Sergei Eisenstein's "The Form of the Script": A New Translation

Abstract

ABSTRACT:This paper analyzes Sergei Eisenstein's essay "The Form of the Script" (1929), focusing particularly on its publication and translation history. It reconstructs the missing parts and the logic of the essay based on its original Russian print and an early German translation. In so doing, the paper clarifies Eisenstein's position in the debates surrounding the various forms and formats of screenwriting. It additionally draws attention to the role of rhythm in Eisenstein's screenwriting theory and in his essayistic writing. Finally, this article offers a new translation of "The Form of the Script," which brings the essay as close as possible to its original publication.