Synopsis
Described by Dziga Vertov, its director, as an "experiment in the language of pure cinema," The Man With the Movie Camera is perhaps the most dazzling and sophisticated work not only of Soviet, but of world silent cinema. In part it is a "city symphony," although its urban landscape is actually a film synthesis of shots taken in Moscow, Kiev, Odessa and elsewhere. In part, it is a panorama of and a manifesto on the nature of socialist society in the late 1920s. But it is especially a revelation of the possibilities of non-acted, non-fiction films: We see the cinema projectionist show the reel we are actually viewing; the "star" is the film's actual cameraman at work; the shots we see him take will reappear elsewhere as we see the film editor create emotional and intellectual moments from unrelated lengths of footage. Vertov's refusal to be limited by his source film is apparent in his execution of a broad spectrum of cinematic techniques in a truly avant-garde style. Double exposure, fast and slow motion, freeze frames, jump cuts, split screens, Dutch angles, extreme close-ups, tracking shots, and stop motion animations create an exhilarating experience in this amazing landmark movie. This stunning DVD edition is digitally mastered from a 35mm nitrate negative. It features the potent score composed and performed by the Alloy Orchestra, following music instructions written by Dziga Vertov (and played to great acclaim at the Pordenone and other international film festivals), recorded in digital stereo. Year: 1929 Length: 68 minutes Director: Dziga Vertov Music: Composed and performed by the Alloy Orchestra, following music instructions written by Dziga Vertov Format: NTSC Presented by arrangement with George Eastman House Produced for DVD by David Shepard From the Blackhawk Films Collection Presented by Flicker Alley