THE BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN (Russia, 1925)
Sergey Eisenstein, director
Starring Aleksandr Antonov, Vladimir Grigorievich Barsky, Grigori Aleksandrov, Mikhail Gomarov
Script by Nina Agadzhanova and Sergey Eisenstein

Czech National Symphony Orchestra
Jan Chalupecki, conductor

Music by Dmitry Shostakovich

In June 1905, the fever of revolution took possession of the Russian state. The battleship of the Tsarist fleet, Prince Potemkin of Taurida, was anchored off the port of Odessa. Two of the crew urge their companions to join the revolutionary movement. After a fierce struggle, they manage to gain control of the ship. The whole population of Odessa gather on the quayside to show their support for the revolt and mourn the sailors killed in the fighting. The Admiralty orders the army to charge the civilians, causing a massacre during which the Potemkin fires her guns against the Tsarist squadron.

This masterpiece of silent cinema will be greatly enhanced by the accompaniment of an 84-strong orchestra playing some of the greatest movements from Shostakovich’s fifteen symphonies, composed between 1925 and 1971.