Eisenstein in Guanajuato
Director: Peter Greenaway
Year Released: 2015
Rating: 1.5
Navel picking biopic about Soviet filmmaker Sergei M. Eisenstein (Elmer Bäck) and his trip to Mexico to shoot ¡Que Viva México! (which, for the record, would be later abandoned) and how he "discovers" his sexuality by having an affair with his 'guide' Palomino Cañedo (Luis Alberti). Greenaway being Greenaway, he's far more concerned with depicting sexual activity (the "deflowering" segment is unexpectedly funny because of Cañedo's political metaphors) and toying with his visuals and sets (a few scenes have intriguing 'warping' effects) than exploring Eisenstein's artistic methods, although there is one fantastic speech where Eisenstein recounts his time spent in Hollywood, meeting various stars (Upton Sinclair and Chaplin were allegedly fans of his work). Bäck's Eisenstein is a campy, unlikeable buffoon - not sure how close it is to capturing the actual subject, although I'm positive Greenaway could care less about "accuracy."
