Battleship Potemkin (1925)

Battleship Potemkin (1925) – The classic Russian silent movie that memorializes (and embroiders) a pivotal moment in Russian history.  The sailors of the Russian ship decide to join the growing revolution of 1905.  Also, one of the greatest silent movies ever made.

Directed by Sergei Eisenstein                    Starring Aleksandr Antonov, Vladimir Barskiy

At some point in every movie student’s education, they will come into contact with “Battleship Potemkin”.  It’s one of those “must watch” titles.  There’s a good reason for that.  Eisenstein creates brilliant images while creating some of what are now standard shots and approaches to movie storytelling.  If they remember nothing else, people will mention the baby stroller scene.  Despite being just seventy minutes long, the impact of the movie can be impressive.

But here’s the other thing you should know: if you’re just starting to explore silent movies, don’t watch this one.  It’s too much, too overwhelming.  You would be well advised to brush up on a bit of Russian history as well.  The audience in the newly minted USSR of 1925 would have known all the details of the events here.  They had been established as part of the mythology of the socialist nation.  For a modern viewer, it’s going to be a challenge if approached cold.  Get accustomed to the different storytelling style of silent movies, the different acting style.

Once you’re ready to take it on, be prepared for a movie experience, unlike anything you’ve seen before.

Eisenstein tells the story not as a documentary but more as a ballet.  There are few characters given names other than the hero, Vakulinchuk, and a couple of the officers.  The rest of the movie is made up of passing faces and bodies.  Each has its role to play but they are part of the proletariat, an almost faceless population that rises against their oppressors.  The story wheels and swoops as if a dance.  A dance headed for a cataclysmic finale.

Every time I thought I’d lost interest, Eisenstein would find some new spectacle to hook me again.  All headed towards the iconic scene on the stairs (brilliant movie making but awful history).  That scene has been copied and parodied, but the original is riveting.  The acting is stylized but the emotional impact is immense.

This movie won’t be for everyone.  If you watch the movies for entertainment and escape, “Battleship Potemkin” has very little to offer you.  For those who love great storytelling and movie making, you’ll remember this movie for a very long time.

Why You Will Like It – When you’re ready for it, a turning point in movie making that stands the passage of time and style.


Rating – **** Recommended