The Russian Revolution (2017)

One hundred years after 1917, Netflix’s documentary ‘The Russian Revolution’ assesses the seismic event that dictated international relations for much of the 20th century. Yet the programme does not focus on the political and social causes of the October Revolution. Rather, we are instead drawn into the lives of Nicholas II, the last Romanov ruler, and middle-class university student turned revolutionary, Vladimir Ulyanov (later known by his more famous moniker Lenin). Netflix thus uniquely present the Revolution as a human story, rather than scrutinising its ideological conflict.

I found this to give the very basic information, and only that. The documentary seemed very rushed. There was no time to digest information, and there was no real time to get the gist of what was going on. There was just too much being covered so quickly, that it just didn’t go right. This special could have been done so much better in a few parts, each detailing a specific part of the revolution in more detail, allowing viewers to get a more substantial amount of knowledge from the documentary.

In conclusion, the documentary provides an enjoyable, if brief, introduction to one of the most cataclysmic events in human history. While the personal twist may irritate history-buffs, its subsequent narrative will likely resonate with viewers.