Battleship Potemkin

This handsome 100th anniversary edition of Sergei M Eisenstein's silent classic - one of the very first films to have been accorded such an honour - includes only a handful of extras, but they're impressive ones. First up, there's a CD of the soundtrack so you can enjoy it on its own at any time - if you get the limited edition, which also includes a booklet of essays, it's the perfect accompaniment to reading them.

There's an experimental short film looking at the presentation of the film in Trafalgar Square in 2004, with the Dresdner Sinfoniker. This may be only four minutes long, but its extensive use of split screen means that you get at least 12 minutes' worth of material. There's also a special anniversary trailer.

The real highlight, however, is the 68 minute documentary Hochhaussinfonie, which chronicles the extensive preparations for a special performance of the film in a Soviet era Dresden apartment building. With a giant screen draped across one side of the building, the musicians of the Dresdner Sinfoniker set up on separate balconies to play their instruments. We're invited to observe all this in the company of the building's few remaining residents, who share their stories and reflect on what life there has meant to them. Some of them befriend their musician guests, and they fill us in on the minutiae of their lives as we, too, are allowed intimate access to their homes. It's intensely personal and really provides a flavour of what it's like to be connected with such a momentous creative event. Though we don't see much of the Pet Shop Boys themselves, it's Neil Tennant who sums up the connection between the local community, the event and the film - that they show us what can be achieved when people work together.

Reviewed on: 03 Sep 2025