October: Ten Days That Shook the World

[Johann]

Oktyabr directed by Sergei Eisenstein & Grigori Alexandrov

For the workers of Petersburg 1928

October is one of the supreme achievements in cinema history. I was in awe of this film last night at the cinematheque.
It's now entered my top ten, unequivocally.

The editing. Great God what an achievement. This is as organic and fluid as it gets in the editing dept. Sheer brilliance- it's so acutely precise that I don't think I've seen better editing in my whole life. I'll give examples shortly.

1917. Revolution is brewing. Lenin, Bolsheviks, Cossacks, poverty in the dead of winter, women battalions, flags, arsenals of weapons: rifles, bayonets, cannons, bullets, speeches, betrayals, accusations of treason, traitorious acts, swarms of common workers, riots, military might, and most importantly:DRAMA.

Ten Days That Shook The World is Eisenstein's third feature, and I now fully understand why Peter Greenaway calls him the greatest director of all-time. I was absolutely blown away with this piece of work. I mentioned the editing- I cannot stress enough Sergei Eisenstein's genius in the art of editing.
A few examples:
- the Russian dance sequence. Sergei holds mainly on their feet, but the edits are so quick, so sharp and so precise that words alone cannot justify what that sequence entails. I'm ordering anybody reading this to watch this film and succumb to the majesty of Eisenstein's talent. This man was a MASTER. After last night's screening, I have to reconsider if Kubrick's Barry Lyndon is the greatest film ever made to me...

I was in ecstasy last night. What can I say?

The scenes of "awaiting word", "the calm before the storm"- you'll know what I'm talking about if you see it (it's the "we give you 20 minutes" scene) were some of the most sublime moments I've ever experienced at a movie. It was almost too overwhelming, actually. This film transcends the word masterpiece- it's alchemy, it's propaganda as high-art, it's riveting genius of unseen proportions.
I'm a changed person after seing it. A true priviledge. Thank God for Eisenstein.

More scenes that branded my cerebral cortex:

The acknowledgement of Napoleon Bonaparte's military genius. Eisenstein takes a moment to show the respect Russians have for the French Emperor- the figurines, the nod of the head, the "a Bonaparte is emperor?" sentiment, the tactical appreciation of the little corporal- all extremely impressive to me.
(I wonder if the Russians knew that Napoleon cried when he thought there were no more countries to conquer?)

The "raising of the bridge scene". Words cannot do this sequence justice. The horse-drawn carriage that is left at the apex with the dead horse dangling was like I was actually there, below the bridge, watching this political act of cowardice unfold. I was reminded of Titanic- the shot from the rear of the ship as it's sinking and the stern rises out of the Atlantic- the way Eisenstein shoots the bridges' mechanical movement is nothing short of epic poetry.

Bar none, this film is a monumental testament to the artist that was Sergei Eisenstein. He was commissioned to make this film and he used just about every resource he could exploit. He had carte blanche run of the Leningrad Winter Palace (no filmmaker had such priviledges) and he made maximum use of that freedom. I cannot stress enough how important this film is. And considering the situation the world is in right now, it seemed like the timeliest film I've seen all year, beating out even Fahrenheit 9/11!

The film was a restored 35mm print and despite the "new" score by Shostakovich, I much prefer to watch October silent. If you are reading this and are going to see the film for the first time, I highly recommend seeing it SILENT. The score is great and you should see it with score- both versions are recommended, but see it silent if you can- you will be moved beyond your wildest imagination. I'm still on cloud 9 after this epic, classic, genius piece of work. The lighting! The compositions! The rhythms and pacing! Truly all-encompassing. A manifest miracle, that's what this film is. It took the better part of a year to make, it's chock full of humanity and despite the critics of S.E., it's an affirmation of life.

[silverheart]

I have it here on dvd, but I haven't had time to see it. I must do it. I quited liked Battleship Potemkin and Strike. I bought a pack with seven of his movies and only saw two. Shame on me.

[oscar jubis]

*Silverheart: Before I forget...you may need to adjust the brightness level on your set when watching October, which I didn't have to do when viewing Potemkin and Strike on disc.

*I hope this doesn't sound sacrilegeous but...I didn't love October as much as Strike and Potemkin. It's still the master Eisenstein at the top of his game, but it's 21 min. and 31 minutes longer than the first two features, and Eisenstein is reined in by the need to document a variety of historical events, including lots of meetings and rallies. The number of intertitles is double the number than those in the first two features.
This film drags a bit after the Russian dance sequence highlighted by Johann, which happens about 40 minutes into the film. These opening 40 minutes are choice. Also included, the scene in which the bridges are raised in order to isolate the workers' districts from the center of town (see J's post).
The final 20 minutes or so are truly exhilarating, particularly when the Bolsheviks storm the Winter Palace, and enter the living quarters of the Czar and the Empress, and the wine cellar.
*Note of caution to the devout as there are two scenes as critical of religion as any of Bunuel's or Jodorowsky's. One in particular: a Bolshevik spitting on a painting of Jesus blessing the Royal Family, which he finds in the bedroom of the Empress.

[Johann]

Eisenstein crams a lot into this film and I understand what you mean by not loving it as much as the other two.

It's my favorite Eisenstein because of how I felt after stumbling out of the cinematheque. I was bowled over at the time and that memory still spikes my blood.

I sat up front, and when you sit up front of a big screen with those intense images (and relaxed with leaf from "The Shire"), you can't avoid having your mind blown.

Thanks again for sharing your laser-sharp insights oscar.

Exhilerating. If one word sums up this film, then that's it.

[Johann]

October is described in Eisenstein's The Film Sense as
"a reconstruction of the critical days between February and October 1917, ending on the fall of the Provisional Government.
Photographed almost entirely in Leningrad".


3200 shots!