The movie depicts a sailors mutiny on board the titular Russian vessel in the Black Sea. After shipboard conditions deteriorate, the sailors overthrow the ship's officers (and a clergyman), setting sail for Odessa for provisions. They are greeted as heroes by the people, but a contingent of Cossack soldiers begins to massacre the celebration. The cast includes Aleksandr Antonov, Vladimir Barskiy, Grigoriy Aleksandrov, and Ivan Bobrov.
Potemkin is very much a case of style over substance. The story of the mutiny is thin, and there is little to no character development. The strength of this movie lies in its technique, specifically the editing, although shot framing is also innovative and compelling. The rapid-cut montage editing makes this the closest to a modern film of any of its era, aesthetically speaking. Quickly cutting from a closeup on a sailor's face to a shot of his clenched fist, then quickly to a closeup of a scared officer's face, then the feet of the sailor as he charges forward, and finally a medium shot of the two colliding, creates a visceral charge unlike anything else in movies at the time.
The justly famous "Odessa steps" sequence, wherein panicked townsfolk scramble down a huge set of stairs as soldiers march toward them, firing their rifles into the crowd, is still an exhilarating bit of filmmaking. One prestigious European film society named this the greatest film ever made, period. I wouldn't go that far, but it still maintains its power to affect an audience near a hundred years later.
Potemkin is very much a case of style over substance. The story of the mutiny is thin, and there is little to no character development. The strength of this movie lies in its technique, specifically the editing, although shot framing is also innovative and compelling. The rapid-cut montage editing makes this the closest to a modern film of any of its era, aesthetically speaking. Quickly cutting from a closeup on a sailor's face to a shot of his clenched fist, then quickly to a closeup of a scared officer's face, then the feet of the sailor as he charges forward, and finally a medium shot of the two colliding, creates a visceral charge unlike anything else in movies at the time.
The justly famous "Odessa steps" sequence, wherein panicked townsfolk scramble down a huge set of stairs as soldiers march toward them, firing their rifles into the crowd, is still an exhilarating bit of filmmaking. One prestigious European film society named this the greatest film ever made, period. I wouldn't go that far, but it still maintains its power to affect an audience near a hundred years later.