The Fall of the Romanov Dynasty

A valuable visual history lesson, both for those who are familiar with these events and for those whom these are new and interesting stories. For some, this foundational compilation film might even function as aversion therapy for war and autocracy (Ludovico technique but without the restraints and Serum 114). While not a monumental film, its creation is a monumental achievement by Shub (her influence on Ken Burns and other makers of compilation films is obvious)

This lies in that space between Soviet propaganda and genuine documentary, and really doesn't feel very successful at either, though it still manages to be interesting in its own way. The editing is pretty simple and it lacks the depth of a good doc and the energy of good propaganda. In the end it ends up being more a documentary about itself, the aims, ambitions and methods of the Soviet propaganda machine in 1927. It's interesting enough in that regard, but I had hoped for more.