October (Ten Days that Shook the World) (1927)

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 (as G. Aleksandrov), Sergei M. Eisenstein (as S. M. Eisenstein)

Writers:

Sergei M. Eisenstein (as S. M. Eisenstein), Grigoriy Aleksandrov (as G. Aleksandrov)

Stars:

Boris Livanov, Nikolay Popov, Vasili Nikandrov

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Nikolay Popov	...	Kerenskiy
Vasili Nikandrov	...	V.I. Lenin
Layaschenko	...	Konovalov
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Chibisov	...	Skobolev
Boris Livanov	...	Terestsenko
Mikholyev	...	Kishkin
Nikolai Padvoisky	...	Bolshevik (as N. Podvoisky)
Smelsky	...	Verderevsky
Eduard Tisse	...	German Soldier

Storyline

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 November of that year. Lenin returns in April. In July, counter-revolutionaries put down a spontaneous revolt, and Lenin's arrest is ordered. By late October, the Bolsheviks are ready to strike: ten days will shake the world. While the Mensheviks vacillate, an advance guard infiltrates the palace. Anatov-Oveyenko leads the attack and signs the proclamation dissolving the provisional government.

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Plot Keywords:

october revolution | bolshevik | menshevik | communist propaganda | year 1917 | 

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Genres:

Drama | History

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Details

Country:

Soviet Union

Release Date:

24 September 1928 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

October (Ten Days that Shook the World)

Filming Locations:

Moscow, Russia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sovkino

Technical Specs

Runtime:

142 min (2007 restored) 127 min 115 min (DVD special edition)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed in 6 months. (Source: The Secret Life of Sergei Eisenstein (1987))

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Goofs

The Bolshevik revolutionary killed by the mob can be seen blinking his eyes after dead.

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Quotes

V.I. Lenin: We have the right to be proud that to us fell the good fortune of beginning the building of the Soviet State and, by doing so, opening a new chapter in the history of the world.

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Crazy Credits

Only under the iron leadership of the Communist Party can the victory of the masses be secured.

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Alternate Versions

A restored version was finished in Moscow in October/November 2007, adding material and correcting the timing, growing the length of the movie (compared to the 1967 version, the restored version hitherto usually screened) by about half an hour. The added material includes shots of (an actor playing) Leonid Trotsky, shots which Sergey Eisenstein is said to have removed from the film during the editing process by order from Stalin himself.

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Connections

Featured in Decomposituations (2018)

User Reviews

Political Idealogy

Fascinating Russian silent feature which is interested in the final moments of the Russian Revolution which brought the Communist to power. Film was part of a series involving Revolutions and protests which included Strike(1924) and Battleship Potemkin(1925). Interestingly, film puts a lot of the attention of Trotsky than Lenin. He(Trotsky) is portrayed as one of the heros of the revolution as well as a great Russian figure. Striking use of montage helps give the film its artistic flavor. One of the ten Russian silent films from the 1920s. Acting is nothing special yet gains the viewer's attention with the passion and emotion eched on by the performers. Was not popular with the Stalin regime because of the popular depiction of Trotsky. The beginning of a battle of censorship between Eisenstein and Stalin which resulted in disfavor for the Soviet filmmaker in late 1940s. Scenes that involved Trotsky who after all was Stalin's enemy were cut from the picture. These scenes with Trotsky were later restored years after the death of Stalin. Sergei M Eisenstein was fortunate not to be part of the people including artists who were arrested and either excuted or serve long jail terms during the 1930s for mentioning the name of Trotsky. Eisenstein was a genius at puting together a film and understanding the importance of images to fit a theme. After making this film he made an attempt to make it in Hollywood which didn't pan out. He had trouble getting projects green lighted possibly to the fact that Sergei wanted to make his own films, his way and the studios wouldn't not let him do it. I find it amazing at how many great foreign filmmakers who failed finding a niche in Hollywood because of their refusal to do what the studios want. A poginolty directed motion picture with a breathtaking moment in the taking of the big palace. Some of the film's ideas are also present in Alexander Nevsky(1938). It builds on motifs and themes that were disscussed in Strike(1924). From 1927 onward, Sergei M Eisenstein would only make a handfull of films. Oktyabr/October(1924) is a masterful protrayal of a period in Russian which lead to bad times contary to hopes of many Soviet revolutionaries.