Strike

About the production

Eisenstein's debut feature film, made when he was just 27 years old. The film was commissioned by the Soviet government as part of a series of films commemorating the 1905 Revolution. Eisenstein and his crew faced numerous challenges including limited resources, primitive equipment, and the need to recreate historical events on a massive scale. The famous massacre scene required hundreds of extras and innovative camera techniques to achieve its epic scope. The film's production was closely monitored by Soviet authorities who wanted to ensure it aligned with Communist ideology.

Themes

Themes & topics

Historical background

Strike was commissioned to commemorate the 1905 revolution and trained Eisenstein's intellectual montage before Battleship Potemkin.

Why this film matters

'Strike' revolutionized cinematic language through its innovative use of montage, editing, and visual metaphor. Eisenstein's techniques of intellectual montage—creating meaning through the collision of images—fundamentally changed how films could communicate ideas and emotions. The film influenced countless directors, including Alfred Hitchcock, Francis Ford Coppola, and Brian De Palma. Its political impact was equally significant, establishing cinema as a powerful tool for propaganda and social change. The film's portrayal of class conflict and worker solidarity became a template for political cinema worldwide. 'Strike' also helped establish the Soviet Montage School as a major force in world cinema, competing with German Expressionism and Hollywood continuity editing for artistic dominance in the 1920s.

Making of

The production of 'Strike' was a revolutionary undertaking in both content and form. Eisenstein, working with cinematographer Eduard Tisse, developed notable camera techniques including low angles, dynamic compositions, and rapid montage editing. The factory scenes were filmed in a real Moscow factory, with many actual workers participating as extras. Eisenstein insisted on authenticity, often putting his cast and crew in dangerous situations for the sake of realism. The film's most controversial sequence, comparing the workers' massacre to cattle slaughter, required Eisenstein to secretly film in a slaughterhouse after hours. The production faced constant scrutiny from Soviet censors who were concerned about the film's violent imagery, though they ultimately approved it for its revolutionary message. The editing process took months, with Eisenstein and his team experimenting with different rhythms and juxtapositions to maximize emotional impact.

What critics said

Hailed by Soviet critics and later worldwide as a founding text of political cinema; the abattoir sequence remains shocking.

Did you know?

• This was Sergei Eisenstein's first full-length feature film, establishing him as a major director
• The film was originally titled 'The Strike' but was shortened to just 'Strike' in international releases
• Eisenstein developed his theory of 'intellectual montage' while making
• The famous cattle slaughter sequence was filmed at an actual abattoir, using real footage
• Many of the actors were non-professional workers recruited from actual factories
• The film was banned in several countries including the United States until the 1930s
• Eisenstein considered the first part of a trilogy, followed by 'Battleship Potemkin' and 'October'
• The film's innovative editing techniques influenced generations of filmmakers worldwide
• The original negative was partially damaged during World War II but has since been restored
• The film's intertitles were written by famous Soviet writer Isaac Babel

Awards & recognition

• Voted among the 12 greatest films of all time by the Brussels World's Fair (1958)
• Included in the Vatican's list of 45 important films (1995)

Visual style

Eduard Tisse's cinematography in 'Strike' was revolutionary for its time, featuring dynamic camera movements, extreme angles, and innovative composition. The film employs wide shots to establish the scale of the factory and the crowd, while using close-ups to emphasize individual emotions and details. Tisse and Eisenstein developed techniques for shooting large crowd scenes that would later be used in epic films worldwide. The visual style emphasizes geometric patterns and industrial imagery, creating a sense of mechanization and dehumanization. The film's black and white photography uses dramatic contrasts to highlight the struggle between light and dark, literally and metaphorically representing the class conflict.

Innovations

'Strike' pioneered numerous technical innovations that became standard in cinema. Eisenstein developed five methods of montage: metric, rhythmic, tonal, overtonal, and intellectual. The film's editing created emotional and intellectual meaning through the juxtaposition of images rather than through narrative continuity. The production used multiple cameras to capture complex crowd scenes, allowing for more dynamic editing possibilities. The film also experimented with superimposition, split screens, and rapid cutting techniques that were unprecedented in 1925. These technical achievements weren't merely stylistic but served the film's political purpose, creating a new cinematic language for expressing revolutionary ideas.

Music

As a silent film, 'Strike' originally had no synchronized soundtrack but was accompanied by live musical performances. The original score was composed by Edmund Meisel, a German composer known for his work with silent films. Meisel's music was highly percussive and dissonant, reflecting the industrial setting and violent conflict. Modern restorations have featured new scores by various composers, including electronic and orchestral arrangements. The film's rhythmic editing creates its own musicality, with the pace of cuts creating a visual rhythm that complements any musical accompaniment.

Famous quotes

The strength of the working class is organization. Without organization, the workers are nothing. With organization, they are everything.

Every strike is a small revolution.

When the workers unite, the masters tremble.

Blood is the price of freedom.

Memorable scenes

• The opening sequence showing the factory machines operating in rhythmic unison, establishing the mechanistic nature of industrial labor
• The suicide of the accused worker, filmed through distorted lenses to emphasize his despair
• The spy sequence where provocateurs infiltrate the workers' meetings, using visual metaphors of animals
• The climactic massacre scene with its rapid cross-cutting between soldiers firing and workers falling
• The final montage comparing the workers' slaughter to cattle being butchered, one of cinema's most powerful political statements

What audiences thought

Initial Soviet audience reception was mixed, as many workers found the film's abstract editing style difficult to follow. However, the film was popular among intellectual and artistic circles in Moscow and Leningrad. International audiences, particularly in Europe, were more enthusiastic about the film's visual innovations. In the decades following its release, 'Strike' gained a cult following among cinephiles and film students. Today, the film is primarily viewed in academic settings and art house cinemas, where its historical significance and artistic achievements are fully appreciated. Modern audiences often find the film's political message more accessible than its experimental techniques, though its visual power remains undeniable.

Film connections

Influenced by

• D.W. Griffith's 'Intolerance'
• German Expressionist cinema
• Vsevolod Pudovkin's early works
• Kuleshov's film theory
• Constructivist art movement

This film influenced

• Battleship Potemkin
• October
• The General Line
• Modern Times
• Metropolis
• The Battle of Algiers
• Z
• The Wind That Shakes the Barley

Film restoration

The film has been preserved and restored multiple times. The original negative suffered damage during World War II but was partially recovered. Complete restorations were undertaken by the Gosfilmofond of Russia and various international archives. The most recent digital restoration was completed in 2019 by the Criterion Collection in collaboration with Russian archives, featuring improved image quality and reconstructed intertitles. The film is preserved in the collections of major archives including the Museum of Modern Art, the British Film Institute, and the Cinémathèque Française.

Where to watch

• The Criterion Channel (streaming)
• Kino Lorber DVD/Blu-ray releases
• Mubi (streaming platform)
• The Criterion Collection DVD/Blu-ray
• YouTube (official archive uploads)
• Film museums and cinematheques worldwide
• Academic film collections and libraries