Feel free to write about a shot, or (as Eisenstein would surely have preferred) a cut, that moved you. Good luck studying for the reading test on Tuesday.
33 comments:
Anonymous
said...
There were a number of cuts that I thought were very effective in Strike, most of all the montage of workers as they first rallied to leave the plant. Even knowing the music is not the original score I felt that in combination with the hurried, emotional images Eisenstein created a montage of the masses that felt very human and very powerful.
However near the end there was a single shot that I found even more moving. It was during the sequence when the "administration" has a strike leader in his office and is asking him to join their efforts. The strike leader is outraged and lunges at the official. In the process they spill ink over a map of the strikers neighbourhood. That single shot of the ink running over the map made me think of blood running through the streets, reinforcing the violence of what had just taken place. It was even more effective to me because its in black and white and so you can use your imagination to give it a more symbolic meaning.
Although not the original score, it was the combination of the Alloy Orchestra's sountrack and Eisenstein's precise use tones within his black-and-white spectrum that drove the poignancy of this film.
Firstly, when the entourage of men begin picking up large, white stones and hurling them at the dark windows of the large, authoritative building, the orchestra sounds busy and highly tonal drums. The music is non-diegetic, of course, but the sound of the drums mimic the rocks hitting the windows. The white stones, of course, represent the good of the people, and the darkness of the windows represent the evil of pre-revolutionary authority in Russia. Furthermore, each sound of the drum is deliberate, and within the score - just as each rock being thrown is an intentional blow at unlawful power.
Of course, I found the music precisely composed throughout the course of the film: a few smaller examples include the music of the fat, aristocratic man, which moves in lethargic chromatics (the smallest possible step) with tubas and other low bass instruments, in a steady 4/4 time.
This is juxtaposed with the scene of the little people dancing on the piano; they are engaging in a life of fun (and excess during such a terrible time?) during this scene by dancing, eating, and drinking. The music subsequently skips along in a tiny xylophone - high-pitched and staccato.
Perhaps the most devastating use of music and scene is the murder of the baby; when he is dropped from above, the orchestra had been building up into a wild and full sound. When he hits the ground, silence ensues until low ominous bass notes begin creeping back into the scene.
The soundtrack in this film, to me, is incredible. I enjoyed it almost as much as I enjoyed the soundtrack Clint Mansell created for Darren Aronofsky’s “Requiem for a Dream”. Though the Alloy Orchestra’s involvement in Sergei Eisenstein’s “Strike” is not the original score, it does this fast paced film justice, intensifying the pandemonium we observe.
There were a number of shots and cuts that jumped out at me, including the apparent still photos of four of the strike ringleaders arranged on the screen suddenly becoming alive and moving about their frames, the policemen and their horses trampling through the worker’s neighborhood across the walkways connecting their homes, and the ink spilled across the map of the worker’s neighborhood.
The one shot/cut that stood out for me the most however were the shots of the mammal-like spies cross dissolving between their animal counterparts. Since this film is based on propaganda, there needs to be a distinct border between the innocent and good with the evil and greedy. The workers are viewed as the underdog, so naturally the audience will side with them. The administration is viewed as greedy, impassionate, and evil, so the audience will want to see them defeated. The spies however, would be on the border had they not been associated with mysterious, sometimes malicious animals, such as the Owl and Bulldog. These cross dissolving shots create the sense that the spies are inhuman and are therefore no better than the greedy administration, pushing them onto the side of the evil administration, ensuring a distinct border between the two parties. The fact that the spies were employed by the administration in the first place also ensures this party distinction.
This is probably my favorite film we’ve studied so far because I enjoyed the fast pace and intense soundtrack.
The cut/(s) that moved me would be the one where they dropped the baby right in the middle of the building. It moved me so much because the fall was so slowly taken and so focused on the baby that after that cut you'll start to see things slowly falling for the worse on the strikers. An example would be after the baby fell on the ground, blood was coming out from his head. The next cuts were all the massive amount of dead bodies everywhere around the building. It seems to me that during the movie that cut was the first time that it showed blood.
I believe Eisenstein wanted to project how things would start to go from worse to the worst. The falling of the baby meant that things would slowly and painfully fall apart for the strikers. This historical event was so evil that not only did the strikers died but also innocent blood was also taken away.
On the same note, the cut where they slayed the cow was moving(more like disturbing) because blood was gushing out the cow's neck then the next series of clips were the continuing of torture of the strikers. It seems to me that Eisenstein wanted to emphasize how small they thought of the strikers that they are treated no different than common animals such as the cow.
For the film, "Strike" by Sergei Eisenstein, I found a number of cuts that were intesting in many ways. The most interesting feature that I found about this film was, as mentioned before, the soundtrack, despite the fact that it was not actually the original. It created the mood and atmosphere for the entire movie, scene by scene. This was done very well as it kept me, the spectator, interested throughout the film.
The dissolving shot was used many times throughout the film and created the mysteriousness of the film as well as giving the audience a good description of the characters (the scene in which the animals, such as the owl, the monkey, the fox, and the bulldog were 'transformed'into their human self.) I thought that this was very creative and expressive.
One cut that I found very moving was the one in which the two men were fighting overtop of the map of the district. The ink then spills onto the map, it 'flows' as a river would over the district. The black ink reminded me of evil and how the evil was taking over the district as the two men sat aside and watched.
Another cut that interested me was the one in which the black bird sits on top of the chimmeny pipe. It seems as if the bird is breathing heavily and rather large. This bird reminded me of the large boss, who, throughout the entire film was at the 'top', high above everyone else. The film keeps referring to this shot until near the end when the bird finally falls off the pipe. This seemed to me as if the boss finally fell in power as the entire district fell apart.
There were also a few scenes in which Eisentein includes reflections such as in the puddle of water upside down at the beginning of the film, the reflection of the town through a mirrored ball, as well as the close-up on an eye, as it reflects the workers and town. This portrayed things that could not be seen clearly and that what was about to happen, the bloodshed of the district was unknown.
