| Product: |
The Battleship Potemkin (DVD) |
| Date: |
14/11/00 (98 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: an ancient but effective cinematic version of a true story, a foundation stone of cinema.
Disadvantages: a few minor problems with the DVD release, but nothing major.
Having purchased this film more on the basis that it had once been banned in this country than any recognition of the title as a landmark of world cinema, I soon realised as the DVD began to play that what I was watching was a true classic of the type that mainstream film critics often wax lyrical about (and, consequently, would not always be of interest to me since my tastes tend more towards the obscure), but that, in this case, the film actually carried a very anti-establishment message, or at the very least a message against the establishment which has always been present in Britain and now rules once again in the film’s country of origin, Russia.
The film tells a true story, which begins on board the Russian warship Potemkin, which is ruled with an iron fist by its Captain and small clique of senior and petty officers who treat the common sailors worse than dogs. The seeds of dissent amongst the lower ranks have already been sown because of this treatment, with the stout sailor Vakulinchuk the most determined to end the diabolical situation, and when the sailors discover that the meat they are expected to eat is crawling with maggots, the mutinous feelings begin to grow even faster, culminating in a refusal by a steadfast group of sailors to eat the soup they are presented with that mealtime.
The Captain rounds up the troublemakers, covers them all with tarpaulin and prepares to have them executed by firing squad. At this moment, the revolt onboard the ship begins, with the officers, who are hopelessly outnumbered, quickly overpowered and overboard.
Unfortunately, Vakulinchuk himself has been shot with a rifle during the melee by a black-uniformed officer, and he dies from his wounds. The sailors mourn their organiser, attaching to him a notice saying “killed for a bowl of soup” and transporting his body in a small boat to the nearby town of Odessa. The townspeople of Odessa hear of the mutiny and find the body, and
very quickly decide to support the revolt, stating that nothing will divide them and break their unity and beating a dissenter, who tries to convince the mob to lynch Jews rather than support the sailors, to the floor.
Having made their decision, representatives of the people of Odessa sail out to the Potemkin in a flotilla of small ships laden with food and livestock. They replenish the supplies of the sailors, and return to shore, waving the warship away as it goes to further the revolution. At this point, however, a group of Czarist soldiers, who have had reports of civil unrest and disobedience, arrive in the town. As the crowd flees from the armed unit the soldiers open fire, steadily pursuing the people down the Odessa Steps and firing at will, killing anyone they wish, including women with their babies and children. The sailors aboard the Potemkin are unable to do anything about these events, as they are now too far away to get back in time, but they vent their rage by firing their canons at the local governments headquarters. After this, however, they hurry on, for it will surely not be long before they will be tracked down by many battleships still loyal to the Czar.
The sailors are distraught and bedraggled, but still their spirits are unbroken. Lookouts constantly watch for the approach of the enemy as the group reluctantly come to terms with their role as hunted men. Eventually a fleet is sighted, and the Potemkin raises the flag of freedom, hoping that this will incite the other ships to join them rather than fight. Being crusaders for peace, they are reluctant to fire first — but will those onboard the other ships come to their senses in time, or will the Potemkin’s crew be slaughtered in a hail of cannon?
After watching this film, it is clear to me that this was a piece previously banned for purely political reasons rather than because of any massively indecent scenes unsuitable for the British public — the
re is violence contained within, but all of this is presented in a modest and gentle way, with the consequences of violence obviously being far higher on the director’s list of priorities than the showing of the violence itself.
On a cinematographic level, the reputation of this film as a landmark of early cinema is obviously justified: the massacre on the Odessa steps is far in advance of anything else I have seen in a film of this vintage, including the only tracking shot I can remember seeing in a silent film (at this time even panning was kept to a minimum due to technical difficulties), as a woman carries her child up the steps towards the soldiers, begging them not to shoot and explaining that her child is very sick. Needless to say the soldiers shoot her down without a second thought and continue their inexorable march down the steps as the mounted Cossacks arrive to back them up. The rest of the film, the majority aboard the titular vessel, is also equally impressive, conveying the cramped nature of the sailor’s living accommodation (which is basically a space in which they hang their hammocks), and the oppressive atmosphere inherent in the rest of the ship, even above decks, by the means of a very busy frame, broken up into many sections by stark lines formed by ropes and chains, and the harsh contours of towers, giving the illusion of a lack of space. The physical atmosphere as the sailors await the inevitable onslaught is especially bleak, with the evening sky of the night before being interpreted in the grainy black and white of the film as a truly miserable shade of murky black. Despite this, of course, the group keep their spirits high, confidant that their cause is just and that victory will be theirs.
With regard to characterisation, the film does not follow the conventions of western cinema; with one of the main points made by the film being that a mass of people working in unison can accomplish wonders, the film’
s message is the antithesis of the primarily American view that it is the individual which is important above all. Here, apart from Vakulinchuk the martyr, who in any case dies well before both the massacre on the steps and the confrontation with the fleet, individuals are not really important in themselves, and so long as the group is united they cannot lose. Consequently the film contains a group of sailors with one group character, and whether in general this method is superior or inferior to the individualistic style more familiar to the modern British moviegoer is a purely ideological point which does not alter this particular film’s effectiveness.
The film, of course, ends in an upbeat manner, with unity prevailing and the Czar’s sailors on other ships deserting him at a considerable rate of knots. This film, however, was made to commemorate the UNsuccessful revolution of 1905, and so it should be obvious to anyone watching that the real-life versions of the characters depicted in the film were probably killed later in pursuit of their ideals. The film was made to ensure that their sacrifice, against a brutal regime and in pursuit of peace, was not forgotten. Shamefully, in the new millennium, this is precisely what has happened, and hence this film still has a valuable use.
The new Eureka DVD release is acceptable but basic: the 4:3 aspect ratio print of the film, which is grainy in places as might be expected but which is perfectly watchable, and which is accompanied by a suitable musical score, is supplemented by scene access, a choice of two audio versions (the same music in 2-channel and 5.1 — why?), and a brief synopsis consisting of scrolling text. A minor point of annoyance would be the fact that the subtitles have been added to the print itself rather than being stored in the correct DVD subtitle format, meaning that if one should so wish there is no way to watch the film in its original Russian form. Similarly, the
re is an opening title sequence (in English) which looks like an add-on, and a few of the inter-titles (generally those announcing major sections of the film) have been replaced altogether with English-language counterparts. And if one were to feel particularly in the mood for nit-picking, there is also the fact that the menu doesn’t know the difference between up and down and left and right in some positions, annoying especially as the DVD sleeve boasts specifically of “Interactive Menus” is a red box-out (which to my mind is like boasting of doors that open or of edible food).
All in all, though, this is not a bad package which is, thankfully, not too difficult to find in the shops, and which consequently gives a much-needed mass release at last to Eisenstein’s truly excellent film.
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