Battleship Potemkin with Live Accompaniment at Stoller Hall
Tom Grieve, Cinema Editor
Sergei Eistenstein’s iconic 1925 film Battleship Potemkin gets a big screen outing in Manchester this October. Commissioned to mark the 20th anniversary of the mutiny which began the Russian Revolution, this hugely influential silent movie also helped to define the language of cinema with its early use of montage: cutting together different perspectives with rhythm in order to generate a sense of energy and urgency. Eisenstein’s pioneering technique has made Battleship Potemkin a film studies favourite – and justifiably so – but its pulsating depiction of injustice and rebellion makes for a colossal, stirring experience even for modern audiences.
Neil Brand – presenter of BBC Four’s The Sound of Musicals and all-round silent film whiz – will be at Stoller Hall to perform a live piano improvisation for the screening. As one of the few musicians in the country capable of performing such an improvisation, Brand’s presence makes this an essential event for local film fans keen to acquaint themselves with Eisenstein’s masterpiece.
