Battleship Potemkin (1925) – Film Review

Director: Sergei Eisenstein
Cast: Aleksandr Antonov, Vladimir Barskiy, Grigoriy Aleksandrov
Certificate: 12

By Sarah Morgan

As a cinema fan, there are certain films you’re expected to see before you die, productions that helped the form develop, were groundbreaking in their day and should always be remembered.

Battleship Potemkin is, rightly or wrongly, regarded as one of those; it continues to be an influence on directors 100 years since its original release.

Orson Welles, Billy Wilder, Michael Mann and Paul Greengrass have all declared their love of it, while others have paid homage in their own work, including Brian De Palma, who reimagined the famous Odessa Steps sequence in The Untouchables.

“Oppressive leaders”

The BFI is celebrating the centenary of the silent movie by releasing a swanky Blu-ray and CD set complete with an illustrated booklet containing new essays by various critics and film historians, as well as Neil Tennant.

Yes, you did read that correctly. Neil Tennant, as in the talkative member of the Pet Shop Boys. You see, the film here is accompanied by a score by Tennant and his musical partner Chris Lowe, in collaboration with the Dresden Symphonic Orchestra.

As for the film itself, it focuses on a 1905 naval mutiny by the crew of the titular vessel who decided to make a stand against their oppressive leaders, driven to fight for their rights after being mistreated while serving in the morale-sapping Russo-Japanese war.

Director Sergei Eisenstein splits it into five acts, each with its own title, having been commissioned to tie in with the 20th anniversary of the real-life event it depicts, although Eisenstein plays fast and loose with the facts.

This new release is bound to receive incredible plaudits by critics either blinded by the undoubtedly incredible images Eisenstein creates or too scared to stand up against the weight of history, despite the fact it is actually rather a dull affair.

“Groundbreaking”

There, I’ve said it. If I was a member of a film critics’ union, I’d probably be cast out for such an opinion, but it’s far too much of a Soviet flag-waver for my tastes and, despite lasting only 74 minutes, still seems a little long.

As a fan of the Pet Shop Boys, I was excited to hear their score which, it was hoped, would help the film appeal to 21st-century audiences. However, it simply doesn’t fit in with the events unfolding on screen; it would almost be better if it wasn’t there at all. Eisenstein hoped a new score would be produced for his work every 20 years; he might have changed his mind about that if he’d heard this one.

So, by all means, watch Battleship Potemkin if you’re interested to see its groundbreaking cinematography and shots, but if you’re looking for an enthralling way to pass an evening, something less pedestrian might be better.

Sarah Morgan( Writer )

Sarah Morgan studied film journalism at post-graduate level with the BFI and has been writing about TV and film for PA Media’s newspaper, magazine and new media customers since 1996. She’s also written for a wide range of other publications, both online and in print, including the book Offbeat and Intermission magazine, and is a regular contributor to the Talking Pictures TV podcast. When she isn’t watching movies, she’s collecting and reading vintage crime and horror paperback books or, for her sins, watching her beloved Sheffield Wednesday.

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