Leofwine_draca TEN DAYS THAT SHOOK THE WORLD is a documentary-style retelling of the Russian Revolution that saw the rise of Lenin and his Bolsheviks and the overthrow of the royal family. It comes across as a piece of propaganda and was directed by Russia's most famous director, no less than Sergei Eisenstein. The situation was a complex one and that complexity comes across well in this fast-paced silent film which is packed with memorable imagery and epic-feeling crowd scenes.

Jackson Booth-Millard I found this silent Soviet Union film in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, from directors Sergei M. Eisenstein (Strike, Battleship Potemkin; Ivan the Terrible, Parts I and II) and Grigori Aleksandrov, I was hoping it would be a worthy entry. Basically the events of 1917, in Petrograd, Russia are re-enacted in this documentary style film, from the end of the monarchy in February to the end of the provisional government and the decrees of peace and of land in November of that year. Lenin returns in April, counter-revolutionaries spontaneously revolt and the order of Lenin's arrest occurs in July, by late October the Bolsheviks prepare to strike, these are the ten days that will shake the world. While the Mensheviks waver their opinions, the palace is infiltrated by an advance guard, it is the lead of Anatov-Oveyenko to attack and sign the proclamation that dissolves the provisional government. Starring Vasili Nikandrov as Lenin, Nikolay Popov as Kerenskiy as Boris Livanov as Minister Terestsenko. This film served as a tenth anniversary celebration of the overthrown provisional government and impersonal tribute, it is satirical and overtly political, I found it a bit hard to follow on occasion, and it does not have the same grip as Battleship Potemkin, but with a montage of realistic and dramatic material it has bits that gained my attention, a watchable silent historical epic. Good!

tomgillespie2002 To mark the tenth anniversary of the overthrow of Russia's Provisional Government by the Bolsheviks (dubbed 'the October Revolution'), the Soviet government commissioned a propaganda film to be made depicting the events by Sergei Eisenstein. Fresh off the success of his masterpiece The Battleship Potemkin (1925), Eisenstein was seen as the ideal choice to celebrate one of the most significant revolutions in recent history. American John Reed's book Ten Days That Shook the World was the main inspiration for the film's execution and style. The final film, however, was not to the government's liking, describing it as unintelligible to the masses, with Eistenstein taking full advantage of his freedom of artistic expression. The result is a rapid and highly detailed account, full of Eisenstein's trademark fast editing and metaphorical cutaways.It is useful for the viewer to have at least some prior knowledge of the events that took place and the various figures and parties that were involved, as Eisenstein quickly switches his focus from the lower classes, to the Bolsheviks and Lenin (Vasili Nikandrov), and to the Provisional Party and its leader Aleksandr Kerensky (Nikolay Popov). Even with my, admittedly somewhat limited, prior knowledge, I found the film confusing at times. This, however, is more of a damning indictment of my level of intelligence than a criticism of Eisenstein's abilities as a story teller. I would even go so far as saying that modern film- making was created here, as I have to see a pre-1928 film that is quite so technically innovative as this. It is part reconstructed documentary, part artistic interpretation.It may not be quite up to the epic scale of Potemkin or his two Ivan the Terrible (1944/1958) films, but October does include a set-piece that eclipses even the Odessa steps sequence in Potemkin. After the government have beaten back a workers demonstration, many lay dead or dying. The bridge that they lie on begins to open from the middle, and we see a woman's corpse lie motionless, her long hair being lifted up by the opposing side of the bridge. And a dead horse, still attached to its cart, hangs limply from the edge, eventually falling into the river. It's a quite brilliant moment from Eisenstein, who, seemingly without effort, allows the audience to make an emotional connection to a historic event without having to establish any characters in and amongst the chaos. Not the Soviet masters finest achievement, but certainly his most visually impressive, and possibly the most exciting.www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

Britney Butler Oktyabr (October 1917 Sergei M. Eisenstein, Grigori V. Alexandrov, USSR 1928, 103 min) depicts events in Russia during the new reign of Prime Minister Kerensky, played by Vladimir Popov. The time takes place during Russia involvement with the war, and the film produces the unfortunate affects of the war; under nurtured poorly lead soldiers, desire to overthrow Tsar, and rebellion. Lenin, played by actor Vasili Nikandrov, returns to Russia and leads workers becoming something of a hero to the story. October though most important attributes would be the cinematography and editing. The careful use of montages to derive an idea is what this film was composed of. Moments when the gun-men's angry faces are show and cut back repeatedly to the barrel of the gun are a good example. Another example is the use of suggestive metaphors, such as when the Tsar's peacock is worked into the film representing the particular social and political class. The overall cinematography really drives the films to hold a touch of realism. The documentary style of shooting combined with the raw audio sounds of guns, crowds, and marching emphasize the shock and purpose of the film. Even though the film may not be many people's cups of tea, one should observe it to get a specific idea of Eisenstien's style of Montage of Attractions.