Fawkes
20th October 2011, 07:47
Finally saw it in its entirety and holy shit. It's amazing when you see something made over 80 years ago that still carries with it the radicalism from its initial release. I've heard it described as just a collage of images and you'd think sitting and watching that for over an hour would get boring, but I was legitimately disappointed when it ended. One of the things about it that's so amazing to me is that Vertov effectively critiqued a number of genres/conventions years before they even came into existence (most notably cinema verite and direct address interview-based documentaries).
Even using final cut or adobe, I'd be hard-pressed to do some of the things Vertov and his wife (can't remember her name) did in this. But beyond just the amazing technical advancements made by this movie (there were a couple of shots where I counted at least four or five simultaneous exposures), I think I really got a better understanding of Odessa (maybe Ukraine would be more accurate given that it wasn't all Odessa) than I could have with any other cinematic approach (imagine a David Attenborough narration accomplishing what this did). What Vertov and everyone else involved did with this movie is they dissected the city and everything/one in it into individual components. Even the people themselves were treated this way -- there was a part where a weightlifter doing what appeared to be a snatch was cut in half with his legs shown independent from his torso/arms. This technique allowed for a critical observation of the individual components involved while still showing their relation to one another.
However, what makes this movie so awesome is that, unlike the "uncorrupted" images in cinema verite, Man With A Movie Camera is about as self-reflexive as you can get. It's an honest form of communication because there are no claims to omniscience or authority -- it repeatedly recognizes and identifies itself as a movie, constructed by a particular individual(s) with specific intentions.
Also, by being edited in such a way that it creates a jarring, distancing effect, but not so much that it completely alienates the viewer, it allows for a critical analysis rather than a more passive identification. It encourages you to think, analyze, and draw connections. It doesn't let you get sucked in, it makes you a critic. Further, Vertov really was successful in his intention of creating a new cinematic language independent from literature or theater. Without a doubt the most inspiring movie I've seen in a long time.
It's on instant on Netflix, definitely worth checking out. Plus, the version on there has an awesome soundtrack based off of Vertov's notes.
Even using final cut or adobe, I'd be hard-pressed to do some of the things Vertov and his wife (can't remember her name) did in this. But beyond just the amazing technical advancements made by this movie (there were a couple of shots where I counted at least four or five simultaneous exposures), I think I really got a better understanding of Odessa (maybe Ukraine would be more accurate given that it wasn't all Odessa) than I could have with any other cinematic approach (imagine a David Attenborough narration accomplishing what this did). What Vertov and everyone else involved did with this movie is they dissected the city and everything/one in it into individual components. Even the people themselves were treated this way -- there was a part where a weightlifter doing what appeared to be a snatch was cut in half with his legs shown independent from his torso/arms. This technique allowed for a critical observation of the individual components involved while still showing their relation to one another.
However, what makes this movie so awesome is that, unlike the "uncorrupted" images in cinema verite, Man With A Movie Camera is about as self-reflexive as you can get. It's an honest form of communication because there are no claims to omniscience or authority -- it repeatedly recognizes and identifies itself as a movie, constructed by a particular individual(s) with specific intentions.
Also, by being edited in such a way that it creates a jarring, distancing effect, but not so much that it completely alienates the viewer, it allows for a critical analysis rather than a more passive identification. It encourages you to think, analyze, and draw connections. It doesn't let you get sucked in, it makes you a critic. Further, Vertov really was successful in his intention of creating a new cinematic language independent from literature or theater. Without a doubt the most inspiring movie I've seen in a long time.
It's on instant on Netflix, definitely worth checking out. Plus, the version on there has an awesome soundtrack based off of Vertov's notes.