Eisenstein intended to film a whole chronicle of the 1905 revolution, but in the end he picked one of the events. The event itself was not at the centre of the revolution, but was rather symbolic and heroic at the same time. The film served the regime and the revolutionary ideas. Eisenstein ‘adjusted’ some of the historical facts “for the purposes of propaganda and art” (Sinclair 1968, p.6) However, when we watch Potemkin

In a close up shot, the officer seems to wink. He might be looking at the priest. Their eye lines seem to match. If it really is so (which is difficult to judge since the close up of the cross interrupts the continuity) the priest and the officer are unified, they stand on the same side .

The marines, shown in a low mid shot (their heads cut out by the frame) lift their rifles. They seem to be machines strictly obeying orders. The conflict here is within the frame - not showing someone’s face stirs up curiosity of the audience.

Some topics in this essay:
Shot-by-Shot Analysis, Battleship Potemkin, Marinetti Constructivism, Drama Quarterdeck, Conflict Eisenstein, Pudovkin Vertov, firing squad, conflict shot, mid shot, October Revolution, mayer 1972, negative characters, raise rifles, shot marines, extreme close, life preserver, battleship potemkin, shot mid shot, life saving device,