The Fall of the Romanov Dynasty (1927)

Directed by Esfir Shub
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Flicker Alley)

Russian documentary shows the sharp class divisions between the bourgeoisie and workers in the years before WWI. As war clouds gather in Europe, the workers head to the factory to manufacture the machines of war, only to die as they are sent off to use them. After the war, provisions are short and daily life miserable, leading to revolution on the streets of Petrograd. Soldiers begin to desert the front lines, giving the revolution the needed muscle to succeed. The old royal guard is ousted and the long rule of the Soviets begins. Interesting glimpse at Russian history as it was actually lived, but hard to say how much is "history" and how much is "propaganda" ten years or so after the fact.