Oktyabr October 1927 OH MY GOD!!!!! That movie was so boring! I mean, we watched some pretty boring ones but yikes! This movie is one hour and forty-two minutes long. Now, that is not as long as some of the other boredom-generators but it is still way, way too long.
This movie is about the October Revolution in the Soviet Union (it was the ten year anniversary). If you have taken a high school history class, you know the basics of the revolution, which is good because you will not learn anything from this film. Much like Haxan, this movie is a reenacted documentary on the revolution.
This movie sucked. I would not mind so much if it was boring if you learned something but the whole thing is glorified propaganda. The best word for this film is "messy." It is very hard to follow especially when you are not really paying attention. Eisenstein may be a good technical director but I never really like his movies. Film is not just about camera angles, it has to have heart, something that sets it apart from, I don't know, a powerpoint on the Soviet Union.
RATING: *----
Interesting Facts:
Is anything about this movie interesting?
The next movie on the list has sound! Oh happy days!
This is the last you are going to hear from me for awhile because not only do I not have ready access to the next movie but I am going out of town. See you in July!
This is available on Netflix Watch Instant. It is not on YouTube so I am not posting a video. You are welcome.
Bronenosets Potyomkin The Battleship Potemkin I did not like this film at all and I will probably be cursed for this by film buffs. First of all, you are not even supposed to enjoy it. This movie is more of a message that a piece of entertainment. It is disturbing and depressing and it doesn't exactly put nice images into your head (dead children and maggots). So I guess what most people think is that it is worth it because it is such a beautifully made film. Eisenstein, the director, is called the master of montage and the stair scene is one of the most famous in cinema.
I do not agree. Basically, this is a piece of propaganda. The whole time they want you to just be cursing the czarists. I, being the stubborn person that I am, don't like being told who to root for or what to think. Good films let you decide those kinds of things for yourself. In addition, the movie is supremely one-dimensional. The czarists are mean for no other reason then to be mean and the workers are noble. There is no character or even plot development. The only thing this movie made me think about was how one-sided it was.
I recently read a movie review by King Roger Ebert. He was reviewing Mommie Dearest and said that the movie "is unremittingly depressing, not to any purpose of drama or entertainment, but just to depress." My experience with Battleship was quite similar.
RATING: **---(two stars because someone thinks it is good)
Interesting Facts:
Probably should see it since it is so famous. They actually kind of reference it in Star Wars.
This is like a worst version of Strike!.
The Soviet Union wanted it to beat Robin Hood in the box offices but Robin Hood won. They thought it would show the how cool Russian arts were post-Revolution. Told you it was propaganda.