Overall, one of my favorite movies we've watched so far.
The shot that moved me was near the beginning, when the bureaucrat/politician was looking through his album of 'usual suspects' at a page with four photos of men on it.
The shot of the static photo cut the man, then back to the four photos, which suddenly began moving. The men leaned out of their frames, greeted each other, put on coats and hats (one even hung his hat on the edge of his frame) and walked out of the edges of the album.
The whole effect was theatrical in a way that could not be acheived in a theatre.
I also loved the way the beginning of the strike caused ducklings. And kittens and piglets. And of course the adorable doomed toddler. Did anyone else notice how the strikers lived in pastoral little huts at the beginning of the strike, but in dismal apartments at the end?
The scene that most caught my attention was when Yakov Strongen hung himself for being accused of theft. Before the incident, the movie starts off on somewhat of a lighter note. People are singing and laughing and swimming. Men are playing jokes on their boss. There is lively music playing throughout. When Yakov hangs himself, there is nothing but silence. Up until that scene there was music, but it completely stops for what seems like an eternity. The scene just concentrates on the hanging body. All the men rush to his body and struggle frantically to get him down. This scene seems to have changed the mood/direction of the movie. After this scene, the movie is now much more serious and dark. The workers are no longer laughing and having fun, or playing jokes, or swimming. The war has begun.
With that being said, I would like to say I found the ending extremely disturbing...
I agree that the soundtrack for “Strike” was an excellent companion to the film, even though it was not the original. I felt that it perfectly captured the emotions of the characters, their personalities, and evoked emotion in the audience. My favourite portion of the soundtrack was the theme for The Director, a larger man. The round, full, deep notes of the lower bass section mimicked his heavy, teetering walk. The music gave you insight to the type of person he was: lazy, large, and slow-moving. I found this very creative!
I was most moved by the shot of the officer holding the toddler over the edge of the rooftop, ready to drop him onto the street. The shot created suspense for the audience (would he really drop the innocent toddler?) and also gave the officer power. Holding the toddler, he is looking down upon the riot below. This angle really contributed to the officer’s status. It shows that he is the authority above the workers, and that he poses a threat. If the riot does not end, the toddler will fall. It was horrifying to watch as he dangled the child over the street, ready to let him fall to his death.
Although i found this movie to be somewhat over stimulating, there were a few sequences i particularly enjoyed. Because of its fast pace at times i found it a bit difficult to follow and i apologize if i incorrectly identify characters. The first sequence i enjoyed was when the officers on the horses are standing over a baby and in a sense holding it hostage. Despite all of the mens rage it is a woman who comes to its aid and in a way starts a rebellion. I found it interesting that in a movie of its time that a female figure would stand out to be somewhat of a hero. In a way i found it to be another way Eisenstein portrays the dissident. The part i enjoyed most about the movie however, as i see many people have already mention, is the score. Despite it not being a part of the original film i thought it suited it perfectly and gave it more excitement.
The scene which gave me a lasting impression in the movie Strike, was at the very beginning of the film. After the credits and the quote made by Lenin, there is a part (shot) where we see a worker’s silhouette and a wheel (also a silhouette) which is rotating in the background. The use of lighting was effective in this shot due to the dark image of the worker over the brighter background. The use of a blank face is more effective than one who possesses a facial appearance, because it gives a sense of curiosity.
The shot is then replaced by a larger image of a busy factory, where workers scramble at a fast forward pace. The camera is mounted where the audience has the ability to gaze into the factory’s windows, where more silhouettes of workers and rotating wheels are displayed. Throughout the film there were many segments where there were wheels and objects rotating, but as soon as the factory workers went on strike, all the circular rotations came to a halt. The shot is then followed by another scene where the camera is reversed (upside down), fixed on a murky puddle. As we begin to look into the reflection, there are a group of workers being rewound onto the scene.
The particular shot that moved me was right at the beginning of the film. There is medium shot of a pair of boots walking backward through a puddle. Water ripples away from the boots, distorting the image which is reflected in it. At first it seems it is a reflection of the boots. The boots, after a standing pause, continue moving backwards and out of the shot to the right. As the ripples dissipate a reflection of the factory comes into focus. As the focus sharpens four factory workers come into shot moving backwards from the left side of the shot to the center and start talking to each other in animated manner. I’m assuming the boots in the beginning of the shot belonged to the factory supervisor. The ripples he caused in the reflection of the factory foreshadow the havoc the owners of the factory will cause in the lives of the workers. The reason I see it as foreshadowing is because the entire shot happens in reverse and I assume Eisenstein meant it to be read as such.
First I would just like to say had you not told us that was the original soundtrack I wouldn’t have noticed. It fit perfectly with the subject matter and added a lot of character to the movie; fantastic score.
This movie is filled with visuals tricks but I loved the clever thing they did with the picture when the spy was taking a picture of one of the strikers with a hidden camera in his pocket-watch. I’m not really sure how they did it (perhaps paint on the film?) but when the spy takes a picture two black bars came down and then lifted back up simulating the shutter in action in the camera.
And lastly, the movie is filled with depressing events and imagery but Eisenstein really saves the most depressing for the end. Just before the finale he cuts (multiple times? I can’t remember) from a field of bodies of the strikers to a cow being killed. It’s obvious that he is relating the two victims through the eyes of the management/police etc..
The shot that moved me was not a series of shots which is surprising it is one single shot. The shot i am referring to is the shot which i believe is shown in reverse, where a person's boots walks into the shot. Only that the person's feet are upside down and once the boots leave the screen, the puddle settles revealing a group of men whispering to each other right side up.
The reason this shot stuck out for me was because no other shot throughout the movie is shown either in reverse or upside down. Since the director used the puddle as a mirror for the audiences view the scene, it illustrates to the viewer that we are not necessarily supposed to be listening to their conversation or to be aware of it. Also as the puddle to clears it shows the men, demonstrating that not everything on the surface is as what it seems.
