Sergei M. Eisenstein's docu-drama about the 1917 October Revolution in Russia. Made ten years after the events and edited in Eisenstein's 'Soviet Montage' style, it re-enacts in celebratory terms several key scenes from the revolution.
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USSR Leningrad 
Greece12 
MexicoB-15 
Sweden 
USA 
France 
UKPG 
Netherlands12 
Germany France Germany Greece Mexico Netherlands Sweden UK USA USSR 
Honestly, no wonder Stalin was like "wut." Like tfw you're supposed to be making a film about 1917 but the form is from like 2057
Like what did Stalin think when Sergei cuts to the peacock
One hundred years ago, the Soviets marched into the Winter Palace and tore down the Provisional Government, and the proletariat, for the first time in history, completely controlled their own fate. Though others had tried before, each time, they were torn down, betrayed, or defeated; here, in this moment, a beacon of hope was lit for the whole world, one that would last 75 years, weathering imperialist corruption, revisionist decay, and fascist invasion. The Soviets inspired people around the world to follow their lead, and many of those who did remain bastions of proletarian power even today. One hundred years ago, we saw the truth of Lenin's words written in the blood and fire of revolution, and still today, the…
That feel when even Stalin thought you went too far
In all seriousness however, even regardless of politics this remains the benchmark of what can be done with montage in cinema, moreso than Frampton, even.
October was probably too ahead of its time in 1928, and possibly remains so 91 years later - since today we literally see the world through a media saturation that never really got past Potemkin at best. And while I still am unable to parse the metallic peacock even after yearly winter viewings, one of the remarkable things about this movie is being able to break out of narrative form while retaining a linear structure. This is interesting in that it's also (even though he…
Because we know the Russian Revolution happened, we know what the films ultimate outcome is, so there is no need for suspense mechanics and Eisenstein is free - freer than ever - to push theoretical montage to its possibly unsurpassed limits. One of the most beautiful films ever made - pitting not just classes against each other but the history of civilization against a possible new world. Statues, jewelry and religious iconography everywhere, signifiers of the old world - so we can comprehend the gravity of the event taking place...and that it is possible that the world can change. That it was momentous and unparalleled in history, that monarchy and religion can collapse and that freedom is possible.
the montage where you see the petrograd soldiers slowly assembling and loading their guns before embarking on the armed uprising is some of the hypest shit in any film -- reactionaries have never recovered from how eisenstein brutally demolishes their precious 'god and country' in this -- all power to the workers, absolutely electrifying ⚡⚡⚡
checkmate Liberals
Woodrow Wilson was wrong - this is what writing history with lightning looks like.
Sergei Eisenstein’s Oktyabr is a piece of Soviet propaganda cinema that doubles as one of the most influential experiments in film editing ever made. Commissioned to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution, the film dramatizes the chaotic days of October 1917, from the fall of the Tsar’s statue to the storming of the Winter Palace. What makes it essential viewing isn’t the story itself, which is heavily idealized and sometimes confusing, but Eisenstein’s mastery of Soviet montage. The rapid, rhythmic cutting and sheer visual power still feel revolutionary. The raising of the drawbridge and the final assault on the palace are particularly breathtaking sequences. Oktyabr isn't necessarily built for a cozy movie night, but it is essential viewing for anyone interested in film history, editing, or the terrifying power of visual propaganda. It proved that movies didn't just have to tell stories, they could manipulate thought.
This film is included in my list of the 2500+ Best Films.
The funniest possible ending would’ve been Stalin making a surprise cameo at the end.
Imagine commissioning some guy to shoot a few war reenactments and he gives you an experimental montage contrasting revolutionary calls to action with lavish bourgeois symbols of excess. Proletariat power put to memory, not only is this crucial as historical document of class struggle, but as editing technique too. Scythes vs peacocks, and an endlessly swinging pendulum between capitalist squalor and utopia
Genuinely no wonder Stalin was rattled I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus this film is truly bonkers and really lives up to its reputation.
The struggle of socialism over capitalism, the fall of the bourgeois power and ten days that shook the world, especially in the Soviet Union.Editing and directing at their maximum capacities, ranking among the top of any list of silent celluloid collaborations. Another propagandist masterpiece by extremely patriotic and genius Eisenstein.
99/100
