October: Ten Days That Shook the World

Rest in peace, poor little horse on the bridge. And you non-costumed civilians, kindly return for the late art nouveau, or there will be no reconstruction. (2012-03-13)

With Eisenstein, the famous Soviet montage style was at its absolute peak, which is best represented by this unique reconstruction movie. Thanks to the endlessly creative juxtaposition, the pace of the narrative is brutal all the way through, perfectly reflecting the rising political and wartime escalation of the events portrayed, and the editing itself is a matter for a long technical analysis and an even longer letter of admiration towards the pair of brilliant directors. This work represents true visual art, instead of the senselessness of the surrealist or Dada films of the time, but with a purposeful authorial vision contained in every frame and accompanying title. The version scored with music by Shostakovich adds even more. (2015-12-09)

The power of film for propaganda is immense, as the Russians discovered, and later, to a greater extent, the Germans. October: Ten Days That Shook the World is a propaganda film, commissioned by Lenin's successors. However, one can never deny Eisenstein's ability in this film to demonstrate how adept he was at using film techniques, whether it's camera work or editing, as well as specific scenes and images and their intertwining, which gives the film even greater depth. Even modern filmmakers can't do that. (2014-07-09)