Propaganda? Yes Stunning? Definitely

Rating: Null/10 (30 June 2004)

To think that this was made almost 80 years ago, but still inspires movies of today (The odessa steps scene = The Untouchables for example). Yes - it is a propaganda movie - it considers the lynch mob attacks on the ruling class / ship's officers to be justifiable, but the shooting of the leader of the ship's revolution is just not on - but even so it is a stunning piece of cinema. It was even banned in Britain until 1954 - so strong was its political message. The characters are one dimensional, but it must be remembered that the aim was to make political statements and symbolise events, so the characters become mere tools of this symbolism. Witness the twirled wax moustache of the evil tsarists - only stopping short of tying a girl to a railway track to complete the image.
The most stunning piece for me however was the quick three frames of the heraldic lions, as the battleship fires upon the Opera House we see first a sleeping lion, then a waking one, and then a third fully alert statue. Whether this symbolised a waking beast representing the revolution, or the tsarists being awoken by the assault upon it I don't know.
Even so, propaganda has never been so impressively done.