Battleship Potemkin
Sergei Eisenstein
1925
SYNOPSIS
A mutiny erupts aboard a Russian naval vessel when sailors refuse to eat rotten meat, sparking a revolution that spreads to the port city of Odessa. The Tsar's troops brutally massacre civilians on the famous Odessa Steps in a sequence that redefined editing. Sergei Eisenstein’s masterpiece uses his theory of montage to create visceral emotional responses, serving as a powerful piece of Soviet propaganda and one of the most influential films in cinema history.
CRITIQUE
Sergei Eisenstein’s propaganda masterpiece rewrote the rules of film editing. The Odessa Steps sequence is the most analyzed scene in film history, demonstrating how montage can manipulate time and provoke visceral emotion. It moved cinema from mere observation to psychological impact, using collision and rhythm to radicalize the viewer. Its influence extends far beyond politics; it taught filmmakers how to construct action and suspense. It remains the ultimate example of film as a weapon, proving the medium's power to incite revolution and shape history.