Classics from before 1960s

  30.1.23 Battleship Potemkin may not satisfy modern audiences as a piece of entertaining cinema, but as a piece of Soviet communist propaganda and a rich Marxist sociological document, it’s incredibly effective. Its binary narrative of the people versus the establishment is universal in themes and will always have resonance. Although the film is most well-known for its opening scenes on the ship, with the mutinous sailors revolting against their superiors, the scenes set in the port town of Odessa (now in Ukraine) have a vibrancy and emotional power behind them. This may be due to watching this film with the current geopolitical conflict in mind, which only makes watching this film in 2023 seem like a good time to reappraise it. Some scenes still shock, such as the reveal of the godlike priest appearing on board as if he dropped from heaven, and the infamous baby stroller scene, both of which have been imitated and homage in so many ‘household name’ movies (Monty Python and The Untouchables respectively came to mind to me immediately). At only 70 minutes long, I would advise anyone with an interest in the foundations of cinema, particularly with regards to montaging and narrative pacing to head over to YouTube to watch it immediately.