Cannons
While the Commander of the Potemkin is berating the sailors on the main deck, we see in the frame the ship’s two massive cannons hovering above the men. The cannons represent the power that is wielded over the sailors by the commanding officers, and also the impending violence as the two sides square off. It is not a coincidence that Vakulinchuk’s first order in the mutiny is for the sailors to get on top of the turret, a visual shift in the power relations.
Grate Shadows
Eisenstein shows a sailor below deck speaking to an officer while under the shadow of a metal mesh platform. The shadows cover the sailors but not the officer, and the shadow of the metal makes it look like the sailor is a cage. The imagery on the battleship shows us that these sailors are not treated as part of the military, but instead are slaves to it.
Ships passing in front of sunset
After Vakulinchuk is laid to rest on the pier, we see a shot looking out over the harbor as the sun sets. Two ships come in from the sides and cover up the light from the sunset. It is a mournful image, representing the light and life of Vakulinchuk leaving this world.
Red Flag
The one use of color in this black and white film, Eisenstein is said to have personally hand colored the red flag onto each relevant frame of the film. Red is, of course, the color associated with communism in the 20th century, and the appearance of the real color red in a black and white film reinforces how explosive and radical the idea of communism was for the old world.
