MovieChat Forums > Stachka Discussion > Why I think Strike does not work

Why I think Strike does not work

posted 17 years ago by thao
9 replies | jump to latest

I think Strike is over rated. Yes it has beautiful scenes, excellent framing and some quite nice editing, not to mention a fantastic ending. The last 20 min. are awesome. But sadly that's not enough. The main problem is:

1) It is way to preachy. The message is hammered in, again and again.
2) The humor is tasteless and out of tune with the whole film.
3) Many of the trick shots don't serve much purpose and are therefore distracting.
4) Some scenes are way to long, for example the introduction of the spies.
5) The story gets lost in all the symbolism.
6) Black and white pictures of people. Everyone is ether good or bad. Nothing inbetween.

But all this is very understandable considering that this is his first film. Those unfamiliar to Eisenstein should rather begin with The Battleship Potemkin.

- This comment is most likely authentic and fairly close to what I intended to say -

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] thao 17 years ago

I have read them and I get what you are saying but it still does not work for me. But thank you for your insightful comment anyway.

- This comment is most likely authentic and fairly close to what I intended to say -

[–] Sinister_Kid 16 years ago

You raised some good points. The only ones I really agree with though are that its too preachy and everyone is portrayed as either good or evil. But I just accept it for what it is: a propaganda film that happened to be a masterpiece. I don't agree with the propaganda element but it does not detract from my enjoyment at all.

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] BwlBoy 14 years ago

Whilst I respect Eisenstein's work and acknowledge the overriding message of Strike I still find it to be a pretty convoluted piece. It feels like the debut film it is. Personally it is half as effective storytelling as Battleship Potemkin.

[–] Kammurabi 13 years ago

I think it works pretty well. You have to keep in mind that this film wasn't made for the purpose of pleasing most of those points you raised about it.
To start with, it was intended to be preachy. No getting around that factor. I think this film should be seen with that point being understood beforehand. It makes it easier to handle.

I do agree that Strike lacks much compared to Eisenstein's later work. It is my least favorite of his films, but even that is much better than most directors' first films in my opinion.

.

[–] ilpohirvonen 12 years ago

I think you only made two reasonable comments: the story being too preachy and the black and white pictures of people. However, both of them can be answered simply. It's a propaganda film and, following the conventions of the genre, it is preachy. But, on the other hand, I think it's not that preachy. For, what is really stunning here is that Strike was the first film where masses were heroes, instead of individuals. I'd say many Hollywood pictures from the same era are far more preachy. In fact, the same goes with the B&W pictures of people. Isn't that quite an integral part of silent film of the 1920's? Of course, classical Hollywood narrative had developed and even found its most perfect blossoms but still, silent films require more black and white characterization. At least if you want to reach the public. Obviously Cavalcanti, Bunuel and Murnau did amazing films without this kind of characterization but I would never point out that as a defect in Eisenstein's production. And I don't think I've ever heard anyone giving any actual arguments for it.