Fairly recently I watched Battleship Potemkin (1925), a silent-era Soviet propaganda film that (amusingly in retrospect) was banned in places for worry it'd convert people to Communism. Ridiculous or no I had a real curiosity about this influential old movie after hearing it connects to one of my favorite films, The Untouchables (1987).
Battleship Potemkin tells the story of the mutinous crew of a Russian battleship (yes, the 'Potemkin') in 1905. That year saw the first Russian Revolution, before the Bolsheviks and WWI, a by-product of the Russian defeat in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05). The Japanese had 60 years prior been completely isolated and their sudden emergence was a surprise on the world stage, in particular to the Russian military. Russia, of course, was pretty backward itself with its autocratic monarchy's resistance to social change, and that's where the rebellion focused, targeting the Tsar and noble ruling class. Wide-scale unrest spread among the lower classes, including worker strikes and revolt within the military. The Potemkin, part of the fleet on the Black Sea, became a famous example of this. Though the revolution was crushed, the 1905 was seen as a 'dress-rehearsal' for the successful 1917 Revolution per Lenin himself. That's why the events of the Potemkin were turned into a film.
Here's, more or less, what happens in the movie. (Act 1) One of the sailors, Vakulinchuk, expresses support for the ongoing revolution and attempts to rally his mates to the cause. At the same time, the ship's meat, due to be served to the men, is rotting and the crew notices. The officers and ship doctor ignore this and the cook is instructed to proceed with making borscht (a beet and beef stew). (Act 2) Anyone who refused the food is later grouped up on deck in front of a firing squad. After pleas from Vakulinchuk the squad refuses to shoot and the crew rebels en masse. The officers and doctor are thrown overboard and the ship is taken over, but in the process Vakulinchuk is killed. (Act 3) The Potemkin stops at the port in Odessa (modern-day Ukraine) where Vakulinchuk's body is displayed with a sign, 'for a spoonful of borscht.' Odessa's population turns out and gets worked into a frenzy. (Act 4) An even larger crowd gathers on the Odessa steps in support of the now revolutionary crew, then is attacked by soldiers (Cossacks). Basically these soldiers just show up and massacre the civilian crowd, which includes women and children. (Act 5) After shelling the soldiers HQ in Odessa, the Potemkin sets off to face approaching ships presumably loyal to the Tsar. But instead of firing, the other ships allow the Potemin to sail unharmed and the sailors on both sides cheer as it passes.
Easily the most memorable part is what happens on the steps. The crowd is chaos and trying to run away but bodies are piling up. One mother, carrying her dead son, confronts the approaching soldiers and is shot down too. Another mother, with a carriage and a baby inside, is shot at the top of the stairs and her carriage rolls down while people scream in terror. We don't actually see the baby die, but that's the implication. Here's the scene, starting close to the part with the carriage (feel free to start at the beginning):
I didn't want to watch this film to be stirred to Communistic fervor (heh), but was mostly interested because this scene directly inspired part of the Untouchables. It's important historically and artistically too, and is worth watching just for that, but that wasn't my primary reason.
The Untouchables takes place in Chicago in 1930 and follows the men who took down Al Capone. Their leader, US Treasury agent Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) is the biggest, cheesiest boy scout you can imagine and gets pushed by an old Irish beat cop (Sean Connery) to do what's necessary. 'Mr. Ness, everybody knows where the booze is, the problem isn't finding it, the problem is who wants to cross Capone.' Calling themselves the 'Untouchables,' for their integrity and unwillingness to take bribes, the group first makes a few raids. Then they decide to prosecute the Prohibition gangster for income tax evasion, a now enormously well-known tidbit that's still incredibly funny when you think about it. In order to build the case they need to understand the mob's books, and in order to do that they need Capone's accountant. A pivotal scene comes when Ness and one of his men (Andy Garcia!) attempt to grab the accountant at the train station before he flees town.
This was actually filmed at Chicago's Union Station, opened 1925, with its grand staircase descending down after coming in from the street. Ness camps out near the entrance and sends his second to the back. They wait and wait, with Ness on edge searching for the mob. Plus there's a woman, at the bottom of the stairs, trying to manage two large bags and a baby in a carriage. It's painful to see her struggle up, one step at a time, with her belongings and the baby crying throughout. His good heart overwhelmed, Ness goes to help and pulls the carriage while the woman handles the luggage. It's immediately on reaching the top that the accountant, accompanied by gun-totting cohorts, strolls in through the main doors. The carriage, with the baby, gets nudged down the stairs in the commencing shootout.
I greatly enjoyed this dramatic scene even before I knew its inspiration, which is now plainly obvious. Your inner alarm bells were already going off as Ness assists the hapless woman up the stairs. And if you're familiar with Battleship Potemkin it's even more effective, you're absolutely going crazy with dread. Altogether it's a fun example of learning some film history and gaining more appreciation for a movie I already loved.
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