On B List of Movie Reviews
(For optimum viewing, adjust the zoom level of your browser to 125%.)
Bronenosets Potyomkin (1925)
Rate:
7
Viewed:
3/06, 8/15
3/06:
Bronenosets Potyomkin, which is better known as Battleship Potemkin, is a groundbreaking film for the use
of montage, and the Odessa Steps scene is one of the greatest and most famous ever.
Silent films used to be static, making themselves intolerably boring to watch. But when this one came out,
Sergei Eisenstein changed the way how movies should be presented. As a result, they're easier to digest as a form of
entertainment.
The idea of montage is to reduce the dullness of the scene because of the camera standing still when cutaway shots can
make it more happening to maximize the effect on viewer's emotions. Hence, Battleship Potemkin changed
everything in terms of editing.
All in all, Battleship Potemkin, like The Birth of a Nation, is one of the most influential movies made.
8/15:
There's a good reason why Bronenosets Potyomkin, which is translated as Battleship Potemkin, is
one of the most influential films in world cinema.
It changed everything how the scenes should be edited. Back then, silent pictures used to be static as the camera
stood in one place while various actors moved around on the same set in full view. It was easy for the viewers to fall
asleep because there was no energy to keep them awake constantly.
What worked in Battleship Potemkin is the power of montage which is, simply put, the cutaway shots.
Things happen quickly, keeping everybody awake, and the pace is fast and furious. The story is told in a series of
images rather than words, evoking feelings. The greatest scene is the Odessa Steps. Its power
is still unbelievable. Brian De Palma will pay homage to it via the train scene in The Untouchables.
Today, such editing is commonplace, and we take it for granted. But when the film first came out, the technique was
revolutionary. Therefore, everybody should see the Russian masterpiece for film appreciation. However, as much as I hate to
say it, it's boring to watch. There are scenes that drag, the story is somewhat incomprehensible,
and the rapid pace of montage can be overwhelming at times.
All in all, Battleship Potemkin will always have a place in the annals of world cinema.