In the midst of the Russian Revolution of 1905, the crew of the battleship Potemkin mutiny against the brutal, tyrannical regime of the vessel's officers. The resulting street demonstration in Odessa brings on a police massacre.
In documentary style, events in Petrograd are re-enacted from the end of the monarchy in February of 1917 to the end of the provisional government and the decrees of peace and of land in ... See full summary »
Directors:
Grigoriy Aleksandrov,
Sergei M. Eisenstein
Stars:
Boris Livanov,
Nikolay Popov,
Vasili Nikandrov
In 1431, Jeanne d'Arc is placed on trial on charges of heresy. The ecclesiastical jurists attempt to force Jeanne to recant her claims of holy visions.
Director:
Carl Theodor Dreyer
Stars:
Maria Falconetti,
Eugene Silvain,
André Berley
During the early part of his reign, Ivan the Terrible faces betrayal from the aristocracy and even his closest friends as he seeks to unite the Russian people.
Director:
Sergei M. Eisenstein
Stars:
Nikolay Cherkasov,
Lyudmila Tselikovskaya,
Serafima Birman
Newly married couple Juliette and a ship captain Jean struggle through marriage as they travel on the L'atalante along with the captain's first mate Le père Jules and a cabin boy.
Based on the historical events the movie tells the story of a riot at the battleship Potemkin. What started as a protest strike when the crew was given rotten meat for dinner ended in a riot. The sailors raised the red flag and tried to ignite the revolution in their home port Odessa.Written by
Konstantin Dlutskii <ked@falcon.cc.ukans.edu>
"Potemkin" changed name four times. The original full name was "Knyaz Potemkin-Tavricheskiy". As a result of the uprising, the government renamed her "Panteleymon" in 1905. In April of 1917 the ship returned to the name "Potemkin-Tavricheskiy" (without "Knyaz" - prince), but in May 1917 the name was changed to "Borets za svobodu" (the Freedom Fighter). See more »
Goofs
In the Imperial squadron near the end of the film, we see close-ups of triple gun turrets of Gangut-class dreadnought. It is possibly made this way to show the power of Imperial fleet, but this is an anachronism, for battleships of 1905 were much smaller pre-dreadnoughts, with twin turrets only, just like "Potemkin". "Ganguts" entered service in 1914. See more »
Quotes
Grigory Vakulinchuk:
We, the sailors of 'Potemkin,' must support the workers, our brothers, and stand among the front lines of the revolution!
See more »
Alternate Versions
The video version released by Republic Pictures has a softened Odessa Steps sequence, without the child being trampled by the running crowd, and shots of the mother's silent cry and her right eye shot by a bullet through her eye-glasses. The DVD version released by Image Entertainment features the unedited sequence. See more »
When "Battleship Potemkin" was released in Moscow back in 1925 it was described by some as the greatest film of all time. While I can't claim much familiarity with films predating 1925, I expect that those people were probably right. But what's truly astonishing is how well the film stands up, even today.
The film tells the story of the crew of the Russian battleship Potemkin. Fed up with poor treatment, they revolt and overthrow their superiors. However, this accomplished, they meet the inevitable resistance from the military, whom they implore to join them. Predictably, the plot & intertitles savour of propaganda but not overwhelmingly so.
Easily the most impressive aspect of the film is the visual aspect. Eisenstein's direction is impeccable but his editing techniques were nothing short of revolutionary. There's a reason why this film is still considered one of the greatest films of all time by countless critics.
That's not the film's only drawing point, though. Nearly as impressive is the original score by Edmund Meisel. I watched the 2005 restoration where the score was adapted by Helmut Imig and I found it to be an integral element of the picture. Though there have been other scores for the film over the years I can't imagine any better than this one.
Ultimately, while "Battleship Potemkin" is mainly notable for pioneering influential techniques it also functions as a rousing, tense historical drama. If you're a true lover of the art of cinema there's simply no excuse for not seeing this movie.
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When "Battleship Potemkin" was released in Moscow back in 1925 it was described by some as the greatest film of all time. While I can't claim much familiarity with films predating 1925, I expect that those people were probably right. But what's truly astonishing is how well the film stands up, even today.
The film tells the story of the crew of the Russian battleship Potemkin. Fed up with poor treatment, they revolt and overthrow their superiors. However, this accomplished, they meet the inevitable resistance from the military, whom they implore to join them. Predictably, the plot & intertitles savour of propaganda but not overwhelmingly so.
Easily the most impressive aspect of the film is the visual aspect. Eisenstein's direction is impeccable but his editing techniques were nothing short of revolutionary. There's a reason why this film is still considered one of the greatest films of all time by countless critics.
That's not the film's only drawing point, though. Nearly as impressive is the original score by Edmund Meisel. I watched the 2005 restoration where the score was adapted by Helmut Imig and I found it to be an integral element of the picture. Though there have been other scores for the film over the years I can't imagine any better than this one.
Ultimately, while "Battleship Potemkin" is mainly notable for pioneering influential techniques it also functions as a rousing, tense historical drama. If you're a true lover of the art of cinema there's simply no excuse for not seeing this movie.