Hanged cats, small children moving between horses’ hooves and, of course, the hardships of the proletariat, which has nothing to eat because of the bourgeoisie. “The century-old film Stávka still provokes viewers today,” says film critic Mojmír Sedláček.
Watch a video review of the nearly 100-year-old film Stávka. | Videos: Mojmír Sedláček, Blahoslav Baťa
In recent days, several Czech cinemas have decided to screen the first feature film by one of the most admired directorial pioneers. The screening of the 1925 Soviet silent film Strike by Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein was accompanied by live music.
Not even an hour and a half long, the drama features lightning fast narration. “Eisenstein’s shoot lasted twice as long as was customary in Hollywood at the time, and today’s audiences will have to work hard to keep up with the frantic pace. Thanks to this, the viewer is overwhelmed by a flood of images charms that communicate with each other thanks to a provocative montage and thus create new meanings,” says Sedláček.
The focus of the narrative is the strikes of the workers of the early 20th century who no longer want to be exploited by the bourgeoisie. This, of course, leads to brutal interventions by the tsarist state apparatus against the nascent proletariat.
“From today’s point of view, Stávka can be classified as a communist propaganda work, spreading the surviving and dangerous ideas of the socialist revolution. At the same time, however, thanks to Eisenstein’s original style, it is a highly artistic work, so at least from a formal point of view, it’s still inspiring,” adds the film critic about the film, which people can find and stream on YouTube.
