The Cinematheque

Eisenstein’s revolutionary masterpiece is one of cinema’s immortal works. Commissioned to mark the 20th anniversary of the failed Russian revolution of 1905, it centres on a mutiny launched by the crew of a naval vessel against their Tsarist officers. Potemkin’s ​“Odessa Steps” sequence—complete with bouncing baby carriage careening perilously down the stairs—is one of the most analyzed and imitated in cinema history. The power and excitement of Eisenstein’s artistry is astonishing; the film is a sensational showcase for the director’s legendary genius at montage—at imparting ideas, emotion, rhythm, and tone through the juxtaposition of images. It is also, like most Eisenstein works, too full of visual, aesthetic, and intellectual derring-do to have ever passed muster as the mass art it was intended to be. This version includes a recent recording of Edmund Meisel’s rousing original score.