Review of Russia In Revolt (box set)

Introduction

Strike

Strike was the first of eight films in a series called `Towards Dictatorship` that the young Eisenstein was offered to direct by the Proletkult in 1924. The development of a factory strike in Tsarist Russia and the consequences of this action would be the main focal point of this film. The savage destruction of this uprising by the police, troops and government agents would give Eisenstein the opportunity to reflect the dialectic of the Russian Revolution.
Although this was Eisensteins first film, it shows unprecedented skill in expressing the emotion, energy and sheer heroism of the working classes. Using the Kuloshov `montage` effect, symbolism is used extensively thoughout, making this film a visual masterpiece that would influence filmmakers the world over.


The Battleship Potemkin

Intended as an eight-part epic, The Battleship Potemkin, developed from less than a one-page script was to record the numerous unsuccessful attempts at revolution in 1905.
Beginning with the mutiny of the crew of the Potemkin and ending in the bloody open rebellion of the people who take up the sailors cause when the ship docks, Eisenstein created one of the most celebrated sequences in cinema. The Czarist soldiers opening fire on the harrowed crowds as they rush down the Odessa steps was destined for one of the most influential landmarks in cinematography history.

October 1917

The third major film from Eisenstein is a reconstruction of the events from February leading up to the revolution in October.
Eisenstein true to Communist philosophy filmed with no stars but instead used the proletariat to provide the realism and true to life heroism that only `real` people could provide. Extensively researched to provide the most accurate and thorough representation of the revolution, Eisenstein even used the leaders of the uprising along with the soldiers and guards who witnessed these events in an attempt to make this film the ultimate record for the Tenth anniversary of that fateful year.


The Fall of the Romanov Dynasty

After the second revolution of 1917 in which the Bolsheviks established the `dictatorship of the proletariat`, they began to manufacture and manipulate propaganda in an attempt to convince Russia`s population of the importance of their role in all revolutionary events. This myth that so swamped later Russian thought formed the basis of this documentary.

Video

Although being fully restored and remastered the pictures on these films were never going to be brilliant due to the age and condition of the original material. Presented in 4:3 ratio in black and white, what we have here is a very good attempt at recreating what these films must have originally looked like when first released. Sadly though, time has taken its toll and each film suffers from dirt, scratches, jumps in the frame and washed out blacks. Often detail is lost in the soft picture and some frames look over or underexposed.
However, I`m sure that every effort was made to restore these classic films and you probably will never see a better print appear. The picture though is never unwatchable however bad the state of the film is. Considering how old this is and its content I`m surprised it doesn`t look worse and anyone interested in these films would not be put off or indeed be disappointed by the quality.

Audio

All the films present are silent and use intertitles. An additional soundtrack, usually music with the occasional soundeffect has been used to try to give a sense of what it might have originally sounded like when being seen accompanied with the live music of the time. The noise floor can be quite high with hiss audible and the occasional pop can be heard throughout.
The soundtracks do give an authentic feel though and they are perfectly acceptable although most people I think would opt for the commentary tracks where available. These are indispensable and truly add value to these discs.

Features

Special features on each disc are:

Strike - A fine commentary which is essential if you want all the background information, technical details and significance of all the onscreen imagery and symbolism. Excellent stuff.

The Battleship Potemkin - Sadly no commentary, but you do get stereo and 5.1 restored remix of the soundtrack. The restricted origins of this track are all too apparent with, pops, crackles and a high level of hiss and although more enveloping than the stereo mix, there is very little reason to have had this soundtrack in 5.1. This disk also features a scrolling synopsis together with music and images.

October 1917 - A scrolling background story of the revolution much like the synopsis feature above.

The Fall of the Romanov Dynasty - Another excellent, insightful commentary on this one together with a short (15 mins) documentary essay and an extensive Romanov photo collection.

The real bonuses here are the commentary soundtracks in which practically every detail is explained or referenced. If only Hollywood commentary tracks could be this interesting and all enveloping.

Conclusion

This boxset is truly an indispensable guide not only to Eisensteins groundbreaking films and techniques but also to Russian history, propaganda and manipulation. This work is so significant that it pervades through every filmmaker, even today. You only have to watch a few commercials and you can see the same techniques used by Eisenstein being shamelessly copied in order to sell you something you don`t really need.
The DVD`s may be lacking in quality in video and audio, but they sure do make up for it in content.
Even if you only have a passing interest in filmmaking, cinematography, history or propaganda then there is something of interest here for you in these truly amazing masterpieces of cinema.

If you want to see how to make a film then there is no better starting point than these DVDs. Study them, digest the information then send them to the studios in Hollywood so that they can see how to make real films.