Odessa, Ukraine, December 7, 2000. A picture taken in a historically very significant location. The Odessa steps leading down to the harbour. For those of you familiar with the famous images from the movie "Battleship Potemkin" by Eisenstein (1925), a batallion of soldiers is slowly walking down those famous stairs, holding rifles, on their way to crash a mutiny by naval officers in a re-creation of a failed revolution which took place back in 1905. As they march down towards confrontation, a baby-stroller accidentally released by a mother is making its way down the stairs as well.
Brian De Palma's "homage" to this scene takes place at Union Station in Chicago in the movie "The Untouchables". As Eliot Ness and his men confront Al Capone's henchmen and a shoot-out erupts, a mother accidentally releases her baby-stroller and in slow-motion Andy Garcia swoops down to catch the stroller while shooting Capone's men at the same time. A great cinematic moment.
1 comment:
As I read your blog I picture both of those films-Battleship Potemkin was the first film I saw in a film course i took at Barnard!!
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