----------------------------Original message----------------------------
I have no idea what dePalma said at Venice, but I find it hard to believe
that he denied that the sequence was inspired by the most famous sequence in
film history -- the "Odessa Steps" sequence from "Potemkin". Not only is the
sequence known to virtually everybody, but it has been parodied in endless
films, including Gilliam's "Brazil".
 
Plagiarism is a tough term to use in connection with a film, where more than
the mere words or images are involved. Witness the current flap about
Tarantino's "plagiarizing" Lam's "City on Fire". I don't suppose the argument
will ever be settled.
 
However, if dePalma actually SAID that he wasn't thinking about Eisenstein in
that case, he must be even dumber than his films would lead one to believe.
(His "borrowing" from Hitchcock is the entire lynchpin of his career!)
 
Gene Stavis, School of Visual Arts - NYC