Review of Battleship Potemkin (1925) by Michael C — 03 Jul 2009

While I certainly don't deny this film is deserving of its stature as one of the most influential and important films ever made, I cannot give it a full rating for a couple of reasons; first of all, while there are plenty of interesting twists and developments in the plot, in some areas it doesn't seem to have held up in that regard.

One of the other problems is the level of fame its most famous scene has acquired: the Odessa Steps sequence, long held as one of the benchmarks in montage editing. And to put all naysayers to rest, yes, it really IS that amazing.

But the fame of this singular series of scenes seems to overshadow everything preceding it, and it makes everything after feel like a thrown-in epilogue. Granted the ending is quite good and Eisensteins method of shooting this film is strong throughout, but it didn't fully engage me the way some other films did.

I have given this film four stars because overall I enjoyed it, I certainly see why it is required viewing for anyone who loves the study of film, and I think it is a very interesting piece of propaganda detailing a battleship uprising and the violence that follows.

But I also don't think I'll ever watch it again for any leisurely purpose either.