Wow

Rating: 10/10 (29 March 2004)

I was quite moved by Battleship Potemkin. I had shivers up my spine through so much of it: the firing squad scene, the plate with the religious phrase on it, the scene where the leader is hanging on a life-raft, the incredible crowd scenes, but most strikingly, the Odessa steps massacre. The nuanced performances are some of the most subtle and effective i've seen in silent films, though this is more of an action film than a straight drama, truth be told. I was surprised to find myself cheering for the revolutionaries on the Potemkin, and was in awe of the power of Eisenstein's cinema.

The Odessa steps sequence is one of the finest things i've ever seen: the glorious tracking shots down the steps, the fast-paced editing, the little boy being shot, then the close-ups of his hands being trampled on by the crowd fleeing from the Cossacks, then finally the magestic moment of his mother carrying him in her arms in the pieta position, walking angrily towards the marching, descending row of Cossacks, demanding restitution. The most powerful single shot i've ever seen is the shot from behind her, carrying her boy in her arms, walking towards the ordered ranks of Cossacks, who march towards her. The famous pram down the steps is marvellously chilling, as is the woman shot through the eye of her glasses.
I look forward to checking out more Eisenstein. This is my first, at time of writing, and i was very impressed.