Battleship Potemkin

Rating: 8/10 (9 May 2012)

I'm never one to turn a film down, unless it's got Ben Affleck in it, then i'm always hesitant. But alas, i recently received an invite to a 1925 silent Russian film named Battle Potemkin, and once it was confirmed Ben Affleck was not in this film, i was good to go. Showing at London's Southbank, i was excited to see a silent film in the cinema, something i've never done before, and also excited to see a film called by many critics as one of the great films of the 20th century.
The film is a bit of revolutionary propaganda, dealing with the plight of a rebellious set of sailors, and from the minute it begins it is clear that these sailors are the heroes of the film. What follows is five brief episodes (the films is only 70 minutes long) which charts the mutiny led by the sailors against their heinous officers. Soon enough the whole of the City (Odessa for those keeping count) revolts and in a magnificent piece of film-making (especially considering this was made 86 years ago) there is a stampede which is brutally captured and wouldn't look out of a place in a low-budget film made today. The finale of the film is a triumph and strangely uplifiting, who woulda guessed a Russian mutiny would evoke such emotion??!
This film is a great way to introduce somebody to silent films, it is relatively short and moves at a great speed. One thing i loved about the lack of dialogue was the focus instead on the visual aspects of the film, as an audience member you also have more space to look at facial expressions and mannerisms without being held back by subtitles, and this is where the attachment to the film really comes alive. I would give this film an 8/10, it's different, and has certainly got me interested in silent films, now, where's that Charlie Chaplin DVD?