The Pros and Cons of OCTOBER 1917

Vs the other (silent) communist propaganda films (Strike and Potemkin).

Pros: I think that October 1917 is in many ways better edited and shot than Potemkin or Strike. The composition is just unbelievable. The editing of the massacre in the vicinity of the st Petersburg bridge is extremely powerful (especially the machine-gun scenes) and the same goes for the "for God and Country" scene. I also think that the metaphors are more mature and interesting in October than in Potemkin or Strike.

Cons: Eisenstein was a big admirer of Griffith and I think that his "Griffith" scenes are his best. I think that October suffers from the absence of "Griffith". The story is just to complicated to hang together with out main characters and individual tragedy. Potemkin is a much more successful whole. October however does not hang well together and is therefore more like a beautiful picture book (I think).

Any thoughts?


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