October is a documentary-style film about socialism, that unfortunately has a bit of a drag to it. I felt myself zone out a few times. I realized that you need to be ready and in the mood for this one in order to appreciate it, because some of it is jarring. It did contain amazing images and we are treated to the Eisenstein-type editing that made him a legend. There are shots and cuts that we still use today in movies.
The film takes a weird Luis Benuel turn, about 30 minutes into the film and I usually get upset when that happens, unless it is Benuel doing it himself. There also are spots where there is too much repetition with images, not editing moves, but with overuse of the same image, thus cheapening the film. There is one fantastic, gripping, scary-crazy scene of dead bodies and a horse on a bridge. It contains some crazy stuff. This is not an Eisenstein great, but it is something that must be seen.
8.0 (B- MyGrade) = 8 IMDB.
The film takes a weird Luis Benuel turn, about 30 minutes into the film and I usually get upset when that happens, unless it is Benuel doing it himself. There also are spots where there is too much repetition with images, not editing moves, but with overuse of the same image, thus cheapening the film. There is one fantastic, gripping, scary-crazy scene of dead bodies and a horse on a bridge. It contains some crazy stuff. This is not an Eisenstein great, but it is something that must be seen.
8.0 (B- MyGrade) = 8 IMDB.