Cheap October (Ten Days That Shook the World) (DVD) (Boris Livanov) (Grigori Aleksandrov, Sergei M. Eisenstein) Price

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Customer Reviews of October (Ten Days That Shook the World)

Leave politics at the door...
.. I won't go into the propaganda nature of this film. It's obvious &, to me, unimportant in enjoying this movie as entertainment. What I will say is that this picture has left a mark on my mind & it's not due to any inherent political nature- it's because it's a very entertaining film. The story of an indigenous man who gets placed in power (after almost being killed) by a group who attempts to use him to get what they want only to be overcome in the end by "the masses" is fantastically displayed in this silent film. The lack of vocals only seems to add to it's quality. This movie contains one of the funniest scenes ever put to film & it could've only been done in a silent film using font size- the 1st meeting w/ the reincarnation of the Dali Lama. Oh, my. I had to watch it 3 times in a row the 1st time I saw it. Plus the soundtrack that was added works perfectly. Sometimes this isn't the case w/ DVD/VHS releases of silent films.. Don't be afraid if you couldn't pick Eisenstein, Pudovkin or Kalatozov out of a line up. Buy it, rent it, whatever. Just watch it.

Surprisingly accurate documentary/propaganda movie
Despite being a propaganda film created under the "overall" leadership of Joseph Stalin, this description of Lenin's rise to power is even-handed. Lenin is portrayed as a dedicated revolutionary, but not as a figure of a personality cult. While the Tsarist regime is criticized, it is not heavy-handed. Even Kerensky, the most memorable leader of the short-lived interim republic is portrayed in an honest way. Finally, Stalin appears only in a minor role, appearing as simply another of the band of core Bolsheviks.
From the historical perspective, the film is also surprisingly accurate. There are no outlandish tales of proletarian heroism, only the description of a political system that fell under the weight of an archaic feudal structure and the strain of a terrible war. Granted that there are some excesses in the tale and none of those of the Bolsheviks is mentioned, overall it is better than most documentaries. One wonders what Stalin had in mind when he allowed it to be made in this manner.
As a piece of film, the work is also first rate, given the state of the art at the time. Armed with a historical knowledge of the events, one cannot help but be caught up in the action. The backdrop adds to the power, as you are seeing it at the exact locations. Almost as if a film about the president of the US was shot in the oval office. It doesn't have the precise look of a movie set, but the realism more than makes up for it.
Lenin was one of the few people of this century who truly changed the world, although surprisingly, it didn't last the century. Much like the quiet way that the Tsarist state vanished, no one would have believed that after 60 years, the communist government in the Soviet Union was pass away so easily. It was ten days that shook the world, but from the viewpoint of long-term history it was a quick shake.