Battleship Potemkin (1925) is a very powerful
piece of cinema history. A black and white silent film set during the Russian revolution,
it is simultaneously memorable for its subject matter and for its technical
prowess. Directed by Sergei Eisenstein, the movie's messages still resonate
today and the way the images are edited influenced filmmakers from around the
world decades after its release. Most notably, without it there wouldn't be the
train station shootout in The Untouchables.
My knowledge of Russian history in the early 20th century is a little
rusty and yet I was still moved by the dramatic images I saw. The movie is
available for free on Open Culture, with some information about the filmmaker
and the time period. Even for non-experts like me, the story’s themes of
inequality, rebellion, and the violence that often happens when people rebel
against inequality, remains very accessible. The images are all in black and
white and the only sound is the dramatic music, but the images of civilians
being killed by soldiers in the streets is heart breaking regardless.
The rebellion in question takes place in June of 1905 on the titular battleship,
where the sailors are fully aware there is a wind of change sweeping their
nation. Some of the sailors are encouraging others to join the revolution while
the officers want to keep the status quo. That is unfortunate for the sailors
because the status quo means the officers get to violently take out their
frustrations on the sailors, and the sailors are fed meat covered in maggots.
The discontent among the crew builds up to the point that officers decide to
round up insubordinate sailors and place them in front of a firing squad.
This leads to a decisive moment where one of the sailors pleads to the
men in the firing squad. I find it always very interesting in military movies
when soldiers are about to commit a deadly act but then realize it is ultimately
up to them since it is their fingers on the triggers. No one is holding a gun
to their heads since they are in fact the ones pointing the guns at their
fellow men. Of course, if they refuse to pull the triggers then they too become
mutineers and are subject to the wrath of their superior officers. That is
exactly what happens aboard the Potemkin, which is unfortunate for the superior
officers since they suddenly find themselves outnumbered.
During the uprising one of the more outspoken sailors is killed and
becomes a martyr. His body is displayed publicly at the port of Odessa,
galvanizing the crowd to rebel against the government. Angry mobs do not always
speak in one voice and one man in the crowd uses the moment as an opportunity
to scream anti-Semitic slurs. Fortunately, this particular crowd is not anti-Semitic,
and they turn against the anti-Semite instead. I was very happy to see that
scene and I wish there were more scenes like that in real life. Instead these
kinds of angry men seem to be getting voted into office all over the
world.
Traditionally stories are divided into three acts, however Eisenstein
opted for five acts. Act four, The Odessa Steps, is the most recognizable as it
features the attack of the soldiers and the horrifying sequence when a baby
stroller is falling down the city's massive steps. The soldiers are attacking
from the top of the steps, and Eisenstein repeatedly uses a shot of them
marching down like emotionless machines as they fire into the crowd of unarmed
civilians. Meanwhile at the bottom of the steps a separate detachment is also
wreaking havoc. It is an at times gory, obviously violent and heart-wrenching
sequence.
Given all the events portrayed it is obvious Eisenstein was on the side
of the revolutionaries and Battleship Potemkin could easily be
classified as a propaganda film. However, seen in a political vacuum and with
little context this is still a very moving piece of filmmaking. Given the way
the mutineers are treated by their superior officers you can't help but root
for them and feel empathy for the civilians who choose to side with them. Even
though this movie was made almost a century ago and there have been giant
technological leaps in cinema ever since, it remains relevant to this day both
from a filmmaking and storytelling standpoint.
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