Hmm, where do I start with Chapaev? In the words of my heritage professor, "Start at the beginning." Sounds good enough for me. The first thing I noticed in this film is that a lot of people like to run away. I think I counted at least 3 separate times when Chapaev's forces tried to run away during battle. Next thing I noticed was the differences between Chapaev and Furmanov. Furmanov seemed to be almost a foil for Chapaev, because he was young, soft with the troops, and in military terms inexperienced in comparison to the old (or at least war-torn) firm with the troops, and military-experienced Chapaev.
In terms of why this movie is more successful then Battleship Potemkin, I think I have the answer. That answer is heroes. In Battleship, there really are no "heroes." It tells a good story, but people have trouble getting behind a large group of people. In Chapaev, it is very easy for everyone to get behind Chapaev. He is essentially a Russian G.I. Joe. If I have learned anything from G.I. Joe, knowing is half the battle, and Ruskaland knows that heroes equal blockbusters.
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