Battleship Potemkin (1925)

I am sometimes grateful that I am not learned in film studies as I feel that too extensive a knowledge in the technical aspects that go into creating a film would hinder me from enjoying the artistic beauty that is the result of that background work. Such are my feelings towards Battleship Potemkin, Sergei Eisenstein's propaganda masterpiece about the origins of the Russian Revolution. Nothing about this film can be said that hasn't already been written (and probably much more eloquently) as this was considered the greatest film made for a good thirty years. Every aspect and every point of view has been tackled relentlessly from film critics and historians, and as a result they have exhausted any surprises that might be found in it, which is unfortunate because it is a really good film.

Fortunately for me my knowledge of these aspects is limited, and in the case of this film it does not go far beyond montage to which Eisenstein is affectionately known as its "Father." When I watched it I tried very much to let its story and its message take me away from what I know about its creation and the critical response that it has received. It is the mark of a great film that it was able to do that so well. I am a movie lover, yes, but I am also a history buff, so I went into this film with an historical eye. The result was pleasing. As a historian I have always looked at cinema as being a wealth of resources to explore a particular place at a particular time. Many others of this field might reject my views on it because films are meant for entertainment and are fictitious or embellished, but I believe that they speak as loudly for or about public opinion. To me they are just as important as paintings, poems or any other fine art that might hold historical value.

Battleship Potemkin is about a group of mariners who rebel against their dictatorial commanding officers after they are served worm infested meat. We hear that on the mainland the revolution has already begun, and the men are inspired to take up the guns in defiance. A mutiny begins, and in the struggle their leader dies earning him martyr status. When the sailors take control they return ashore where they are greeted most warmly and the funeral service is attended by thousands. A fight against the evil army ensues after the incredibly famous Odessa Steps scene in which soldiers march down the stairs killing women and children who attend a communist rally. The result is a call to arms with an ending not soon forgotten. The face of death is horrific. This movie is aggressive and embittered; it is a menacing look at the face of rebellion. The eyes of the proletariat are unforgiving.

Much of this film is not based in fact. The Odessa Steps scene, for instance, never actually happened, but its implications are great, and what it says about the place and time in which it was made is of incredible value to someone with my interests. A look at this film reveals public moods towards religion, the government, the army--essentially the fabric of life to the Russians were living in, and where the future was moving. The beauty of this film was how it sent my mind reeling (pun may or may not be intended) into my history books and the lessons it conjured up. Films should be able to transport you into a different world, and this one did an exemplary job of that.

Before Citizen Kane made it's 40th anniversary re-release and smashed its way into the number one film slot, Potemkin had been enjoying a thirty year streak at the top. Its content was relevant, their was loads to be learned from it, and it was a genuinely engaging film. Although it is no longer at the top and its material is a bit dated, it is still a required film for anyone who loves movies and anyone who is interested in the past. With a proper audience it can enthrall, enrage, and enliven.

3.5/4