Man With a Movie Camera
1929
So I usually give a brief summary in my reviews but um...I have no idea what the hell just happened.
Basically, this is a film of people doing things. The director uses pretty much all the techniques available at that time to a score that makes me feel like I should be in a factory assembly line in high speed. There is no plot, no intertitles, no real actors, and no sets. Sometimes, he would even film a guy holding a camera which might have been him, I really haven't the faintest clue.
So did I like it? It kind of reminded me of Andalusian Dog though less disturbing. I prefer a story, if that is not too much trouble for these directors. However, it was kind of interesting to see all the different techniques...for the first ten minutes.
RATING: **---
Interesting Facts:
The director's name was Dziga Vertov (I copied and pasted that one).
His wife edited the film.
This is an experimental film which basically means if you don't like it, you don't understand it.
Available on YouTube:
You probably need to take this one in small doses and enjoy it for the tableaux it presents. I found it fun to watch but not in one go.
ReplyDeleteI feel like that a lot with the longer films on The List but sometimes I want to get them over with so bad that I do too much at once. I did that most recently with Tree of Wooden Clogs. Although in my defense, movies should be watchable in one sitting.
DeleteFirst time I saw this one I did it in 20 minute increments and enjoyed it. Second time I watched it in one go... and fell asleep.
DeleteFrom the "experimental" claim in the opening credits, I didn't think that this was supposed to be an art film in the sense that the artist is trying express something oblique. It really is just a set of creative experimentation with the genre, isn't it? Nothing too deep.
ReplyDeleteI hate experimental films even when they are deep.
DeleteIf the name Dziga Vertov is too difficult his real name was Denis Kaufman, his brother Boris was a cinematographer who worked with Jean Vigo on Zero de Conduite and L'Atalante then went to Hollywood after the war and shot On the Waterfront, 12 Angry Men and The Pawnbroker. Not sure what else Denis did but I guess it wasn't as interesting.
ReplyDeleteDidn't know that! Weird!
DeleteSorry Amanda, I sort of am with Dessie on this onee .. I don't really think of it as an Experimental .. It's just a non plot film .. observational, almost documentary .. Personally I'd have gone for .. have I got the title right .. 'Berlin, symphony of a city'?? Similar stuff..
ReplyDeleteNothing really weird in ths .. we are miles away from Buuel or Kenneth Anger...
the still that appears in the book looks quite weird though
ReplyDeleteThis falls in the category of Koyaaniqatsi (didn't copy paste that) with regard to structure and sort of images. It's not that experimental imho, but it is not common to watch such non-plot movies of course which only shows what the camera is registering.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing with Chelovek s-kino apparatom is that you have to enjoy all those images of a normal day in Soviet life. I actually did like this Soviet movie with the typical fast pace and the fast editing. Anyway I can understand that you gotta love it.
It's been awhile since I saw this but I guess it is more documentary.
ReplyDelete