影片发生在1905年，一艘名为波将金号的战舰上，原本这是一艘沙皇海军的骄傲，可是因为连续数月的伙食太差，导致了一场哗变。沙皇海军波将金号战舰上，水兵的生活环境非常差，受着非人的待遇。一连数月，水兵的伙食很差，供应的牛肉甚至长满了蛆，引起了战舰上水兵们的极度不满。部分水兵策动起义，却受到了军官的镇压。指挥官下令枪杀叛乱者，但是由于起义之火在众人心中燃烧。行刑队拒绝开枪，起义者们拿起武器将军官丢入大海。波将金号被起义者们夺取，并驶入敖德萨石阶进行补给。敖德萨的群众对水兵们的遭遇非常同情，义愤填膺，纷纷声援起义的水兵。而群众的声援却遭致沙皇军队的镇压，一场血腥的屠杀就此展开……

1927年，为纪念十月革命十周年而拍摄的纪录风格影片，片中群众角色很多为当时参与十月革命的工人和士兵，当时起义的领导之一Nikolai Podvolsky也参与演出一名布尔什维克（此公是十月革命十周年庆典组委会的主席，正是他向爱森斯坦委约了这部影片）。脚本参考了美国记者里德（John Reed）的新闻体纪实著作《震撼世界的十天》（Ten Days That Shook the World）。此片和《战舰波将金》、《罢工》一样，同为爱森斯坦二十年代探索蒙太奇剪辑的代表作。
通常上映的版本配乐，采用了苏联作曲家肖斯塔科维奇的交响作品和小品。

影片以伊凡四世对抗国内的敌人，成功勾勒出“伊凡雷帝”形象。爱森斯坦的作品有很强的表现主义烙印，有极其丰富的美工设计。影片体现了一种强烈的咄咄逼人的气氛。本片于1946年拍摄完成，因为某些政治上的原因，本片曾被苏联共产党中央禁映，直到1958年才允许上映。

影片表现了13世纪俄国亚历山大·内夫斯基王子率领军民击溃掠夺成性的德国立窝尼亚条顿骑士的业绩。爱森斯坦借鉴民间叙事诗的技巧，使这一爱国史诗具有明显的壮丽歌剧的风格。条顿骑士入侵俄国后，无恶不作。他们洗劫普斯科夫，吊死爱国者。内夫斯基带领人民群众，以伊格纳特等积极分子为骨干力量，保卫了重镇诺夫哥罗德，消灭了叛徒托瓦尔其洛。最后，在楚德湖的冰面上大败条顿骑士。

伊凡四世是16世纪最具禀赋的俄罗斯大公。影片以伊凡17岁时的加冕典礼这一宏大场面为开端。他英俊年少，踌躇满志，宣布为俄国带来新秩序，反对贵族。当莫斯科河岸谣传四起时，他在皇宫第一次会见民众。他一方面让人民相信他的智慧和治国能力，另一方面又怀疑自己的处境。他甚至怀疑库尔布斯基公爵图谋不轨。一场重病使他认清了心怀叵测的贵族，不久，他爱妻去世，许多贵族反叛。伊凡采取果断措施，粉碎了以皇婶为首的贵族叛乱。最后，他决定放弃莫斯科并宣布退位。他民手持圣像彩旗跪在他面前。从此这位年轻的沙皇可以称为真正的“雷帝”了。
这部被公认为经典的影片获1946年苏联国家奖金。由著名作曲家普罗科菲耶夫为影片配乐。

　　本片为苏联电影理论家兼导演爱森斯坦的处女作，用六个章节展示了一场罢工运动的始末。 　　繁忙的工厂里，工人们埋头工作。布尔什维克党在地下积极组织工人罢工，但表面上仍然一片平静……工厂里的一把工具失窃，当值工人被厂主调查侮辱，气忿不过的工人回到车间，上吊自杀。工人们与厂主爆发了冲突，工人冲出工厂，打倒工头，联络其他工厂的同志，一场大规模的罢工启动了。 　　工厂主与工人们的谈判陷入僵持，失去生活来源的工人们忍饥挨饿，工厂主又雇佣侦探抓捕工人领导、借助流氓势力破坏工人组织。在水龙和骑警的驱逐下，工人们四处奔逃，最终遭到血腥屠杀……

A Soviet farmer son, who is working at a Kolchos is killed by his father, who wants to burn the fields of the Kolchos to damage the Soviet Society.

