Length: 75 minutes
Director: Sergei M. Eisenstein, Grigori Aleksandrov
Cast: Aleksandr Antonov, Vladimir Barsky, Grigori Aleksandrov, Mikhail Gomorov, Ivan Bobrov, Beatrice Vitoldi, N. Poltavseva, Julia Eisenstein
Eric's Impressions: One of the most talked-about films ever made, this one will make you think as it equally confuses at the same time. Like most of Eisenstein's films, there's a lot of propaganda disguised as a storyline with frantic cuts and edits. The imagery can be haunting at times, especially the sequence with the baby carriage on the steps. It was so controversial at the time it came out that it was banned around the world. Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Gobbels famously said, "a marvellous film without equal in the cinema ... anyone who had no firm political conviction could become a Bolshevik after seeing the film." You will never forget this movie experience.
Natalie's Impressions: If one were to cut up this film into individual freeze-frames and assemble them in a random order, it would be one of the most disturbing, confusing and memorable photographic displays. But watching the film from beginning to end is even more memorable and disturbing because an emotional story is built behind those images that the viewer comes to understand (maybe not understand, but comprehend why they are there). The techniques and the unique aesthetic that Eisenstein brings to the screen in all of his films, as well as the ideological storm this film created makes it one of the most important and influential films not just in Western culture, but globally.
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