Theodora Johnson

Film as Literature
Steve Anderson, Instructor
September 8, 2008
Paper #
A Surve! o" Battleship Potemkin
Althou#h Battleship Potemkin $as produced in %ussia as a "ilm "or the &people',
I can see $h! it isn(t accepted as such b! contemporar! American audiences) Several
reasons come to mind, but the ones that stand out are the ones that involve plot, se*uence,
and modern techno+mind tric,s)
I don(t see the movie as one "or the &people') I see it as a propa#anda tool to
promote the special interests o" the Part! to &remind' the people o" ho$ much better
thin#s $ere no$ that the! $eren(t under the cruel treatment o" the c-arist rule) There
$ere several alle#orical elements that reminded me o" .eor#e /r$ell(s Animal Farm) I
sa$ the ship as %ussia, the sailors as the poor masses $ho $ere sub0ected to inhumane
conditions, the mutin! on the ship as the %evolution, imperialist captains and soldiers
per"ormin# man! atrocities a#ainst the people, and an admiral $ho bore a stri,in#
resemblance to Lenin) 1espite the propa#anda spin on the movie, I did e2pect the #ross
brutalit! that too, place in several scenes o" the movie)
3ost contemporar! American "ilms $ould tend to romantici-e the events o" the
movie b! "ocusin# on one sin#le hero $ho $ould sin#le handedl! overcome the evil
c-arists and brin# peace and $ell bein# to the masses) For e2ample, the /dessa steps
scene $ould have #one a completel! di""erent $a! because the hero o" the sho$ $ould
have miraculousl! had a stri,e "orce come in and annihilate the c-arist(s soldiers be"ore
the! $ould have been able to massacre all those people) Then he himsel" $ould have
rescued the bab! and its mother $hich $ould have led to an eventual love scene) Also, as
a contemporar! American movie, Battleship Potemkin $ould have to incorporate
elaborate special e""ects and camera tric,s to $o$ and $oo the audience) Americans
don(t particularl! #o "or the hard core political movies, but the addition o" some smooth
camera tric,s usin# shado$s and special li#ht enhanced b! sci+"i special e""ects and
e2plosions $ould have bro,en the bo2 o""ice here) The movie also needed a set
se*uenced plot to ma,e it easier to "ollo$ and to #ive the audience closure at the end) The
current one struc, me as anti+climatic and le"t me $ith a lot o" *uestions)
Theodora Johnson
Film as Literature
Steve Anderson, Instructor
September 8, 2008
Paper #