Review of Eisenstein in Guanajuato (2015) by Jenna I — 14 May 2016

There's a lot of flash and glitz and glam with little substance, though maybe, sometimes, the presentation is enough on its own. If you're looking for any insight into Eisenstein's time in Mexico, this unfortunately isn't the movie for you- while it's chalk full of facts, it never goes further than flat out listing timeline information. And that almost works because it's such a bizarre and interesting timeline of events. Eisenstein's fascination with Mexico is fascinating, as is his hidden homosexuality and his explicit drawings; and I'm sure the footage he shot would have been if this movie had even vaguely touched upon it. But the movie gets lost in his affair and never really lets go until it over stays its welcome and gets forcefully shut down- aka following exactly Eisenstein's own route in Mexico.

Greenaway, to me, is the poor man's Ken Russell without the truly arresting visuals and thoughtful symbolism. But then again, if he had backed off on the constant bombardment of different special effects and wide angle lenses, the movie might have been a real stinker.