Eisenstein's first sound film, shot in Paris, "built around an old Russian love song sung by the wife of the man who commissioned the film. The song is paralleled by an intercutting of shots of nature, beginning with a storm at dusk, dissolving into a moody rain at night, and jubilantly bursting through the next morning's daybreak in the resplendent sunlight. The black grand piano the singer played now is a white one ... her sadness is now joy, and no longer is she in that closed-in chateau, but out in the open, in a field rapturous with grain swaying heavily in the wind as the song ends."
"Romance Sentimentale," which Eisenstein created with collaborators Alexandrov and Tisse in 1930, just prior to making Que Viva Mexico! In some respects it's an Eisensteinian Fantasia, combining image and music (a famous Russian love song) to create a visual tone poem. Even more impressive, in terms of Eisenstein's passion as a political storyteller, is the rare 20-minute excerpt from Misery and Fortune of Woman, which dramatizes the plight of European women seeking abortions under oppressive conditions. It's a small, gut-wrenching masterpiece, and hasn't lost a bit of its relevance.

Footage of the aftermath of the January 14 1931 earthquake in Oaxaca, Mexico.

这条总路线也被称为“新旧”（Staroye i Novoye），它在一首关于农业集体化进程的史诗般颂歌中阐明了列宁所说的国家从农业文化向工业文化转变的迫切性。

俄国电影之父，世界电影的先躯——谢尔盖·爱森斯坦(Sergei M. Eisenstein)拍摄的关于墨西哥的历史与文化全面研究的记录片。

这部1934年拍摄的纪录电影，却直到爱森斯坦死后40多年（1979年）才由他的助手完成。
爱森斯坦和许多左翼分子一样，对墨西哥印象深刻，因为该国在20世纪初期就完成了社会主义革命。艾森斯坦和亚历山卓夫把《墨西哥万岁！》设计成一系列的作品，各描述不同的地区和历史阶段，虽然这个系列作品的次序似乎经常变换，但每出戏都是墨国某一时期在某个地区的生活，同时，每一集都献给一位不同的墨西哥艺术家，从波沙达（Posada）到欧洛兹柯（Orozco）。艾森斯坦爱上了墨西哥，他把精力全数投入拍摄“一首爱、死亡与不朽的诗篇"。
影片评价
《墨西哥万岁》，是一部未完成的伟大纪念碑，今天我们所看到的只是某些已经被歪曲的或拼凑起来的片断。但即使从这些残余的片断里，我们也可以看出这部影片应该是爱森斯坦在美学上登峰造极的一部作品。动人心弦的人物脸谱和基赛的完美的摄影技巧，具有电影上很少见到的一种抒情情调。片中对造型的注意似乎超过了《战舰波将金号》中的那种“纪录主义”。显然这部被割裂的杰作曾广泛运用了隐喻的手法。庄严而古老的纪念碑以及民间的风俗和服装，在这部影片里占着相当大的位置。但只靠我们所看到的一些画面，还很难对整个影片作出正确的评语。

Based on an idea by Eisenstein, who dreamt of composing the 101 poses of Robert Macaire - a popular French character epitomizing the unscrupulous swindler - as represented in the 101 lithographs of the series Caricaturana by Honoré Daumier. First, a montage of the gestures as Eisenstein envisaged. Then, original texts are added to the caricatures. And finally, we took the liberty to use them as a commentary to some current news.

I just watched this compilation of footage shot in Mexico around 1930 by Eisenstein, and I was completely unprepared for the striking quality of these images, some of the most beautiful black and white cinematography I've seen. As I understand it, this footage, which Eisenstein was compelled to abandon, has been compiled and edited into a sort of travelogue by the Oleg Kovalov, who gets director credit for this film. This is a travelogue in a more old-fashioned sense – not a survey of resorts, hotels, casinos and airports, but an impression of the time, place, people and atmosphere of old Mexico. It has been edited per notes left by Eisenstein, along with a degree of interpretation guided by Kovalov's knowledge of Eisenstein's style and intentions. However far it might have strayed from those original intentions, it is a remarkably beautiful film in its own right.
Early on in the film, the compositions look like Gaugin paintings come to life, as the provincial Mexicans strike the iconic poses that Eisenstein set up, surrounded by tropical foliage. In one particular shot, two young woman hold their pose under some palm leaves, but the one on the left repeatedly breaks into giggles, possibly over the strange attitude that the crazy Russian has asked her to hold. Really charming. Many of the scenes with the local people are moody, or even a bit spooky, some involving symbols of death. Others are more festive, but still with a dark quality to them. A Russian is a Russian, I guess.
A stereo soundtrack has been added which consists of various ethnic music (not just Mexican), more modern, avant-garde music, and ambient sounds and sound effects that are so apt and well-timed to the film, they give you an eerie sense of being there. This is one of the best things I've seen in a long time, and I can't recommend it highly enough.