60 SOCIAL SCIENTIST The fourth act begins with the fraternization of the people on the shore and the sailors on board 'Potemkin5. The dominant element which motivates the whole scene is the presence of swaying masts or the yawls carrying supplies to the ship* The sails seem to embody the celebrative mood of this great event. The tones are bright, umbrellas are opened on the docks, veils over the faces are pulled down, children wave their hands in glee, the ladder is lowered to allow the people to bring the supplies up and the red flag flutters. 'Suddenly9 (a title). A woman with bobbed hair throws back her head in terror. The crowd, on the steps, shudders and begins to run down the steps. A rank of soldiers advance down the steps, with a black statue of justice covering a third of the frame and they fire a volley at the helpless crowd. The Odessa sequence is one full of pathos arousing deep emotions and enthusiasm. To achieve this such a work must be built throughout on strong explosive action and constant qualita'-tive changes, either in the form of a dispassionate statement or that of a pathetic hymn. In such a sequence the organisation of movements on the steps is of crucial importance. The orderly steps of the soldiers— the chaotic movement of the people rushing down. Extreme close-ups of terror on some faces and extreme long shots of the stampede. People falling dead and people running across the steps. The rhythm accelerates and the downward movement reaches a peak as a lone mother, with a dead son in her arms, starts walking up towards the soldiets, pleading to stop. This upward movement reverses the complete tempo. A certain static tension is generated. But the rifles shoot her down. The movement now takes a totally powerful turn, A mother with a perambulator is shot and she dies (the face echoes the imagery of Michaelangelo's sculpture of the Madonna in Pietd). In the typical Eisenstein fragmentation, she pushes the perambulator down. The unaccompanied perambulator charges down the steps, breathless, overjthe bodies. The volleys of the rifles are answered by one shot from one of the ship's guns. The Odessa theatre gates come crashing down and three immobile lions in three poses of sleeping, disturbed and aroused are juxtaposed one after another. The fourth act ends on this brilliant and famous example of montage. We are truly reminded of the heroic pathos present in the Greek tragedies. The fifth and final act begins with a night of I anxiety. The Admiralty Squadron is ordered to move against the Totemkin'. The sailors take turns at the guard points and rest rooms. While they remain anxious the ship functions as if automatic, faithfully.