Review – October

Ten years after the October Revolution, Sergei Eisenstein directed this classic of the silent era, a retelling of the events that swept the Bolsheviks into power. To be sure, the picture has some problems. By modern standards – or even by the standards of silent movies from Hollywood – the production is rough around the edges and strangely experimental in spots. It’s also strangely similar to Nazi propaganda pictures in its characterization of the enemies of the revolution as dark, sinister, Semitic stereotypes. Oh, and it’s pretty hard on the horses. Otherwise, however, this is an important moment in the development of propaganda film-making, worthy of the attention of any serious student of the subject. Mildly amusing