Strike

Released Apr 28, 1925

1h 13m

Drama

List

100%

Tomatometer

8 Reviews

82%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Russian auteur Sergei Eisenstein's first full-length feature, set just before the 1905 Bolshevik Revolution, depicts a workers' strike against their oppressive factory bosses. When a worker is accused of stealing a piece of machinery, he commits suicide, and his fellow employees revolt against the Czarist regime controlling the factory. As the strike drags on and government officials grow more desperate to end it, their methods of dealing with the rebellious workers become grislier.

Geoff Andrew

Time Out

Eisenstein's first feature also remains his most watchable.

Oct 15, 2007

Full Review

Don Druker

Chicago Reader

Though flawed and schematic, it's nonetheless a mighty achievement for a young man with primitive equipment and no extensive training in filmmaking.

Apr 17, 2007

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Mattie Lucas

From the Front Row

Eisenstein's devotion to Soviet Montage is clear even in his first feature, whose dynamic cutting remains thrilling even today.

Rated: 4/4

Aug 5, 2019

Full Review

Fernando F. Croce

CinePassion

Quite the agitprop hootenanny

Apr 30, 2012

Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

It's as crazy and full-of-beans as any debut film in history.

Sep 16, 2011

Full Review

Film4

A breathtaking essay on class conflict, not for its politics, but for its humanity and the imaginative brilliance of its director.

Rated: 5/5

Oct 15, 2007

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Alexander B

I loved this film. It's a terrific film about the workers revolt in Russia.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

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Audience Member

The greatest 01 hour: and 13 minutes ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

Ethan S

Excellent cinematography frames a story with pathos and surprising humor. A lesser effort than Potemkin, perhaps, but a key piece of early cinema from Sergei Eisenstein.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/23/21

Full Review

William L

"They're tempting us with Vodka. Don't take the bait." Strike, like much of Eisenstein's work, derives some of its best moments from its groundbreaking editing techniques, interpersing narrative footage with thematic parallels, such as the slaughtered cattle and spilled ink on a map, simulating blood. But what about that photo album scene, in which a collection of images of strike leaders is being reviewed by authorities, only for the subjects to come alive as the scene switches to a carefully constructed live-action rendition of the page? That gets almost no recognition! Visually creative but narratively unsurprising as a piece of early Communist propaganda, Eisenstein's innovations behind the camera and in the cutting room clearly carry the film, and are the main drivers behind Strike's modern reputation. (4/5)

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/28/21

Full Review

Audience Member

best cinema person. Im falling love with einseinstein's cinema style.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

Audience Member

An impactful classic by Sergei Eisenstein.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

Full Review

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Sergei M. Eisenstein

Director

Grigoriy Aleksandrov

Factory Foreman

Maxim Strauch

Police Spy

Mikhail Gomorov

Worker

Aleksandr Antonov

Member of Strike Committee

Judith Glizer

Actor

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Synopsis

Russian auteur Sergei Eisenstein's first full-length feature, set just before the 1905 Bolshevik Revolution, depicts a workers' strike against their oppressive factory bosses. When a worker is accused of stealing a piece of machinery, he commits suicide, and his fellow employees revolt against the Czarist regime controlling the factory. As the strike drags on and government officials grow more desperate to end it, their methods of dealing with the rebellious workers become grislier.

Director: Sergei M. Eisenstein
Screenwriter: Grigoriy Aleksandrov, Sergei M. Eisenstein, Valerian Pletnev
Production Co: Goskino
Genre: Drama
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 28, 1925, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 25, 2018
Runtime: 1h 13m

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