film #10

The Battleship Potemkin

many intense, incredible images- the captain against the clouds, pointing dictatorially. the bow (and envisioning bodies hanging from it.) the priest- wild hair, flowing clouds- astonishing image. (chillingly blunt exchange: "Have fear of God!" "beat it, sorcerer!")… Vakulinchuk's funeral boat, the men standing. cloudy, gray shots of the harbor. Thick masses of people on narrow paths. and Wow- the Red flag. and the ODESSA STEPS- truly compelling. I watched this film a little bit bored and a little bit compelled by the images, but the Odessa Steps sequence absolutely earns its legend- it's mesmerizing. Fascinating fact learned after viewing- the actress portraying the mother was later killed in Stalin's Great Purge. The final scene is quite stirring- the drama builds magnificently, the release, classic.

There are no real characters in the film- it is the people. the community- the masses. Altogether a little bit boring, the way any old silent film might feel, but so many of the images are truly extraordinary, and the plot is thrillingly dark and dangerous- it's clear to see why this was banned. It's most exciting when considered in context- when thought of as a product of the 1920s Soviet Union, feared and rejected by the capitalist nations of the early/mid twentieth century.