I believe that the director is attempting to express the hostility and anger lying dormant in the factory workers, waiting to erupt. Through this scene we only witness a glimpse of the workers preparation for the strike. although through this glimpse it can give us a foreshadow into what will ensue.
One of the shots that moved me in particular was the shot during the beginning of the strike where the three men are standing side by side, and there is a spinning wheel merged with the image. Then, the workers cross their arms, with serious expressions, and the wheel grinds to a halt. It is a wordless, 5 second way of showing the entire strike, with the workers turning off their machines and leaving.
The very first sequence of the movie has a powerfull imagery. The montage of those inicial moments is my favourite shot in the film, because of it's meanings; it presents the fast pace that we see throghout the film, but it also arouses a few predictions: the constant appereance of a spinning wheel may indicate that, even though, some people were ready to make some evolving, others were stuck in the past, or maybe, evolving in a slower pace, as we see a group of 4 men going on reverse in the same inicial sequence.
And by the middle of the movie we acknowledge this when the death of Yakov Strogen makes the workers realize that the power of labor is in their hands, and therefore, they have the hability to cross their arms and make the spinning wheel stop, like we see in another amazing montage made by Eisensten, and go on Strike, and fight for a better life.
And the administrators represent the people who are not ready to evolve, are stuck in their world, depicted in lower pace, more steady and constant, sequences.
The shot that moved me the most in Sergei Eisenstein’s “STRIKE” was the shot where they have a closed frame close up of cow’s throat being cut. To me I thought this was the inciting moment in the film symbolizing the worst to come for the strikers. I say this because following this, everything then proceeded to get worse for the strikers.
It was so suspenseful knowing the deaths were starting but not knowing how everyone will die, especially considering how they were basically being tortured already. The Strikers begin to lose to the “police” or enforcers (which ever you may call them). To follow they kill a baby, by dropping it off a high balcony.
Every time they showed blood in this film they seemed to give you a close up to create an ideological meaning of life in this year, with the death of a Chinese revolutionary leader (Sun Yat-sen), as well as evolutionist theory’s being band from being taught (such as in Tennessee).
My favorite shot the Strike is when the man who was accused of stealing from the factory hanged himself. I think it was shot in a very interesting way, in that, the action of the hanging is not directly shown. The first scene shows close up shot of a man’s belt being cast over a pipe. The next shot is a low-angle shot of a bunch of the workers at a conveyer belt. There are many objects hanging from the ceiling that really add to the whole fell of the situation. When the camera next shows the man, only his legs are visible, dangling from the top of the screen.
I felt the most moving part of the film was the officer dropping the baby. It was a scene closer to the end of the film. It was the climax of the chaos and violence. To me the baby represents purity and innocence. Dropping the infant child three or four stories to its death was symbolic of the wealthy capitalists choking out the workers with force and violence. After the baby fell to its death the violence surrounding it stopped, perhaps becuse it couldn't get any worse. This particularly scene stayed with me because of the intense emotion it portrayed. Also the shock factor helped with the resonance of it, few movies dare to show the death of infants. It made for a stiring shot. Also in keeping with the trend and so I don't feel left out; I as well thought the new score went nicely with the film. Andrew Kleysen
The shot i enjoyed the most was near the start of the film when a man walks across a puddle of water. This shot is taken in reverse which in turn seems to give a very chaotic effect to the shot. this effect is then heightened with addition of the arguing men into the shot. It shows there bitter feelings in a reflective sense off of the water which takes up the whole frame of the shot. The soundtrack (which i loved) also gives a tedious tone for what will soon break out to be chaos.
The shot that move me was when the rich people are looking at the workers demands and one of them pulls the liquor out of the table with a lime squeezer and he shows the other people how to use it and says "You press down hard and you get juice". the lime represented the workers and the lime squeezer represented the the rich people. I really liked how they portrayed the rich people as old, lazy, fat, and with really bad teeth giving them a devilish smile.
The shot that I enjoined the most was in part one, Yakov Strongen comes to the office and explains to his boss that someone in the factory steals his tools. I really enjoined the close-up shot of each four characters' facial expression during the discusion. Their faces are being depicted exaggeratedly and each of their face looks very pertruding in the picture. After the boss told Yakov Strongen the thief in the factory is him, the close-up shot made him looks so angry. This imagery shocked me with the strong background music.
There were many shots in this movie that I though would have been quite effective to write about but I think that the shot of the officer dangling the baby over the crowd of rioting workers was one of the most effective. It created a great feeling of horror and suspense. I thought that it really showed the officer's power over the people and when he dropped the child and it fell to its death everything went silent. It was the moment when we realized the climax of the movie and knew that both for the audience (us) and for the crowd of rioting people, that we've reached the end of the chaos. There is nothing that is more terrifying than the death of a child.
I found that the new soundtrack in Strike really complimented the interesting, unusual cuts and montage style of this film. One of the shots that stood out for me happens at the beginning of the film, shortly after the strike occurs.
There is a cut where there are a number shots of young children and their parents; there is a shot where a child is being washed and is surrounded by his happy family, and another pleasant shot of a family having a meal outside. At this point, the parents who have gone on strike are starting to enjoy the time they have with their children. Immediately after this series of images, it cuts to the large grumpy man in a top hat, pacing back and forth in his office, looking utterly frustrated with the situation.
The shot that moved me the most would be in the beginning with the photo album. It started off by a man looking at the photo album, which contained pictures of other men. He then came upon a page with 4 men. Each separated within their own frame. Once it began it took me by surprise, because I wasn’t expecting to see the photos move. The men started putting on items of clothing, also leaning out of their frames to talk to each other. They then walked out of the shot by exiting the album page. I think from this point on it intrigued me because I didn’t know what to expect or what other surprising tricks Eisenstein would be providing.
