The Geocultural Provenance of Narratives: The Case of the Kuleshov Effect

ABSTRACT:Although the Kuleshov effect is often cited as fundamental to the cinematic vocabulary, our understanding of the genesis and evolution of its narrative is incomplete. This paper aims to shed light on the evolution and plasticity of Kuleshov's early accounts of the experiment as well as the interweaving and contradictory trails that shaped the cultural understanding of the Kuleshov effect in Europe, the US, and the USSR through Kuleshov's and Pudovkin's writings. Finally, it will examine how this has contributed to an ongoing narrative within film theory and history.