Great movie.

Rating: 10/10 (10 April 2008)

I expected to watch another tepid, dull, ludicrous, poorly Soviet propaganda film and instead, to my huge surprise, I watched a great movie that contained all the elements that elevate this movie to the level of a great work of art. The story is told simply and straight-forward, has excellent acting and provides a positive portrayal of people who act to protest their mistreatment and assert their rights. It is almost unbelievable that this movie was made under the regime of Joseph Stalin because the style of the movie is distinctly un-Soviet and contains evidence of the kind of creativity not associated with the Stalinist regime. That the movie is so-called silent does not detract from its powerful story; the musical score is a masterpiece. Watch this movie.