Back home

Battleship Potemkin

1255 votes

Producing House

A dramatized account of a great Russian naval mutiny and a resultant public demonstration, showing support, which brought on a police massacre.

movie

Status: Released

Released Date: 1925-12-24

Runtime: 75 mins

Director: Sergei Eisenstein

Writer: Sergei Tretyakov, Nina Agadzhanova, Sergei Eisenstein, Nikolay Aseev, Grigori Aleksandrov

Spoken language: No Language

Genres: Drama, History, War

Original title: Battleship Potemkin

Production Companies: Mosfilm

Production Countries: Soviet Union

Reviews

G

Geronimo1967
I'm not going to attempt to find loads of cinematic superlatives about this. It's just a great film that depicts the epitome of cruelty, indifference and kindred spirit at sea in spades. The crew of this powerful warship are treated little better than prisoners in a gulag. When the ship's doctor insists that their daily meat ration (which could "jump into the water by itself") is safe to eat, a few of them decide to take a stance. Their officer humiliates them, and when they refuse to back down he corners them on deck and orders them shot. This proves the flashpoint for his crewmen who proceed to seize the ship and sail to Odessa where they turn the guns on the army headquarters in the city and the conflagration grows. Will others join them, or will the status quo be returned and their ship destroyed...? Historians have already told us the answers to most of the factual questions, so it's not really about what happens - it is the magnificently poignant and suspenseful fashion in which Eisenstein paces the film. Clearly he has an agenda, his depictions are not exactly even handed - particularly the soldiers in the town dealing with the civilian population, but that doesn't overwhelm the overall sentiment of the sailors rebelling for just reasons, for decent treatment and for a degree of respect that was certainly lacking from their officers. The production itself is superb, the camerawork has an intensity that makes you feel as if you are actually on the boat at times. I'm sure there are more analytical reviews of this film to be had - but I think it is just a wonderful example of a man at the top of his game making an exciting film that delivers entertainment and a bit of thought-provocation in equal measure, at the same time.
2022-06-06

Recommendations

Los opositores
2.5

Los opositores

1960-05-18

Palace of Ambition
3

Palace of Ambition

1957-12-18

A nobleman bribes a maidservant to gain access to the palace and poison the crown prince. Another no

Sven Tuuva the Hero
2.6

Sven Tuuva the Hero

1958-12-19

For six hundred years Sweden had controlled most of Finland until the war with Russia that ended in

The Experiment
3.7

The Experiment

2001-03-08

20 volunteers agree to take part in a seemingly well-paid experiment advertised by the university. I

Titanic
4

Titanic

1997-12-18

101-year-old Rose DeWitt Bukater tells the story of her life aboard the Titanic, 84 years later. A y

Full Metal Jacket
4.1

Full Metal Jacket

1987-06-26

A pragmatic U.S. Marine observes the dehumanizing effects the U.S.-Vietnam War has on his fellow rec

The Last Samurai
3.8

The Last Samurai

2003-12-05

Nathan Algren is an American hired to instruct the Japanese army in the ways of modern warfare, whic

The Birth of a Nation
3

The Birth of a Nation

1915-03-08

Two families, abolitionist Northerners the Stonemans and Southern landowners the Camerons, intertwin

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
3.9

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans

1927-11-04

A married farmer falls under the spell of a slatternly woman from the city, who tries to convince hi

Hotel Rwanda
3.9

Hotel Rwanda

2004-12-22

Inspired by true events, this film takes place in Rwanda in the 1990s when more than a million Tutsi

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
4

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

1920-02-26

Francis, a young man, recalls in his memory the horrible experiences he and his fiancée Jane recentl

Natural Born Killers
3.5

Natural Born Killers

1994-08-26

Two victims of traumatized childhoods become lovers and serial murderers irresponsibly glorified by

Zatoichi
3.6

Zatoichi

2003-09-06

Blind traveler Zatoichi is a master swordsman and a masseur with a fondness for gambling on dice gam

Oliver Twist
3.4

Oliver Twist

2005-09-23

When 9-year-old orphan Oliver Twist dares to ask his cruel taskmaster, Mr. Bumble, for a second serv

The 13th Warrior
3.3

The 13th Warrior

1999-08-13

A Muslim ambassador exiled from his homeland joins a group of Vikings, initially offended by their b

The Sea Inside
3.8

The Sea Inside

2004-09-03

Ramón Sampedro is a ship mechanic and part-time poet left a quadriplegic following a diving accident

We Own the Night
3.3

We Own the Night

2007-10-12

A New York nightclub manager tries to save his brother and father from Russian mafia hitmen.

The Gift
3.3

The Gift

2000-03-16

Annie Wilson, young widow and mother of three, makes her living foretelling others' futures⁠—though

Open Range
3.6

Open Range

2003-08-11

A former gunslinger is forced to take up arms again when he and his cattle crew are threatened by a

Payback
3.4

Payback

1999-02-05

With friends like these, who needs enemies? That's the question bad guy Porter is left asking after