Battleship Potemkin [1925] [DVD]

In deference to its origins (a commission from the Russian revolutionary leadership to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the 1905 Revolution), the film is unashamedly pure propaganda, but loses none of its cinematographic impact as a result. Indeed, the powerful imagery and effectiveness of its key sequences were so strong as to lead to its banning in many parts of the western world for many years (including Britain, the United States and France) and, indeed, in Russia, where there was a great fear that it may incite rebellion against Stalin's regime which history has come to show was every bit as inhumane and repressive as the imperial Czarist rule which the film condemns.

For a long time, the picture was regarded by the luminaries of the world film industry as the greatest film ever made, more latterly surpassed by Orson Welles' Citizen Kane whose own original masterpiece is nevertheless clearly inspired by the techniques pioneered by Eisenstein in Battleship Potemkin. Like Citizen Kane, its general popularity has suffered as a result of a perceived intellectualness arising out of the praise lauded upon it from high and intelligent sources. As with Citizen Kane, many modern film lovers have never viewed it, regarding its highbrow reputation as rendering it inaccessible to them - but thankfully, more and more people have taken the plunge with both pictures and found themselves to be pleasantly surprised by the stirring and, indeed, entertaining content to be discovered within them. Long may that trend continue and I, for one, will continue to point all comers the way of this magnificent movie.

All the same, this film is a classic that should be watched, in order to understand why it is considered as such. In my opinion, the reasons are many:

a) To start with, the story of a naval mutiny sparked by rotten food is an interesting one, and it is told in a way that makes the spectator think that that event is happening right before him, even though the film is in black and white, and has no sound.
b) Secondly, the sequences regarding the Odessa massacre are impossible to forget, and some scenes are simply gems of great emotional impact and a profound shocking value.
c) Finally, and from a technical point of view, the ability of Sergei M. Eisenstein to produce such a film in 1925 is something noteworthy, as is his edition technic, and the way in which he uses symbols to impress upon the spectator what he wants to say.

All in all, I think that even though watching this film isn't likely to be something you will do often for fun, it is something you should do at least once. Recommended!

Belen Alcat

This, his second movie, portrays the sailors' mutiny on board the Battleship Potemkin. The ship is returning from war with Japan via the Black Sea. Sailors become disgruntled and restive with the terrible treatment they receive from commanding officers, and the horrendous living conditions onboard. Their complaints are ignored. The last straw comes when the hungry men are fed inedible meat, crawling with maggots. They rise up, and take command of the Potempkin. When they arrive at the port town of Odessa, the people sympathize with the sailors' plight, and subsequently pay a terrible price for their support. In one moving scene, the ship's captain becomes enraged when the men refuse to eat the spoiled food. He orders the rebels shot. Grigory Vakulinchuk, a leader of the insurrection appeals to his comrades, "Brothers! Who are you shooting at?" He convinces the armed soldiers to join in the uprising. Propaganda or no, it's an extraordinarily moving scene.

The film is structured around five episodes, seamed together almost effortlessly: (1) Men and Maggots; (2) Drama on the Quarterdeck; (3) An Appeal from the Dead; (4) The Odessa Steps; and, (5) Meeting the Squadron. Eisenstein used one of the real life participants in the actual mutiny as an actor and historical advisor on the project. "Battleship Potempkin" contains one of the most widely viewed scenes in film history - the massacre on the Odessa Steps. Tsarist soldiers march down an endless flight of stairs in a rhythmic, robotic fashion. They open fire on the innocent citizens of the harbor town and relentlessly shoot everyone in sight, without mercy, including a woman with a child in her arms. Another woman is hit and her baby rolls down the steps in a carriage. Extracts from Dmitry Shostakovich's symphonies heighten the drama.

The film was made to commemorate the failed 1905 uprising in Russia. Interestingly enough, censors in many countries banned the movie out of concern that their own citizens and navies might be inspired to revolt. Britain's ban on the film was not lifted until 1954. Voters at the World's Fair in 1958, held in Brussels, Belgium, voted "The Battleship Potemkin" the greatest film of all time. Today, at the beginning of the 21st century, the movie still holds its own.
JANA