Oktyabr (1928)

Directors:

Grigori Aleksandrov
Sergei M. Eisenstein

Writers:

John Reed (book) and
Grigori Aleksandrov (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

20 January 1928 (Soviet Union)

Genre:

Drama | History

Plot:

In documentary style, events in Petrograd are re-enacted from the end of the monarchy in February of...

Plot Keywords:

Counter Revolutionary | Menshevik | Petrograd | October Revolution | 10th Anniversary

Cast

Vladimir Popov	...	Aleksandr Kerensky
Vasili Nikandrov	...	V.I. Lenin
Layaschenko	...	Konovalov
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Chibisov	...	Skobolev
Boris Livanov	...	Terestsenko
Mikholyev	...	Kishkin
N. Podvoisky	...	Bolshevik
Smelsky	...	Verderevsky
Eduard Tisse	...	German Soldier

Directed by
Grigori Aleksandrov
Sergei M. Eisenstein

Writing credits
John Reed		(book "Ten Days That Shook the World")
Grigori Aleksandrov		writer
Sergei M. Eisenstein		writer

Original Music by
Edmund Meisel

Cinematography by
Vladimir Nilsen
Vladimir Popov
Eduard Tisse

Art Direction by
Vasili Kovrigin

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Mikhail Gomorov	....	assistant director
Maksim Shtraukh	....	assistant director
Ilya Trauberg	....	assistant director

Production Companies

• Sovkino

Distributors

• Sovkino (1927) (Soviet Union) (theatrical)
• Amkino Corporation (1928) (USA) (theatrical)
• Grapevine Video (2002) (USA) (DVD) (DVD-R)
• Alta Films (1977-1988) (Spain)
• Continental Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Continental Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Divisa Home Video (2009) (Spain) (DVD)
• Empresa Hispanoamericana de Video (EHV) (19??) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Grapevine Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Producciones JRB (2004-2009) (Spain) (DVD)
• Sovexportfilm (19??) (Argentina) (all media)
• Suevia Films (2005-2009) (Spain) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Октябрь (Soviet Union: Russian title)
October 1917 (Ten Days that Shook the World) (UK) (DVD title)
Ten Days That Shook the World (USA)
Octobre (Belgium: French title) (France) [fr]
Octubre (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Outubro (Brazil) (Portugal) [pt]
Ekim (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Lokakuu (Finland) [fi]
October (Canada: French title) [fr]
Ohtovris (Greece) [el]
Október (Hungary) [hu]
Oktober (Germany) [de]
Oktober - ti dage, der rystede verden (Denmark) [da]
Ottobre! (Italy) [it]
Pazdziernik (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

Finland:103 min | Sweden:104 min | USA:95 min | Finland:142 min (2007 restored version) | 127 min (20 fps) | Spain:115 min (DVD special edition)

Country:

Soviet Union

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Brazil:18 | Canada:G (Ontario) | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-12 (1965) | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Moscow, Russia

Company:

Sovkino

Trivia:

More people were injured reproducing the storming of the Winter Palace than were hurt in the Bolsheviks' actual takeover of the building. (Source: Young Stalin by Simon Sebag Montefiore)

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Jeopardy!: (#22.77)" (2005)

Such a beautiful and realistic made movie.

all of the places and rooms still existed at the time and were basically still in the same state as 10 years before, during the actual events. It of course helps to give the movie a certain bit of extra and adds to the realism of it all. Most of the people in this movie actually participated during the real revolution, including revolutionist 'hero' Nikolai Podvoisky.

What I like about the movie is that it's completely made in documentary style. It doesn't really focuses or any main character, or tries to tell a story in a cinematic scripted way, even though it obviously dramatizes and romanticize elements, such as the storming of the Winter Palace. Some sequences really look as if they were actually shot in 1917, during the actual events. No wonder that some sequences from this movie are often used in real documentaries about the Russian revolution.

Still of course the movie also features Communist propaganda in it. After all, this movie was made in honor of the 10th anniversary date of the Russian October revolution. In its core it's a pretty patriotic movie to watch but how could you mind if it's done in such a beautiful way. Stalin himself also closely kept an eye on the production of this movie and actually ordered to remove most of the sequences featuring old comrade but later turned 'enemy' Leon Trotsky. It's funny how only the sequences that make Trotsky look 'bad' and weak were kept into the movie.

Some of the camera-work is totally amazing! The movie features some beautiful and innovative compositions, also often with the purpose of symbolism. The fast editing is also present once more and truly helps to tell the story in this case. The directing, camera-work and editing are the reason that this movie works out so fantastically and is an absolute delight to watch.

The mass-sequences, as you would expect from an Eisenstein movie, are grand and spectacular looking. Literly thousands of extras were used for this movie, with of course as the ultimate highlight the storming of the Winter Palace at the end.

Really one of Eisenstein's best work and great if you want to learn about the Russian October revolution and the events leading up to it in 102 minutes, as long as you're also capable of watching past the propaganda elements of the movie.

10/10