Battleship Potemkin
Sergei Eisenstein (1925)
On board the Battleship Potemkin in 1905, conditions on the ship are unbearable, which incites revolution among the sailors, most notably within the character of Vakulinchik. After the ship’s doctor declares rancid meat safe to eat, there is unrest and executions are ordered. Vakulinchik then implores his shipmates to rise up against the officers of the ship. All the officers are killed and the ship is liberated.
During the uprising, Vakulinchik dies. His body his placed on the docks in the Odessa harbour as a symbol of the revolution. The citizens of Odessa rally around his body and join the Potemkin in their revolt. Cossacks then arrive and slaughter the helpless citizens on the steps leading to the harbour, effectively ending the revolt in Odessa. A fleet of battleships then comes to destroy the Potemkin but the sailors unite and allow the ship to pass unharmed.
Key Scenes:
The maggoty meat
The Mutiny
The Odessa Steps massacre
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