Also I really enjoyed the soundtrack to this movie. It kept me wanting to see more and it matched so perfectly with Eisenstein’s montage of images. Overall I really enjoyed this movie.
Like most people who have already commented the shot that I found the most powerful was the shot of the officer dropping the baby. Before this shot even happened we were given a shot of the baby and another child playing with their toys on one of the top floor levels which gave us an angle showing not just them playing but also showed the chaos that was unfolding below them. I didn't really believe that the officers were going to harm the children as they didn't do so before this shot but that all changed when we see an officer hold the baby high into the air dangling over the scene of chaos below then dropping the baby to it's death. At this point we realise that the officers mean business and they will do anything to end this strike, even if it means through death.
I also like to comment that the soundtrack was brilliant for this film as it matched the images Eisenstein used to a tee.
There are so many different scenes/shots in this film that are worth talking about so its hard to choose only one. The scene I have chosen to write about is when the higher-ups of the factory are having a 'meeting' to discuss the workers' demands. During the meeting most of the attention is focused on not the demands, but the alcohol and fruit that they are consuming. This drives the point that the administration doesn't take the workers very seriously. At one point one of them drops a piece of fruit on their shoe and uses the list of demands to wipe his shoe. The shot that interested me was at the end of the sequence when everyone was shaking hands at the end of the meeting still in good spirits which was somewhat odd considering the seriousness of the decisions made at the meeting.
Another part of this movie that I would like to mention is after the workers go through with the strike. There are a series of shots showing the empty factory that several animals have begun to make their home giving the factory the feeling of abandonment. I feel that Eisenstein was trying to give an encouraging message saying that without the people the world stands still, giving the everyday man a more important role than he is seen in the eyes of the higher authorities.
The shot that I enjoyed the most was when the little toddler boy or girl, not sure what it was, began to do work. Early in the scene he tried to wake his father up to get ready for work, but the workers had all gone on strike so he didn't need to go to work. I found it funny when the toddler was shining the steel item infront of him. He was all dirty and was rubbing the sweat away from his forehead as if what he was doing was so difficult. To me this showed that what the workers did in comparison was way more difficult and that if shining something was so hard for a toddler, imagine how difficult the workers jobs were. But I also believe it could go wither way, meaning that the workers were acting like children going on strike. That it was so labouring for them to even polish something.
The shot that moved me was when the officer had dropped the baby from the balcony. The shot was an overview showing the officer holding the baby as a riot was ensuing below. This angle emphasized the power that the officer had. I was surprised that this shot had even occured because you never see children die in movies. To me, this showed the bourgeois (upper class) had complete control over the proletariat (lower class). To rebel against the bourgeois would mean death. The death of the baby and the mutilation of the cow in the later scene proved the power of the upper class and the futile nature of the proletatiats. Eisenstein's use of these graphics scenes made the movie more
the shot that moved me was the two kids dancing on the table. In this scene there was the strike leader and the officer. He was being bride to let out the names. I guess what shock me is how the kids were used as objects. It expressed alot on what was happening during the time. how they abuse the children and the people with there power and capitalist control.
There was a pattern happening the poor people would be always moving and climbing things like when were working they would climb to one floor to the next. When the rebels were chased out and killed by the horsemen they were climbing up the apartments. I just this quite interesting how the action creates this class distinction between waged workers and managing staff with their movements in each frame.
first,the soundtrack in this moive is perfectly fit. I found out especially when the sound track stopped in this moive, the emtion of a sence comes even more powerful,such as the sence in which the worker hung himself and in which the police droped the baby in the middle of the building.
The shot that I enjoyed the most was about 2 minute and 20 seconds from the beginning, it was a high angle shot of a pair of boot walking backwards through a puddle,it ruffle the surface of the puddle,when the boots walked out of the picture, a reflection of the factory showed up,so as four factory workers walking backwards and whisper to eachother. From what i remember this is the only shot that everything goes reverse,i think the ripple in this shot repersent it was a turbulent period in history,and obviousily ,in the picture when the workers united , the ripples dissipated.
another shot that i found very interesting was a shot that just couple seconds early than the one i already talked about, it started with a wheel and a worker with a pipe, after that there was a low angle shot of the factory through the glass,i think the spinning wheel repersents the history has to move on, the socity has to move on , in which means the revolution is coming and the workers right in middle of the shot is the leading of this revolution.
I also agree that the soundtrack to this film was absolutely perfect. It really conveyed the emotions of what was happening on screen. A part that I really enjoyed in this film was when the men were dancing and singing after deciding about the strike. Even though it is silent, you can hear them perfectly clear. The camera cuts between the group of them and close ups of hands playing the accordian. The feeling of this scene is such a a contrast to the other moods established in this film and I found it very fun and refreshing. Another part that I found very interesting and clever was when they were introducing the spies. Fading and dissolving between the animal, title screen, and the person. I really liked how this was done, and how each one was varied in length and style.
the shot that moved me the most was the point that workers young child was thrown from t he high balcony by that police official during the mass riot. this was shot from the high and 'powerful' perspective of the police officer. to me this shot displays how the police use their power in a situation as so, to pray on a 3 to 4 year old child. i am a little curious to know how the child got there in the first place. out of all who had died this death left the most questions. how could someone commit an act as such? was he attempting to get the attention of some of the strikers?
The film had a series of cuts that were moving. Some having more meaning than others, such as the montage of workers that were charging out of the plant and all of the fast paced music and emotional commotion of all the people in constant motion. I enjoyed how Eisenstein did the close-ups of the secret group of workers with the animal nicknames and then showed the animal in a close-up and then straight to the workers' face. It was strange but still humorous. There was an end cut that caught my eye, it was when the ink was spilt all over the map, it kinda symbolized the reinforcing violence that previously occured and gave the cut more meaning and movement. Eisenstein also had a grip on tones, he used lots of black and white to portray emotion as well scenery and the overall emotional mood. The soundtrack to the film, although not the original, was still quite effective. Good film.
