AV CLUB — Master of Montage Series: Earth

Maters of Montage:

The Revolutionary, the Scientist, and the Poet

This film series dives into how political upheaval, economic pressures, and cultural ambition shaped the birth of montage in early 20th‑century Russia—through the work of three visionary directors:

Sergei Eisenstein — The Revolutionary: Battleship Potemkin (1925)

Dziga Vertov — The Scientist: Man with a Movie Camera (1929)

Alexander Dovzhenko — The Poet: Earth (1930)

Each screening opens with a multimedia presentation and exhibit revealing how Soviet ideology both ignited and constrained artistic innovation—and how these filmmakers navigated censorship to create some of cinema's most influential works.

Attendees are invited to stay for open discussions after each film to explore the themes, techniques, and political connections in greater depth.

About the Film Collection

The Miami-Dade Public Library holds one of the remaining, circulating 16mm film collections. The collection dates back to 1956 and was developed to be a teaching collection designed to be used for public programming. Its holdings include acclaimed feature films such as Rashomon (1950), Alphaville (1965), The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928), Pandora's Box (1928), and Exterminating Angel (1962). The collection also contains a wide array of short films, from experimental works by artists like Len Lye, Luis Buñuel, Kenneth Anger, Sergei Eisenstein, and John Whitney, to educational films produced by Pyramid Films, Xerox, McGraw Hill, and the National Film Board of Canada.

Unique to the collection are Florida-specific titles such as Enchanted (1982), Metropolis in the Sun (1989), The Everglades (1970), A Hurricane Named Betsy (1965), Miccosukee Indian Friends (1975), and Salesman (1969).

Library films are available to be checked out for two weeks to Miami-Dade Public Library cardholders; the library does not circulate projectors or playback equipment. Patrons may also schedule a research visit with the Special Collections department to access films on-site.

About the Division of Special Collections & Archives

The Division of Special Collections & Archives holds rare and irreplaceable historical documents for public and scholarly use, including the Helen Muir Florida Collection, 16mm Film Collection, Cuban Collection of Rare Books & Ephemera, genealogy holdings, the Vasari Project, and rare books dating back to the 17th century. The Division makes vault contents available to the public on request.