A master of the early Soviet cinema, Eisenstein was responsible for a group of imaginative and exciting silent films employing rapid, rhythmic montage and a feverish visual invention. Once universally acclaimed, Eisenstein’s reputation has suffered in recent years, with many finding his propaganda too strident, but Strike and Battleship Potemkin, at least, remain films of extraordinary energy and power. Eisenstein’s later career was inhibited by ill health and his work suffered official disapproval under Stalinism, but his last film, Ivan The Terrible, remains a decadent masterpiece brimming with grotesque invention.
 
The Battleship Potemkin originally released: 1925
Eisenstein’s most famous film displays his strident visual invention at its early peak, and ranks as one of the most intense of all silent films. Unquestionably the power lies above all in the editing, which remains extraordinary for its dynamism and power; the Odessa Steps sequence is shattering in its tension and imagery of explosive violence. The propagandistic aspects of the piece are a little wearing, and Eisenstein tends to sacrifice subtlety for force. But the film’s demented visual invention is nevertheless stunning.
 
Bron: thecontext.com