The Bolshevik Trilogy Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

The Bolshevik Trilogy Blu-ray Movie Review

An impressive collection of films by director Vsevolod Pudovkin

Reviewed by Neil Lumbard April 4, 2020

The Bolshevik Trilogy: Three Films by Vsevolod Pudovkin contains the entire trilogy of productions centered around the Russian Revolution. The collection includes Mother, The End of St. Petersburg, and Storm over Asia. Each film in the saga explores a different storyline and has received acclaim across the world. Flicker Alley now presents these classic black-and-white films on Blu-ray in a collectors edition with new supplements.

Pudovkin, a former actor turned-director (who was at the helm of all three of these features) helped pave the way forward for silent cinema in Russia. The Bolshevik Trilogy is a compelling argument concerning the importance of film editing in cinema. The standout film is the great The End of St. Petersburg. Commissioned as a feature film by Russia, the editing on the film is so intense that it reminds one of the power editing still has over the medium to this day. According to the director: “Editing controls the physiological guidance of the spectator.” Cinema students: time to take notes.

Facing down the eye of the storm.

For more information on each title please refer to the individual reviews linked to below:

Mother Blu-ray Review

The End of St. Petersburg Blu-ray Review

Storm over Asia Blu-ray Review

The Bolshevik Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Bolshevik Trilogy: Three Films by Vsevolod Pudovkin is an expansive collection containing three (surprisingly different) presentations. Each of the three films is presented with a 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition presentation in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.33:1 (full frame). For more information, please refer to the individual reviews linked to below:

Mother Blu-ray Review

The End of St. Petersburg Blu-ray Review

Storm over Asia Blu-ray Review

The Bolshevik Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Each feature in the Bolshevik Trilogy: Three Films by Vsevolod Pudovkin collection is presented with a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. The audio quality is generally favorable throughout all three films but there are some variances between the audio tracks and their respective qualities. For more information, please refer to the individual reviews linked to below:

Mother Blu-ray Review

The End of St. Petersburg Blu-ray Review

Storm over Asia Blu-ray Review

Please Note: Optional English subtitles are included for the intertitles.

The Bolshevik Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release is housed in an attractive clear case and comes with a printed booklet featuring an essay written by author and film historian Amy Sargeant. The booklet also includes production notes and credits.

On disc supplemental features include the following:

Disc 1:

Audio Commentary on Mother by Russian film historian Peter Bagrov

Amateur Images of St. Petersburg (HD, 1:33) showcases classic film reels from the land of St. Petersburg. Despite what the title of the supplement implies, this is not simply a slide-show of photographic images. Rather, the short reels showcase the city in motion.

Notebooks of a Tourist Present: St. Petersburg (c. 1920) (HD, 1:44) is a short but impressive video which showcases the landscape surrounding the area. One could almost think of it as an early travel video highlighting some of the destinations.

A Revolution in Five Movies (HD, 9:18) is a compelling visual essay created by filmmaker Maxim Pozdorovkin. The short showcases the five editing techniques explored in the Bolshevik revolution. During the visual essay, the following techniques are explored:

1. Hunger (Leit-Motif)

2. Inequality (Symbolism)

3. Abuse (Contrast)

4. Profiteering (Parallelism)

5. Shortages (Simultaneity)

Disc 2:

Audio Commentary on Storm over Asia by film historian and scholar Jan-Christopher Horak

Chess Fever (HD, 20:00) is a classic 1925 short film by Vsevolod Pudovkin. The directorial debut of Pudovkin, the short centers upon the world of chess and featuring a number of prominent players in Chess circa 1925. Presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0.

Five Principles of Editing (HD, 6:00) is an interesting visual comparison of Pudovkin's five editing techniques found in the The Bolshevik Trilogy feature films. The five techniques which are explored during the video are as follows:

1. Contrast

2. Parallelism

3. Symbolism

4. Simultaneity

5. Leitmotif

The Bolshevik Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bolshevik Trilogy: Three Films by Vsevolod Pudovkin is a compelling collection of Russian silent classics. The collection contains Mother, The End of St. Petersburg, and Storm over Asia. Fans of Pudovkin will particularly want to pick up this set. These historically significant feature-films are compelling experiences with their own unique qualities. Russian history enthusiasts should take note. The set contains a wealth of supplemental material and with three films included, the release feels jam-packed. Recommended.