V.I. Pudovkin
| Vsevolod Pudovkin | |
|---|---|
Pudovkin in Italy in 1951
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| Born |
Vsevolod Illarionovich Pudovkin 16 February 1893 Penza, Russian Empire |
| Died | 30 June 1953 (aged 60) Jūrmala, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Occupation | Film director, screenwriter, actor |
| Years active | 1919–1953 |
Vsevolod Illarionovich Pudovkin (Russian: Всеволод Илларионович Пудовкин, 16 February 1893 – 30 June 1953) was a Russian and Soviet film director, screenwriter and actor who developed influential theories of montage. Pudovkin's masterpieces are often contrasted with those of his contemporary Sergei Eisenstein, but whereas Eisenstein utilized montage to glorify the power of the masses, Pudovkin preferred to concentrate on the courage and resilience of individuals. He was granted the title of People's Artist of the USSR in 1948.
Vsevolod Pudovkin was born in Penza, Russian Empire into a Russian family, the third of six children. In four years his family moved to Moscow. His father Illarion Epifanovich Pudovkin came from peasants of the Penza Governorate. He worked in several companies as a manager and a door-to-door salesman. Vsevolod's mother Elizaveta Alexandrovna Pudovkina (née Shilkina) was a housewife.
A student of engineering at Moscow University, Pudovkin saw active duty during World War I, being captured by the Germans. During this time he studied foreign languages and did book illustrations. After the war, he abandoned his professional activity and joined the world of cinema, first as a screenwriter, actor and art director, and then as an assistant director to Lev Kuleshov.
His first notable work was a comedy short Chess Fever (1925) co-directed with Nikolai Shpikovsky. José Raúl Capablanca played a small part in it, with a number of other cameos presented. In 1926 he directed which will be considered one of the masterpieces of silent movies: Mother, where he developed several montage theories that would make him famous. Both movies featured Pudovkin's wife Anna Nikolaevna Zemtsova in the main female parts (she left cinema shortly after).
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