Strike

1925 · 89 min · RU · 7.4 (254 votes)

Dir. Sergei Eisenstein · Starring Maksim Shtraukh, Grigori Aleksandrov, Mikhail Gomorov, Ivan Klyukvin, Aleksandr Antonov, Vladimir Uralskiy

“Down with autocracy! Long live the democratic republic!”

Drama

Just before the 1905 Bolshevik Revolution, factory workers strike against their oppressive factory bosses. When a worker is accused of stealing a piece of machinery, he commits suicide, and his colleagues revolt against the overarching Czarist regime. As the strike drags on and government officials grow increasingly desperate to end it, their methods of dealing with the rebellious workers become more and more aggressive.

VIBE

A stark, black-and-white silent film that plunges you into the brutal realities of early 20th-century labor unrest. Its expressionist style amplifies the raw tension and somber mood, making for a powerful and urgent viewing experience.

grittysombertenseurgentsteadysilent filmexpressionisthistorical dramablack and whitelabor rightsclass struggleoppressionsolidarity

▶ Stream on Criterion Channel, FlixFling

police brutalitystrikestreet riotsuprisingrussian politicssilent filmoppressionlabor strikelabor unionriot policeworker's rightsanimal slaughter1900srussian kommunismsoviet union historyhuman rights protesthuman dignitysoviet politics