Eisenstein and El Greco: The Cinematography of Ecstasy

Abstract

The present paper analyses the theoretical work of Serguéi Eisenstein focusing on the notion of “ecstasy”, which plays a prominent role in the conceptual production of the celebrated Soviet filmmaker. Specifically, the paper explores the linkage between this term and the paintings of El Greco, an artist who was widely admired by Eisenstein. So much so that Eisenstein devoted some of his writings to El Greco, relating his paintings to the film montage. Ultimately, these pages want to clarify why Eisenstein defines “ecstatic cinema” according to the pictorial compositions of El Greco. This paper also excavates the scenographical and psychopathological implications which surround ecstasy as a creative principle within Eisenstein’s work.