About

Known credits:
44
Birthday:
1899-01-13
Place of birth:
Tambov, Russian Empire [now Russia]
Website:
N/A

Lev Kuleshov

Overview

Lev Vladimirovich Kuleshov was a Russian and Soviet filmmaker and film theorist, one of the founders of the world's first film school, the Moscow Film School. People's Artist of the RSFSR (1969).

Lev Kuleshov was born in 1899 into an intellectual Russian family. At the time he was born, the family became financially broke, lost their estate and moved to Tambov, living a modest life. In 1911 his father died; three years later Lev and his mother moved to Moscow where his elder brother was studying and working as an engineer. Lev Kuleshov decided to follow the steps of his father and entered the Moscow School of Painting, although he didn't finish it.

In 1916 he applied to work at the film company led by Aleksandr Khanzhonkov. He produced scenery several pictures but with time he became more interested in film theory. He co-directed his first movie Twilight in 1917. His next film was released under the Soviet patronage.

During the 1918-1920 he covered the Russian Civil War with a documentary crew. In 1919 he headed the first Soviet film courses at the National Film School. Kuleshov may well be the very first film theorist as he was a leader in the Soviet montage theory — developing his theories of editing before those of Sergei Eisenstein (briefly a student of Kuleshov). For Kuleshov, the essence of the cinema was editing, the juxtaposition of one shot with another. To illustrate this principle, he created what has come to be known as the Kuleshov Effect. In this now-famous editing exercise, shots of an actor were intercut with various meaningful images (a casket, a bowl of soup, etc.) in order to show how editing changes viewers' interpretations of images. In addition to his theoretical and teaching work, Kuleshov also directed a number of feature-length films. Among his most notable works is an action-comedy The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr. West in the Land of the Bolsheviks (1924), a psychological drama By the Law (1926) adapted from the short story by Jack London and a biographical drama The Great Consoler (1933) based on O. Henry's life and works. After directing his last film in 1943, Kuleshov served as an artistic director and an academic rector at VGIK where he worked for the next 25 years.

Lev Kuleshov died in Moscow in 1970. He was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery. He was survived by his wife Aleksandra Khokhlova (1897—1985) — an actress, film director and educator and her son from the first marriage.

Known for

Acting
1969 The Kuleshov Effect Actor Himself 59
Average
1940 Our Cinema Actor (archive footage) 59
Average
1925 The Death Ray Actor 58
Average
1917 For Happiness Actor Enrico, painter 58
Average
1917 Black Love Actor N/A
N/A

Directing
1943 We from the Urals Directing Director 59
Average
1942 Timur's Oath Directing Director 59
Average
1942 Young Partisans Directing Director N/A
N/A
1941 Incident on a Volcano Directing Other 59
Average
1940 Siberians Directing Director 59
Average
1934 Dokhunda Directing Director N/A
N/A
1933 The Great Consoler Directing Director 58
Average
1932 Horizon Directing Director N/A
N/A
1931 Forty Hearts Directing Director 59
Average
1930 The Backlog! Directing Director N/A
N/A
1929 The Happy Canary Directing Director N/A
N/A
1929 Two-Buldi-Two Directing Director 58
Average
1927 Your Friend Directing Director 58
Average
1926 By the Law Directing Director 59
Average
1925 The Death Ray Directing Director 58
Average
1924 The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr. West in the Land of the Bolsheviks Directing Director 58
Average
1920 The Created Surface of the Earth Directing Director 59
Average
1919 Exhumation of the Remains of Sergius of Radonezh Directing Co-Director 59
Average
1919 Kuleshov Effect Directing Director 59
Average
1918 Unfinished Love Song Directing Director N/A
N/A
1918 Engineer Prite's Project Directing Director 58
Average

Writing
1932 Horizon Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1930 Sasha Writing Screenplay N/A
N/A
1926 By the Law Writing Writer 59
Average

Art
1933 The Great Consoler Art Production Design 58
Average
1918 Boulevard Slush Art Production Design N/A
N/A
1918 Miss Meri Art Production Design N/A
N/A
1918 Engineer Prite's Project Art Production Design 58
Average
1917 The King of Paris Art Production Design 58
Average
1917 For Happiness Art Production Design 58
Average
1917 The Alarm Art Production Design N/A
N/A
1917 Black Love Art Production Design N/A
N/A

Editing
1940 Siberians Editing Editor 59
Average
1927 Your Friend Editing Editor 58
Average
1919 Exhumation of the Remains of Sergius of Radonezh Editing Editor 59
Average
1919 Taras's Dream Editing Editor N/A
N/A
1919 Smelchak Editing Editor N/A
N/A
1919 Kuleshov Effect Editing Editor 59
Average
1918 Engineer Prite's Project Editing Editor 58
Average