In his essay "Methods of Montage," Eisenstein explains
what he believes to be the five forms of montage. The Metric Montage, Rhythmic
Montage, Tonal Montage, Overtonal Montage, and the Intellectual Montage all
employ different techniques that can each be used to serve a different purpose
cinema, yet they all have an essential connecting factor. There's an underlying
rhythm to them all. For even in Tonal Montage Eisenstein says “tone is a
level of rhythm” (p.81). Is it safe then to assume that Eisenstein believes
rhythm to be the foundation of montage? Earlier on in the essay he stated, “(the
beats) clarity can bring into unison the “pulsing” of a film and the “pulsing”
of the audience. Without such a unison there can be no contact between the two”
(p.73). Is he then saying that this
rhythm in montage is necessary for there to be any emotional connection with
the audience? That the rhythm of the montage determines the emotion of the film
and how well the audience is able to grasp it? Is Eisenstein implying that
there is a rhythm in cinema, without which, the audience is unable to
emotionally connect to the film?