33 comments:
There were a number of cuts that I thought were very effective in Strike, most of all the montage of workers as they first rallied to leave the plant. Even knowing the music is not the original score I felt that in combination with the hurried, emotional images Eisenstein created a montage of the masses that felt very human and very powerful.
However near the end there was a single shot that I found even more moving. It was during the sequence when the "administration" has a strike leader in his office and is asking him to join their efforts. The strike leader is outraged and lunges at the official. In the process they spill ink over a map of the strikers neighbourhood. That single shot of the ink running over the map made me think of blood running through the streets, reinforcing the violence of what had just taken place. It was even more effective to me because its in black and white and so you can use your imagination to give it a more symbolic meaning.
Although not the original score, it was the combination of the Alloy Orchestra's sountrack and Eisenstein's precise use tones within his black-and-white spectrum that drove the poignancy of this film.
Firstly, when the entourage of men begin picking up large, white stones and hurling them at the dark windows of the large, authoritative building, the orchestra sounds busy and highly tonal drums. The music is non-diegetic, of course, but the sound of the drums mimic the rocks hitting the windows. The white stones, of course, represent the good of the people, and the darkness of the windows represent the evil of pre-revolutionary authority in Russia. Furthermore, each sound of the drum is deliberate, and within the score - just as each rock being thrown is an intentional blow at unlawful power.
Of course, I found the music precisely composed throughout the course of the film: a few smaller examples include the music of the fat, aristocratic man, which moves in lethargic chromatics (the smallest possible step) with tubas and other low bass instruments, in a steady 4/4 time.
This is juxtaposed with the scene of the little people dancing on the piano; they are engaging in a life of fun (and excess during such a terrible time?) during this scene by dancing, eating, and drinking. The music subsequently skips along in a tiny xylophone - high-pitched and staccato.
Perhaps the most devastating use of music and scene is the murder of the baby; when he is dropped from above, the orchestra had been building up into a wild and full sound. When he hits the ground, silence ensues until low ominous bass notes begin creeping back into the scene.
I could go on forever...
The soundtrack in this film, to me, is incredible. I enjoyed it almost as much as I enjoyed the soundtrack Clint Mansell created for Darren Aronofsky’s “Requiem for a Dream”. Though the Alloy Orchestra’s involvement in Sergei Eisenstein’s “Strike” is not the original score, it does this fast paced film justice, intensifying the pandemonium we observe.
There were a number of shots and cuts that jumped out at me, including the apparent still photos of four of the strike ringleaders arranged on the screen suddenly becoming alive and moving about their frames, the policemen and their horses trampling through the worker’s neighborhood across the walkways connecting their homes, and the ink spilled across the map of the worker’s neighborhood.
The one shot/cut that stood out for me the most however were the shots of the mammal-like spies cross dissolving between their animal counterparts. Since this film is based on propaganda, there needs to be a distinct border between the innocent and good with the evil and greedy. The workers are viewed as the underdog, so naturally the audience will side with them. The administration is viewed as greedy, impassionate, and evil, so the audience will want to see them defeated. The spies however, would be on the border had they not been associated with mysterious, sometimes malicious animals, such as the Owl and Bulldog. These cross dissolving shots create the sense that the spies are inhuman and are therefore no better than the greedy administration, pushing them onto the side of the evil administration, ensuring a distinct border between the two parties. The fact that the spies were employed by the administration in the first place also ensures this party distinction.
This is probably my favorite film we’ve studied so far because I enjoyed the fast pace and intense soundtrack.
The cut/(s) that moved me would be the one where they dropped the baby right in the middle of the building. It moved me so much because the fall was so slowly taken and so focused on the baby that after that cut you'll start to see things slowly falling for the worse on the strikers. An example would be after the baby fell on the ground, blood was coming out from his head. The next cuts were all the massive amount of dead bodies everywhere around the building. It seems to me that during the movie that cut was the first time that it showed blood.
I believe Eisenstein wanted to project how things would start to go from worse to the worst. The falling of the baby meant that things would slowly and painfully fall apart for the strikers. This historical event was so evil that not only did the strikers died but also innocent blood was also taken away.
On the same note, the cut where they slayed the cow was moving(more like disturbing) because blood was gushing out the cow's neck then the next series of clips were the continuing of torture of the strikers. It seems to me that Eisenstein wanted to emphasize how small they thought of the strikers that they are treated no different than common animals such as the cow.
For the film, "Strike" by Sergei Eisenstein, I found a number of cuts that were intesting in many ways. The most interesting feature that I found about this film was, as mentioned before, the soundtrack, despite the fact that it was not actually the original. It created the mood and atmosphere for the entire movie, scene by scene. This was done very well as it kept me, the spectator, interested throughout the film.
The dissolving shot was used many times throughout the film and created the mysteriousness of the film as well as giving the audience a good description of the characters (the scene in which the animals, such as the owl, the monkey, the fox, and the bulldog were 'transformed'into their human self.) I thought that this was very creative and expressive.
One cut that I found very moving was the one in which the two men were fighting overtop of the map of the district. The ink then spills onto the map, it 'flows' as a river would over the district. The black ink reminded me of evil and how the evil was taking over the district as the two men sat aside and watched.
Another cut that interested me was the one in which the black bird sits on top of the chimmeny pipe. It seems as if the bird is breathing heavily and rather large. This bird reminded me of the large boss, who, throughout the entire film was at the 'top', high above everyone else. The film keeps referring to this shot until near the end when the bird finally falls off the pipe. This seemed to me as if the boss finally fell in power as the entire district fell apart.
There were also a few scenes in which Eisentein includes reflections such as in the puddle of water upside down at the beginning of the film, the reflection of the town through a mirrored ball, as well as the close-up on an eye, as it reflects the workers and town. This portrayed things that could not be seen clearly and that what was about to happen, the bloodshed of the district was unknown.
