The film "Battleship Potemkin" was rated as the first of the 12 best films since the film came out at the Brussels International Film Festival in 1958. The black and white pictures, the music throughout, and the acrobatic montage turned out - the director used The camera constructs a new perspective to interpret the meaning of war, placing vivid little people in the grand background of the era, and touching the beating pulse through the screen. The story takes place in Russia under the rule of the Tsar in 1905. The battleship Potemkin was the pride of the Imperial Russian Navy. Some sailors refused to devour the broth of long maggots and were ordered to be executed by officers. People remember sailors who died for a spoonful of soup, gunshots and horrific images on the steps of Odessa. The director did not focus on the shaping of a certain character, but made every character an object of narration, forming a unique and pioneering technique, which also makes the film still a part of countless film studies today, 87 years later. An excellent example for the author.
Eisenstein said: "If you don't fall into a kind of superficial symbolism, then color obviously has a prominent dramatic and psychological value." The appearance of the first color film made color truly enter the world of the screen as an element, means and style, and thus began the era of color film production. Just imagine, if "Battleship Potemkin" was shot in color, there would be more bright red blood in the shot, blood from being stabbed, blood from being shot, blood from being pushed down, so we should thank the director for shooting in black and white It adds to the sense of solemnity and heaviness of the film. Through black and white pictures, we can imagine the grandeur of the battleship Potemkin, the waves crashing on the riverbank, and the people constantly looking at the port. There was one scene that left a deep impression on me. It was the first scene where the officer Yintang called the sailors on the deck. The sailors were dressed in neat sailing uniforms, while the ordinary workers who opposed them were mostly I-shirts and even Bare neck and sweating profusely, the director used an overhead shot to separate the two different classes by the color of their clothes. The heroic appearance of the sailors and the roughness of the workers magnified the gap between the two in an instant, so Workers would sleep in hammocks, cramming huge bodies into cramped cramped spaces, nodding, talking, venting, discussing, beatings from sailors, and laying the groundwork for later soldier uprisings.
As a young Eisenstein who turned from science to art, he showed a harsh and rigorous attitude in his plays. He adopted the classical dramatic structure of five-act plays, which were divided into five chapters: (1) People and maggots, (2) Drama on the deck, (3) The dead inspire people, (4) The Odessa stairs, (5) The encounter with the fleet, the plot is all in the hands of the director, and the orderly lines are clear, all in one link The middle layer is progressive, and the director's main idea is sublimated and progressive. There is no character dialogue in the whole chapter, and the subtitles in the dark scene are used to reveal the development of things, but more importantly, music is used to string together the entire narrative like a needle and thread, making the plot climax and ups and downs. Like the Potemkin shrouded in darkness, some are sleeping, some are sitting up and looking at the window outside, and some are looking at the moonlit sea level while on duty, we cannot hear the characters' dialogue, nor can we Guessing the inner thoughts of the characters, at this time, the tense music sounded appropriately. In this strange sound, we heard people's nervousness, fear, and hesitation. We understood the thoughts conveyed in the empty eyes, the fear of war. , uncertain about their future. For example, in the Odyssey ladder, at the beginning, the music is cheerful, even with a naughty energy, ladies and ladies wearing long skirts with parasols, women with babies in their arms smiling at their children, chatting freely A middle-aged man, there was a sudden burst of gunshots, the music became cramped, tense, making people unable to breathe, the appearance of the tsarist soldiers made the whole picture extremely chaotic, open mouth, wide eyes, waving hands, a few minutes In time, the emotional changes of the characters are highlighted through the transformation of the music, which also makes the audience better understand the situation at that time.
Of course, what must be mentioned is the Odessa Staircase in the fourth act. Various forms of conflict and montage methods have reached the point of perfection. In this 7-minute clip, there are 155 shots, which will carry forward the conflict of celebration and slaughter. to the extreme. The first is the mother of the dead child. When the child behind the mother was shot down, the director made cross-cuts in the scene where the child was trampled four times and the mother opened her mouth wide in surprise. The distance was only a few steps away, and the director stretched it to make The mother and son were separated by life and death due to the war. Therefore, under the director's meticulous details, we see many real faces in war, helpless eyes in close-up shots, questioning the world, the lonely people who fell in a pool of blood, and the slipping baby carriage, all of which are profound In our hearts, it is indelible, and it reinforces our disgust for the tyrannical rule of the Tsar. In the war, no matter the winner or the loser, no matter what the result is, it is the common people who suffer the most. However, it is ridiculous that under the strict rule of the tsar, on the Odessa stairs, we see ladies, ladies, Ladies, gentlemen, and workers, the disabled, the poor, and beggars stand on the stairs. The war brings people of different classes together, and everyone's life is so fragile in front of the gunfire. This reminds me that when the Titanic sank, faced with a huge disaster, no matter whether you are rich, poor, old, young or weak, nothing can change the painful situation. Therefore, in the usual disparity between the two parties, common Sighing against the waves. The same goes for the people on the Odessa steps, who can resist the war, who alone watch it happen and then perish as it happens.
At the beginning of the film, the waves hit the river bank, and the Potemkin on the sea is lonely and spectacular. In the last shot of the film, the high and spectacular uprising battleship is heading straight towards the audience from the depths of the screen. Eisenstein artificially turned the black flag into a red flag, symbolizing the invincibility of the revolutionary force and giving the audience a more violent impact. . John Dun said: "Whether it's yours or a friend's, the death of anyone is my reduction. As a member of the human race, I grow old with all living beings." May peace be forever, and the death knell will not ring again .
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