The film Chapaev was a huge blockbuster in Russia. The reasons behind its success were very apparent to me throughout the film. For comparison, I will especially focus on the Battleship Potemkin. The two films both tell of a historic event, and they were both made in a time period when the main focus of the film would be to support the cause of the government at the time. However, a few key differences separate Chapaev from other films of its time.
One of the first things I noticed was the fact that Chapaev identifies its protagonist with the viewer. In one of the assigned readings, the author spoke of how the people of the time that we were watching the movie were not informed of the early days of the revolution. They didn’t know all the details and the author felt that the film, Chapaev, was the perfect tool to inform them. It was very effective because the protagonist of the film, Chapaev, is also not well informed. He doesn’t know the details of the Revolution, yet he still presents himself as an amazing leader. His weakness is the viewers’ weakness as well and they can identify with his character.
Also, within the film, it was fairly easy to identify the hero. Although Chapaev may not have done what he did without the help of his comrades, he is definitely the central character of the film. It is far easier for a human to identify with a fellow human rather than the battleship used in Battleship Potemkin.
One more interesting technique used within Chapaev that helped the viewer enjoy the movie more than other movies of the time was the fact that the characters within the movie had flaws. They made mistakes and seemed like real people. The movie didn’t seem like it was simply communist propaganda, and at that time, the people were sick of simple propaganda. They had learned to see through it and the real characters help mask the fact that the film does have an agenda.
I also can’t help but notice that the beards in this film sometimes made it difficult to determine which heavily bearded man was who. I was slightly distracted.