Strike (Eisenstein, 1924)
Eisenstein’s first film features elements of his earliest montage theories in its depiction of the cruel suppression of a worker’s strike during the Tsarist era. The film is divided into chapters detailing the progress of the worker’s strike, including scenes of the workers’ organization as well as the underhanded practices of the management at the factory. This involves the hiring of spies and provocateurs to infiltrate the workers’ circle and incite violence and chaos. The film culminates in a brutal attack upon the workers’ community by the tsarist police due to the tactics of the management. Although the strike fails and many of the workers and their families are killed at the end of the film, Strike ends with a directive to the audience to remember the sacrifices that were made and the causes of the revolutionaries.
The film offers the earliest depiction Eisenstein’s montage practice. This includes several famous scenes, such as the juxtaposition between the spies and various animals in a pet shop, which functions to endow each spy with the characteristics of their animal. More noteworthy perhaps is the final scene, in which the slaughter of a cow, apparently unrelated to the narrative of the film, is intercut with the slaughter of the workers at the hands of the military. This functions not only to emphasise the brutality of the actions onscreen but also to provide an emotional shock to the audiences. Strike was enormously successful with critics upon its release and cemented Eisenstein’s status as one of the most important directors in the Soviet Union at this time.[1]
Director: Sergei Eisenstein
Writer: Sergei Eisenstein, Grigori Aleksandrov
Cast: Maksim Shtraukh, Grigori Aleksandrov, Mikhail Gomorov
Year: 1925
Production Company: Goskino
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The film offers the earliest depiction Eisenstein’s montage practice. This includes several famous scenes, such as the juxtaposition between the spies and various animals in a pet shop, which functions to endow each spy with the characteristics of their animal. More noteworthy perhaps is the final scene, in which the slaughter of a cow, apparently unrelated to the narrative of the film, is intercut with the slaughter of the workers at the hands of the military. This functions not only to emphasise the brutality of the actions onscreen but also to provide an emotional shock to the audiences. Strike was enormously successful with critics upon its release and cemented Eisenstein’s status as one of the most important directors in the Soviet Union at this time.[1]
Director: Sergei Eisenstein
Writer: Sergei Eisenstein, Grigori Aleksandrov
Cast: Maksim Shtraukh, Grigori Aleksandrov, Mikhail Gomorov
Year: 1925
Production Company: Goskino
Buy on Amazon.
