Rating: 5/5
A group of sailors stands in solidarity to mutiny against the unlivable conditions of their ship, refusing the maggot-filled food. The non-rebelling soldiers kill the leader, and the mutiny is quelled
The death stirs the ire of the people in Odessa, hundreds of who stand in line and gather around the dead sailor’s body. The death inspires the people to fight against tyranny, rending their garments and taking to the seas
On the Odessa stairs, people charge down, soldiers shooting after them. In the madness, the people stomp on a kid. Also, the soldiers shoot a new mother, and her baby carriage falls down the stairs
The final boat sequence, where they raise the flags to encourage the attacking enemy ship to join them is stressful!
Great compositions and editing for the time — it feels fast-paced and intense. The action shots where they throw a guy into the water and cuts to several different angles in rapid succession, to where we see one fall happen several times to build the intensity — that technique is still in action movies — it’s almost a cliche for how often it’s used in explosions to get the full effect
Hard to overstate how important this is and how watchable it still is. Glad I revisited this now — I feel like I didn’t know how to appreciate it when I watched it in college
Stay Thoughts
- The priest looks like Moses on Mt Sinai
- The water in the fog looks so good — it’s hypnotic