenstein, a former Red Army engineer, became the protégé of avant-garde theatre director Meyerhold (Jonathan Hyde), the… More A biographical drama about the life of great Russian filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein), Eisenstein stars Simon McBurney as its eponymous protagonist. Beginning in 1922, when the young Eisenstein, a former Red Army engineer, became the protégé of avant-garde theatre director Meyerhold (Jonathan Hyde), the film covers Eisenstein's life, work, and political struggles through three decades, set in such disparate locales as the Ukraine and Mexico. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 39 min.
Directed By: Renny Bartlett
Written By: Renny Bartlett
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Jan 2, 2002 Wide
Studio: Amérique Film

Critic Reviews

John Petrakis, Chicago Tribune
If you're content with a clever pseudo-bio that manages to have a good time as it doles out pieces of the famous director's life, Eisenstein delivers.
Jan Stuart, Newsday
Fudges fact and fancy with such confidence that we feel as if we're seeing something purer than the real thing.
V.A. Musetto, New York Post
Best enjoyed as a work of fiction inspired by real-life events. Those seeking a definitive account of Eisenstein's life would do better elsewhere.
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice
Bartlett's hero remains a reactive cipher, when opening the man's head and heart is the only imaginable reason for the film to be made.
Stephen Holden, New York Times
Fueled by Mr. McBurney's incandescent performance, it is a portrait of the artist as political and spiritual renegade.
David Noh, Film Journal International
It's often infuriatingly glib and posturing, and yet it has been made with great evident care and manages to deliver up the man in a way to arouse further curiosity in even the most unknowing viewer.
Ken Fox, TV Guide's Movie Guide
It may not be entirely reliable in historical terms, but it offers an intriguing impression of the man, his art and his times.
Bruce Kirkland, Jam! Movies
Elliptical, unsatisfactory and yet oddly compelling.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
Eisenstein lacks considerable brio for a film about one of cinema's directorial giants.

Read all 9 critic reviews

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Cast

Simon McBurney
as Sergei Eisenstein
Raymond Coulthard
as Grisha
Jacqueline McKenzie
as Pera

Jonathan Hyde
as Meyerhold
Barnaby Kay
as Andrei
Leni Parker
as Anya

See full cast