The Battleship Potemkin (in Russian : Броненосец “Потёмкин” , Bronenossets “Potiomkin” ) is a silent Soviet film directed by Sergei Eisenstein , released in 1925 . It deals with the mutiny of the battleship Potemkin in the port of Odessa in 1905 , the insurrection and the repression which ensued in the city. The film was banned for a long time in many Western countries because of “Bolshevik propaganda” and “incitement to class violence”. It is considered one of the greatest propaganda filmsall time. He was chosen in 1958 as the best film of all time by 117 international critics at the Universal Exhibition of Brussels 1 , 2 . The film has entered the public domain in most countries of the world.