Overall, one of my favorite movies we've watched so far.
The shot that moved me was near the beginning, when the bureaucrat/politician was looking through his album of 'usual suspects' at a page with four photos of men on it.
The shot of the static photo cut the man, then back to the four photos, which suddenly began moving. The men leaned out of their frames, greeted each other, put on coats and hats (one even hung his hat on the edge of his frame) and walked out of the edges of the album.
The whole effect was theatrical in a way that could not be acheived in a theatre.
I also loved the way the beginning of the strike caused ducklings. And kittens and piglets. And of course the adorable doomed toddler. Did anyone else notice how the strikers lived in pastoral little huts at the beginning of the strike, but in dismal apartments at the end?
The scene that most caught my attention was when Yakov Strongen hung himself for being accused of theft. Before the incident, the movie starts off on somewhat of a lighter note. People are singing and laughing and swimming. Men are playing jokes on their boss. There is lively music playing throughout. When Yakov hangs himself, there is nothing but silence. Up until that scene there was music, but it completely stops for what seems like an eternity. The scene just concentrates on the hanging body. All the men rush to his body and struggle frantically to get him down.
This scene seems to have changed the mood/direction of the movie. After this scene, the movie is now much more serious and dark. The workers are no longer laughing and having fun, or playing jokes, or swimming. The war has begun.
With that being said, I would like to say I found the ending extremely disturbing...
I agree that the soundtrack for “Strike” was an excellent companion to the film, even though it was not the original. I felt that it perfectly captured the emotions of the characters, their personalities, and evoked emotion in the audience. My favourite portion of the soundtrack was the theme for The Director, a larger man. The round, full, deep notes of the lower bass section mimicked his heavy, teetering walk. The music gave you insight to the type of person he was: lazy, large, and slow-moving. I found this very creative!
I was most moved by the shot of the officer holding the toddler over the edge of the rooftop, ready to drop him onto the street. The shot created suspense for the audience (would he really drop the innocent toddler?) and also gave the officer power. Holding the toddler, he is looking down upon the riot below. This angle really contributed to the officer’s status. It shows that he is the authority above the workers, and that he poses a threat. If the riot does not end, the toddler will fall. It was horrifying to watch as he dangled the child over the street, ready to let him fall to his death.
Although i found this movie to be somewhat over stimulating, there were a few sequences i particularly enjoyed. Because of its fast pace at times i found it a bit difficult to follow and i apologize if i incorrectly identify characters. The first sequence i enjoyed was when the officers on the horses are standing over a baby and in a sense holding it hostage. Despite all of the mens rage it is a woman who comes to its aid and in a way starts a rebellion. I found it interesting that in a movie of its time that a female figure would stand out to be somewhat of a hero. In a way i found it to be another way Eisenstein portrays the dissident. The part i enjoyed most about the movie however, as i see many people have already mention, is the score. Despite it not being a part of the original film i thought it suited it perfectly and gave it more excitement.
Adam Sawyer
The scene which gave me a lasting impression in the movie Strike, was at the very beginning of the film. After the credits and the quote made by Lenin, there is a part (shot) where we see a worker’s silhouette and a wheel (also a silhouette) which is rotating in the background. The use of lighting was effective in this shot due to the dark image of the worker over the brighter background. The use of a blank face is more effective than one who possesses a facial appearance, because it gives a sense of curiosity.
The shot is then replaced by a larger image of a busy factory, where workers scramble at a fast forward pace. The camera is mounted where the audience has the ability to gaze into the factory’s windows, where more silhouettes of workers and rotating wheels are displayed. Throughout the film there were many segments where there were wheels and objects rotating, but as soon as the factory workers went on strike, all the circular rotations came to a halt. The shot is then followed by another scene where the camera is reversed (upside down), fixed on a murky puddle. As we begin to look into the reflection, there are a group of workers being rewound onto the scene.
The particular shot that moved me was right at the beginning of the film. There is medium shot of a pair of boots walking backward through a puddle. Water ripples away from the boots, distorting the image which is reflected in it. At first it seems it is a reflection of the boots. The boots, after a standing pause, continue moving backwards and out of the shot to the right. As the ripples dissipate a reflection of the factory comes into focus. As the focus sharpens four factory workers come into shot moving backwards from the left side of the shot to the center and start talking to each other in animated manner. I’m assuming the boots in the beginning of the shot belonged to the factory supervisor. The ripples he caused in the reflection of the factory foreshadow the havoc the owners of the factory will cause in the lives of the workers. The reason I see it as foreshadowing is because the entire shot happens in reverse and I assume Eisenstein meant it to be read as such.
First I would just like to say had you not told us that was the original soundtrack I wouldn’t have noticed. It fit perfectly with the subject matter and added a lot of character to the movie; fantastic score.
This movie is filled with visuals tricks but I loved the clever thing they did with the picture when the spy was taking a picture of one of the strikers with a hidden camera in his pocket-watch. I’m not really sure how they did it (perhaps paint on the film?) but when the spy takes a picture two black bars came down and then lifted back up simulating the shutter in action in the camera.
And lastly, the movie is filled with depressing events and imagery but Eisenstein really saves the most depressing for the end. Just before the finale he cuts (multiple times? I can’t remember) from a field of bodies of the strikers to a cow being killed. It’s obvious that he is relating the two victims through the eyes of the management/police etc..
The shot that moved me was not a series of shots which is surprising it is one single shot. The shot i am referring to is the shot which i believe is shown in reverse, where a person's boots walks into the shot. Only that the person's feet are upside down and once the boots leave the screen, the puddle settles revealing a group of men whispering to each other right side up.
The reason this shot stuck out for me was because no other shot throughout the movie is shown either in reverse or upside down. Since the director used the puddle as a mirror for the audiences view the scene, it illustrates to the viewer that we are not necessarily supposed to be listening to their conversation or to be aware of it. Also as the puddle to clears it shows the men, demonstrating that not everything on the surface is as what it seems.
