i watched sergei eisenstein's first feature film, strike (1925). since it was a silent film, i couldn't stay focused on the story for the entire length of the film, but it was really captivating at first. i was really impressed by the composition, techniques, etc. it felt very modern. if it was a talkie, i'm sure everyone would still be watching it today and not just film buffs. like other eisenstein films, one is amazed at one is watching. i'm just talking about brutality in a sense. it's not violent like modern pictures, violence for the sake of violence. but to think that they were filming these things back then, one wonders if the actors were hurt, if the animals were hurt, etc. and what of censors? what of audience reaction? it's all so intriguing.