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ON 4-TEL
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CONTENTS
Welcome to Take Four, 4-Tel's mini-
magazine devoted to films. On the
following pages you can find:
- THE EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES OF MR
WEST IN THE LAND OF THE B/LSHEVEKS
Bobb Strongman reviews tonight's
Eleventh Hour presentation.
Edited by Michael Polling
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ELEVENTH HOUR DETAILS FOLLOW ...
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REVIEW
THE EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES OF MR
WEST IN THE LAND OF THE B/LSHEVIKS
The Eleventh Hour presentation
tonight at 11.00pm is Lev Kuleshov's
1924 silent, The Extraordinary
Adventures Of Mr West In The Land Of
The Bolsheviks.
The title practically tells you all you
need know about the film; a film in
which plot is subordinated to actign,
specifically the style in which the
action is conveyed.
And that really is where the film's
strength lies.
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P445ORACLE 445 Mon20 Jan C4 1708:04
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REVIEW
THE EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES OF MR
WEST IN THE LAND OF THE BOLSHEVIKS
Kuleshov's film is structured around
the so-called Meyerhold style of acting
In radical contrast to the naturalistic
style devised by Konstantin
Stanislavsky, the method developed by
the 1920s avant-garde Soviet theatre
director Vladimir Meyerhold draws on a
far more theatrical technique.
A times almost pantomimic, this style
relies on the over─emphasising of
actions to an extent beyond that
normally seen in the silent movie.
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P445ORACLE 445 Mon20 Jan C4 1706:42
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REVIEW
THE EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES OF MR
WEST IN THE LAND OF THE B/LSHEVIKS
The use of the stressed action lends
the film a quite unique aura that
clearly underlines the stylistic
division between this and other early
cinematic efforts.
In the absence of sound, attempts to
mimimalise theatricality in keeping
with the Stanislavsky method run the
risk of failing to effectively
communicate emotion.
Kuleshov on the other hand seems
perfectly at ease in the soundless
environment, using action to its best
advantage More...
P445ORACLE 445 Mon20 Jan C4 1702:58
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REVIEW
THE EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES OF MR
WEST IN THE LAND OF THE B/LSHEVIKS
By way of an interesting contrast to
film's emphasised visual presentatig&,
its soundtrack never seeks to emulate
its frantic energy.
It merely sets a mood which is retained
throughout the film irrespective of the
emotional changes which are relayed by
the characters.
Alexandra Khokhlova's perfgrmance as
the seductive countess is perhaps the
most memorable, managing as she does to
convey her character's promiscuity in
spite of her lack of physical appeal.
By Bobb Strongman