the film: Eisenstein's montage experiments met with official disapproval; the authorities complained that October was unintelligible to the masses, and Eisenstein was attacked—for neither the first time nor the last—for excessive "formalism". He was also required to re-edit the work to expurgate references to Leon Trotsky, who had recently been purged by Joseph Stalin. Writing for The Spectator in 1936, Graham Greene gave the film a neutral review. Characterizing the pacing, Greene described it as "restless, excited, [and] crackling with venom", and remarked that the vividness of small impressionistic touches such as the endlessly swinging committee-room door, "telephone bells ringing", and "scared people getting up and proposing resolutions" could only have been properly presented by "one which only a participant would have thought of". In spite of the film's lack of popular acceptance, film historians consider it to be an immensely rich experience—a sweeping historical epic of vast scale, and a powerful testament to Eisenstein's creativity and artistry. Vsevolod Pudovkin, after viewing the film, remarked, "How I should like to make such a powerful failure." See also Propaganda film List of films in the public domain in the United States References External links 1928 films 1920s historical drama films Soviet silent feature films Soviet revolutionary propaganda films Soviet epic films Soviet historical drama films Soviet black-and-white films Russian Revolution films Films about communism Films directed by Sergei Eisenstein Films about Vladimir Lenin Articles containing video clips Censored films 1928 drama films Films set in 1917 Cultural depictions of Vladimir Lenin Films set in Saint Petersburg Silent drama films Silent adventure films