I believe that the director is attempting to express the hostility and anger lying dormant in the factory workers, waiting to erupt. Through this scene we only witness a glimpse of the workers preparation for the strike. although through this glimpse it can give us a foreshadow into what will ensue.
One of the shots that moved me in particular was the shot during the beginning of the strike where the three men are standing side by side, and there is a spinning wheel merged with the image. Then, the workers cross their arms, with serious expressions, and the wheel grinds to a halt. It is a wordless, 5 second way of showing the entire strike, with the workers turning off their machines and leaving.
The very first sequence of the movie has a powerfull imagery. The montage of those inicial moments is my favourite shot in the film, because of it's meanings; it presents the fast pace that we see throghout the film, but it also arouses a few predictions: the constant appereance of a spinning wheel may indicate that, even though, some people were ready to make some evolving, others were stuck in the past, or maybe, evolving in a slower pace, as we see a group of 4 men going on reverse in the same inicial sequence.
And by the middle of the movie we acknowledge this when the death of Yakov Strogen makes the workers realize that the power of labor is in their hands, and therefore, they have the hability to cross their arms and make the spinning wheel stop, like we see in another amazing montage made by Eisensten, and go on Strike, and fight for a better life.
And the administrators represent the people who are not ready to evolve, are stuck in their world, depicted in lower pace, more steady and constant, sequences.
The shot that moved me the most in Sergei Eisenstein’s “STRIKE” was the shot where they have a closed frame close up of cow’s throat being cut. To me I thought this was the inciting moment in the film symbolizing the worst to come for the strikers. I say this because following this, everything then proceeded to get worse for the strikers.
It was so suspenseful knowing the deaths were starting but not knowing how everyone will die, especially considering how they were basically being tortured already. The Strikers begin to lose to the “police” or enforcers (which ever you may call them). To follow they kill a baby, by dropping it off a high balcony.
Every time they showed blood in this film they seemed to give you a close up to create an ideological meaning of life in this year, with the death of a Chinese revolutionary leader (Sun Yat-sen), as well as evolutionist theory’s being band from being taught (such as in Tennessee).
My favorite shot the Strike is when the man who was accused of stealing from the factory hanged himself. I think it was shot in a very interesting way, in that, the action of the hanging is not directly shown. The first scene shows close up shot of a man’s belt being cast over a pipe. The next shot is a low-angle shot of a bunch of the workers at a conveyer belt. There are many objects hanging from the ceiling that really add to the whole fell of the situation. When the camera next shows the man, only his legs are visible, dangling from the top of the screen.
I felt the most moving part of the film was the officer dropping the baby. It was a scene closer to the end of the film. It was the climax of the chaos and violence. To me the baby represents purity and innocence. Dropping the infant child three or four stories to its death was symbolic of the wealthy capitalists choking out the workers with force and violence. After the baby fell to its death the violence surrounding it stopped, perhaps becuse it couldn't get any worse.
This particularly scene stayed with me because of the intense emotion it portrayed. Also the shock factor helped with the resonance of it, few movies dare to show the death of infants. It made for a stiring shot.
Also in keeping with the trend and so I don't feel left out; I as well thought the new score went nicely with the film.
Andrew Kleysen
The shot i enjoyed the most was near the start of the film when a man walks across a puddle of water. This shot is taken in reverse which in turn seems to give a very chaotic effect to the shot. this effect is then heightened with addition of the arguing men into the shot. It shows there bitter feelings in a reflective sense off of the water which takes up the whole frame of the shot. The soundtrack (which i loved) also gives a tedious tone for what will soon break out to be chaos.
The shot that move me was when the rich people are looking at the workers demands and one of them pulls the liquor out of the table with a lime squeezer and he shows the other people how to use it and says "You press down hard and you get juice". the lime represented the workers and the lime squeezer represented the the rich people. I really liked how they portrayed the rich people as old, lazy, fat, and with really bad teeth giving them a devilish smile.
The shot that I enjoined the most was in part one, Yakov Strongen comes to the office and explains to his boss that someone in the factory steals his tools. I really enjoined the close-up shot of each four characters' facial expression during the discusion. Their faces are being depicted exaggeratedly and each of their face looks very pertruding in the picture. After the boss told Yakov Strongen the thief in the factory is him, the close-up shot made him looks so angry. This imagery shocked me with the strong background music.
Matthew Gilson said...
There were many shots in this movie that I though would have been quite effective to write about but I think that the shot of the officer dangling the baby over the crowd of rioting workers was one of the most effective. It created a great feeling of horror and suspense. I thought that it really showed the officer's power over the people and when he dropped the child and it fell to its death everything went silent. It was the moment when we realized the climax of the movie and knew that both for the audience (us) and for the crowd of rioting people, that we've reached the end of the chaos. There is nothing that is more terrifying than the death of a child.
I found that the new soundtrack in Strike really complimented the interesting, unusual cuts and montage style of this film. One of the shots that stood out for me happens at the beginning of the film, shortly after the strike occurs.
There is a cut where there are a number shots of young children and their parents; there is a shot where a child is being washed and is surrounded by his happy family, and another pleasant shot of a family having a meal outside. At this point, the parents who have gone on strike are starting to enjoy the time they have with their children. Immediately after this series of images, it cuts to the large grumpy man in a top hat, pacing back and forth in his office, looking utterly frustrated with the situation.
The shot that moved me the most would be in the beginning with the photo album. It started off by a man looking at the photo album, which contained pictures of other men. He then came upon a page with 4 men. Each separated within their own frame. Once it began it took me by surprise, because I wasn’t expecting to see the photos move. The men started putting on items of clothing, also leaning out of their frames to talk to each other. They then walked out of the shot by exiting the album page. I think from this point on it intrigued me because I didn’t know what to expect or what other surprising tricks Eisenstein would be providing.
