NEW EXPERIENCE OF THE MODERN CITY by Kayleigh Robyn

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"Man With A Movie Camera" (1929) cover art

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Dir. Dziga Vertov Editor(s): Yelizaveta Svilova, Dziga Vertov

Introduction

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Every year, day, hour, minute, second, something is changing. The second hand changes positions, a step is taken, someone exhales and somewhere else, inhales. On a minuscule level, change often goes unnoticed. A door opening, a lock of hair hitting the floor, a mouse scampering from one place to another; these changes do not effect the world. On a grand scale however, change can transform the world. Social, cultural, economic, art and political changes are the moving forward of humanity, the transitions in history and the transformations of cities, countries and people. When documented, whether it be through writing, film, photos or sound, these important changes and experiences can be cemented in history. Dziga Vertov's, "Man With A Movie Camera (1929), both documents and relies on change, through its message, editing and depiction of a complete twenty-four hour day. Filmed over three years and three cities (Moscow, Kiev and Odessa), the film gives a look into the everyday lives of the people living in then Soviet Russia.

The former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)

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<--Full film

Message

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Dziga Vertov didn't believe in fantasy or fiction in the world of filmmaking. He vowed for real cinema, without the need for scripts or actors, instead using experimental editing paired with clips and stills of real life. At the beginning of Man With A Movie Camera, Vertov's opening credits state that the film is "an experiment in the cinematic communication of visible events, executed without the aid of intertitles, without the aid of scenario, without the aid of theater." Vertov does just that at the exception of a view seemingly staged shots, such as ones of him behind the camera, and a girl dressing herself. The film shows bustling, prosperous and regular life during a time in Russia that was strife with change, both technological, political and economical. Russia was at a huge turning point after the first World War, with the fall of the Czar, the Bolshevik takeover of the government, and the growing number of countries attempting to break away and gain independence. Despite the growing tensions and future revolution, people in the film appear happy, busy and full of live, integrating with modern people, machinery and change, showing a perfect picture through its base film and heavy editing, of both Soviet ideals and impending chaos.

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one of the few staged shots in the film, that garnered criticism against Vertov's absolute of film idealogy.

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Rhythm editing in Man With A Movie Camera

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"This sequence occurs at the end of the film, and it is a good example of accelerating rhythm. Vertov and his editor, Elizaveta Svilova, push the cutting rate to an extreme speed, with some shots lasting only a single frame by the end of the sequence" ( Oliver Gaycken)

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Intro piece

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Editing

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Man With A Movie Camera is one of many Sviet films of the time to employ the Soviet Montage technique, a non-linear mash up of shots strategically cut to create emotion, scenes and experiment with just what film could do. The film is a constant display of movement; people, cars, machines, scenes and camera movement dominate the film at high speeds. Transitions, transformations and changes cannot exist without action, and the film's jarring, fast paced editing and onscreen business is full of it. Aside from the dizzying transitions and montage effect, Vertov and editor Yelizaveta Svilova also employed a great amount of juxtaposition. Unrelated shots are edited together in the film to create near scenarios, little narratives that are a trick of the eye with the shots cutting back and forth rapidly. Shots such as a woman waking cut with a train moving quickly are examples of this form of editing.The edits, while showing regular, everyday activities, could invoke interest, emotion and unease, adding a narrative to an otherwise story-less film.

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examples of interesting experimental editing

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Editing and Purpose

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The editing in Man With A Movie Camera, also serves a purpose in bringing Moscow, Kiev and Odessa together as one on screen to create a Soviet super city of sorts, tricking the viewer into the idea of it being one, twenty hour long day, though the actual filming took years. This concept of piecing together the film brought the full experience of a modern city from sunrise to sunset. There are constant shots of modernism through the people and machinery; cars, gears, trains, typewriters, cameras and construction are abundant, highlighting the transformation of the Soviet world through rapid industrial and technological advancements.

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It also showed a growing advancement in what film editing could do, bringing a kind of transition from the continuity of American film to the haphazardness of experimental Soviet ideas. Vertov was also interested in the "international cinematic language" (Vertov, opening credits), as most of Russia's population consisted of peasants or illiterate citizens who couldn't grasp the plots of overseas silent films and narrative propaganda films, since they could not read the intertitles and text on screen. Most people can view Man With A Movie Camera and walk away understanding the meaning - or lack of - in the film.

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Conclusion

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Dziga Vertov's Man With A Movie Camerais both an avant-garde experiment and a social commentating documentary, showing the power of modernity, transformation and life in an ideal Soviet city. Though its editing, courage and bare realism, it stands out as a beacon of silent film and a departure from the typical. Vertov succeeded in creating a snapshot of a day in Soviet Russia, a place constantly transitioning into the future.

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Moving vs still image

Interesting bonus

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Russia: 1921-1939

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WORKS CITED

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Vertov, Dziga, director. Man With A Movie Camera. All-Ukrainian Photo Cinema Administration, 1929

Matthew “Man With A Movie Camera (1929)” Classic Art Films, 6 Aug. 2015,

http://www.classicartfilms.com/man-with-a-movie-camera-1929.