October (Ten Days That Shook the World)
by Grigori Aleksandrov, Sergei M. Eisenstein
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Boris Livanov, Layaschenko, Nikolai Popov, Vasili Nikandrov, Vladimir PopovDirector: Grigori Aleksandrov, Sergei M. Eisenstein
Cinematographer: Vladimir Popov
Cinematographer: Eduard Tisse
Cinematographer: Vladimir Nilsen
Writer: Grigori Aleksandrov
Writer: Sergei M. Eisenstein
Writer: John Reed
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Black & White, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Silent
Picture Format: Academy Ratio, 1.33:1
Running Time: 95 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1998-12-29
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Image Entertainment
Movie Reviews of October (Ten Days That Shook the World)
Movie Review: THE DEFINITIVE EVENT OF THE 20TH CENTURY
Summary: 4 Stars
I have reviewed Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky's definitive three-volume work The History of the Russian Revolution that covers this same topic elsewhere in this space. (See April 2006 archives.) Trotsky's work gives a sweeping literary expression to the ebb and flow of the revolution much as the film under review, October 1917, does so cinematically under Eisenstein's masterful direction. I noted in the Trotsky review that his work represented partisan history at its best. One does not and should not, at least in this day in age, ask historians to be `objective'. One simply asks that the historian present his or her narrative and analysis and get out of the way. That same standard is also applicable to the film director Eisenstein's work to which he was commissioned in order to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Russian Revolution in 1927. Although Eisenstein has taken the usual cinematic license in presenting his epic that one has come to expect from that medium and furthermore was working in the period of the Stalinist consolidation of political power it is no the worst political documentary produced in that era, not by a long shot.
Eisenstein was the master of montage, stage direction and reenactment of historical scenes. That skill does not fail him here. In scenes such as Lenin's literally whirlwind arrival at Finland Station from exile in April 1917, the brutal response of the nefarious Provisional Government during the 'July Days', the Petrograd proletariat's response to the counter-revolutionary attempt to seize power by General Kornilov and the events surrounding the storming of the Winter Palace and the transfer of political power to the Soviets Eisenstein uses every trick of the cinematic trade. It shows in the faces of the actors used to portray the various participants. One may criticize this work as being too didactic in its portrayal of the `good' and `bad' guys but my friends that is what this film is all about. It is a propaganda film made in the 1920's and reflects the state of the art and the state of working class politics. The hoary-handed Petrograd worker, the star-struck Siberian peasant and the steely-eyed Kronstadt sailor were not society's `beautiful' people. And that is exactly the point. The intent of the revolution was to turn that world upside down with the forces that the Bolsheviks had to work with, warts and all.
I have endlessly pointed out that the October Revolution was the definitive political event of the 20th century. The resulting change in the balance of world power with the demise of the Soviet Union in the 1990's is beginning to look like a definitive political event for the 21st century. I have urged those interested in the fight for socialism to read, yes to read, about the Russian Revolution in order to learn some lessons from that experience. Trotsky's history is obviously a good place to start for a pro-Bolshevik overview. If you are looking for a general history of the revolution or want an analysis of what the revolution meant for the fate of various nations after World War I or its affect on world geopolitics look elsewhere. E.H. Carr's History of the Russian Revolution offers an excellent multi-volume set that tells that story through the 1920's. Or if you want to know what the various parliamentary leaders, both bourgeois and Soviet, were thinking and doing from a moderately leftist viewpoint read Sukhanov's Notes on the Russian Revolution. For a more journalistic account John Reed's classic Ten Days That Shook the World is invaluable. If, however, you want a quick overview of the revolution and view the film with that purpose in mind then Serge Eisenstein's masterpiece is not a bad place to start.
Summary of October (Ten Days That Shook the World)
Russian director Sergei Eisenstein's powerful retelling of the 1917 Russian Revolution, "October" is an acknowledged masterpiece in the use of editing, lighting, camera placement and mise-en-scene. An absolute must for any film connoisseurs collection.Officially produced to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the Russian Revolution, October quickly became another of Sergei Eisenstein's experiments in film form. As in his masterpiece, Battleship Potemkin, Eisenstein uses explosive montage to create the spirit of revolution--in this case, the events in St. Petersburg during the months leading up to the Bolshevik revolt. Eisenstein's insistence on speaking the language of pure film (deploying space, shadow, movement, and rhythm to create his meaning) shoves his mad rush of images straight into the viewer's eye. A worker's rebellion in the streets, followed by the raising of bridges to isolate their neighborhood, becomes a visual symphony of panic. The film has also been known as Ten Days That Shook the World, its release title in the U.S. (borrowed from the book by John Reed). Its value as propaganda can be debated, but October is incredibly dynamic as film art. --Robert Horton
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