Also I really enjoyed the soundtrack to this movie. It kept me wanting to see more and it matched so perfectly with Eisenstein’s montage of images. Overall I really enjoyed this movie.
Like most people who have already commented the shot that I found the most powerful was the shot of the officer dropping the baby. Before this shot even happened we were given a shot of the baby and another child playing with their toys on one of the top floor levels which gave us an angle showing not just them playing but also showed the chaos that was unfolding below them. I didn't really believe that the officers were going to harm the children as they didn't do so before this shot but that all changed when we see an officer hold the baby high into the air dangling over the scene of chaos below then dropping the baby to it's death. At this point we realise that the officers mean business and they will do anything to end this strike, even if it means through death.
I also like to comment that the soundtrack was brilliant for this film as it matched the images Eisenstein used to a tee.
There are so many different scenes/shots in this film that are worth talking about so its hard to choose only one. The scene I have chosen to write about is when the higher-ups of the factory are having a 'meeting' to discuss the workers' demands. During the meeting most of the attention is focused on not the demands, but the alcohol and fruit that they are consuming. This drives the point that the administration doesn't take the workers very seriously. At one point one of them drops a piece of fruit on their shoe and uses the list of demands to wipe his shoe. The shot that interested me was at the end of the sequence when everyone was shaking hands at the end of the meeting still in good spirits which was somewhat odd considering the seriousness of the decisions made at the meeting.
Another part of this movie that I would like to mention is after the workers go through with the strike. There are a series of shots showing the empty factory that several animals have begun to make their home giving the factory the feeling of abandonment. I feel that Eisenstein was trying to give an encouraging message saying that without the people the world stands still, giving the everyday man a more important role than he is seen in the eyes of the higher authorities.
The shot that I enjoyed the most was when the little toddler boy or girl, not sure what it was, began to do work. Early in the scene he tried to wake his father up to get ready for work, but the workers had all gone on strike so he didn't need to go to work. I found it funny when the toddler was shining the steel item infront of him. He was all dirty and was rubbing the sweat away from his forehead as if what he was doing was so difficult. To me this showed that what the workers did in comparison was way more difficult and that if shining something was so hard for a toddler, imagine how difficult the workers jobs were. But I also believe it could go wither way, meaning that the workers were acting like children going on strike. That it was so labouring for them to even polish something.
The shot that moved me was when the officer had dropped the baby from the balcony. The shot was an overview showing the officer holding the baby as a riot was ensuing below. This angle emphasized the power that the officer had. I was surprised that this shot had even occured because you never see children die in movies. To me, this showed the bourgeois (upper class) had complete control over the proletariat (lower class). To rebel against the bourgeois would mean death. The death of the baby and the mutilation of the cow in the later scene proved the power of the upper class and the futile nature of the proletatiats. Eisenstein's use of these graphics scenes made the movie more
the shot that moved me was the two kids dancing on the table. In this scene there was the strike leader and the officer. He was being bride to let out the names. I guess what shock me is how the kids were used as objects. It expressed alot on what was happening during the time. how they abuse the children and the people with there power and capitalist control.
There was a pattern happening the poor people would be always moving and climbing things like when were working they would climb to one floor to the next. When the rebels were chased out and killed by the horsemen they were climbing up the apartments. I just this quite interesting how the action creates this class distinction between waged workers and managing staff with their movements in each frame.
first,the soundtrack in this moive is perfectly fit. I found out especially when the sound track stopped in this moive, the emtion of a sence comes even more powerful,such as the sence in which the worker hung himself and in which the police droped the baby in the middle of the building.
The shot that I enjoyed the most was about 2 minute and 20 seconds from the beginning, it was a high angle shot of a pair of boot walking backwards through a puddle,it ruffle the surface of the puddle,when the boots walked out of the picture, a reflection of the factory showed up,so as four factory workers walking backwards and whisper to eachother. From what i remember this is the only shot that everything goes reverse,i think the ripple in this shot repersent it was a turbulent period in history,and obviousily ,in the picture when the workers united , the ripples dissipated.
another shot that i found very interesting was a shot that just couple seconds early than the one i already talked about, it started with a wheel and a worker with a pipe, after that there was a low angle shot of the factory through the glass,i think the spinning wheel repersents the history has to move on, the socity has to move on , in which means the revolution is coming and the workers right in middle of the shot is the leading of this revolution.
I also agree that the soundtrack to this film was absolutely perfect. It really conveyed the emotions of what was happening on screen. A part that I really enjoyed in this film was when the men were dancing and singing after deciding about the strike. Even though it is silent, you can hear them perfectly clear. The camera cuts between the group of them and close ups of hands playing the accordian. The feeling of this scene is such a a contrast to the other moods established in this film and I found it very fun and refreshing. Another part that I found very interesting and clever was when they were introducing the spies. Fading and dissolving between the animal, title screen, and the person. I really liked how this was done, and how each one was varied in length and style.
the shot that moved me the most was the point that workers young child was thrown from t he high balcony by that police official during the mass riot. this was shot from the high and 'powerful' perspective of the police officer. to me this shot displays how the police use their power in a situation as so, to pray on a 3 to 4 year old child. i am a little curious to know how the child got there in the first place. out of all who had died this death left the most questions. how could someone commit an act as such? was he attempting to get the attention of some of the strikers?
The film had a series of cuts that were moving. Some having more meaning than others, such as the montage of workers that were charging out of the plant and all of the fast paced music and emotional commotion of all the people in constant motion. I enjoyed how Eisenstein did the close-ups of the secret group of workers with the animal nicknames and then showed the animal in a close-up and then straight to the workers' face. It was strange but still humorous. There was an end cut that caught my eye, it was when the ink was spilt all over the map, it kinda symbolized the reinforcing violence that previously occured and gave the cut more meaning and movement. Eisenstein also had a grip on tones, he used lots of black and white to portray emotion as well scenery and the overall emotional mood. The soundtrack to the film, although not the original, was still quite effective. Good film.
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