rating:
(out of
4 stars)Soviet Union; 1929
Directed by Dziga Vertov; written by Dziga Vertov
Like other Soviet films from the 1920s, 'The Man with a Movie Camera' has a perfect rhythm. Not just in its montage, but also in camera movement and objects moving in the single shots. This silent classic with its black and white images and without any storyline celebrates the art of cinema in all its glory. It has its focus on the two main elements for creating a movie: the editing and the photography.
We see images of a city waking up, turning into something alive. We see birth and death, marriage and divorce, handwork and machinery, edited together with a perfect rhythm. Director Dziga Vertov never forgets to show us that his art is cinema. We see a man with a movie camera or just the camera in many shots, and in between a woman cutting the film together.
In the second part Vertov shows us different techniques, especially when it comes to visual effects. For me this was the most entertaining part. I mean, how often do you see a man standing in a glass of beer? Every known technique is shown, including terrifically used split screens, fast forward sequences, slow motion, animation and freeze frames. Even without reminding myself it was made in the 1920s I was amazed.
This piece of cinema, perfectly fitting the Soviet constructivism, is the art probably in its purest form. Although it has no real storyline the film itself does build up to a climax by using cinematography and editing. It could and should be called the frontrunner for 'Koyaanisqatsi', made fifty years later. Anyone who has a love for the movies should see this film at least once.