ABSTRACT
Pace has been a critical editing tool since D.W. Griffith perfected the chase sequence. Although an existing dramatic climax was Griffith’s goal, the purpose of pace has proved far more diverse over time. The context of this diversity begins with Sergei Eisenstein. While German expressionists such as F.W. Murnau moved the camera to avoid editing, Eisenstein built upon Griffith’s ideas about pace and brought more rapid editing into filmmaking with a political rather than an entertainment agenda. In films memorializing the revolutionary spirit [Stachka (Strike), Bronenosets Potyomkin (Potemkin)] and collectivization [Staroye i novoye (The General Line)], Eisenstein worked out his theory of montage: pace, or metric montage, was one of its central traits.
