Hunter Says
11-08-01
As a 20th-century film, “Man with a Movie Camera” is widely different from any other film, giving it an ominous avant-garde documentary style. Kaufman or “Vertov” depicts a montage of themes concerning humanity, the world around us, and simply everyday life, a human odyssey. As a cameraman wanders around, he is filmed documenting the everyday dazzlement of human function in one of the earliest documentaries. The film is originally meant to be experienced without any accompaniment, serving as a departure from its subject matter; the introductory text declares, “This experimental work is aimed at creating a truly international absolute language of cinema based on its complete separation from the language of theater and literature” the montage is a musical score which creates itself. The film shows everything and nothing all at the same time; there are no actors, no scenes, and no music, though almost all available versions come with their unique scores, giving the film a different vibe and eeriness to each watch. “The camera and cameraman in this film are everything and nothing: they are both the object of filming, and the subject, and participants in everything, and outside of everything.” (http://www.rgakfd.ru/documents-collections/kinoobektiv-dziga-vertov-chelovek-s-kinoapparatom) This is the definition of avant-garde. While films of the time are focused on storytelling and portraying fantasy themes, the grounded work of Mikal Kaufman emphasizes new life. The fast-paced editing of the film and its ghostly transitions already dissociate it from any other work produced around the same era. The original picture is realism to its furthest extent. The sole display of human function and lack of sound push the plotless narrative. Vertov is committed to the film's candid scenes of human life from everything imaginable: birth, work, marriage, and anything and all that might fall in between. As for innovation, the film plays out like a sporadic documentary but uses the techniques of a film while pushing the boundaries of what a film is. Never seen editing and camera techniques keep pushing their existence further and further away from our idyllic perception. The third-person cinematography shows the film's construction and how Kauffman explores and displays reality. How this relates to the time in the Soviet Union is Kauffman’s ideas about Soviet Ideals. “These ideals are needed to awaken in Soviet people a sense of pride for the country, to encourage him to participate in modern processes more actively.” The film is for the viewer to understand their part in a modernizing society, seeing themselves as only encouragement or propaganda for their participation. Personally, 'Man with a Movie Camera' has become one of my all-time favorite films. Going into it with no expectations, I Was left in awe of Kaufman's creation. It is a perfect example of avant-garde, a brilliant piece of art and self-reflection. The fact that such a film was made at a time when the avant-garde movement had ceased to exist, and in a country whose view of the avant-garde was not aligned with its values, is a testament to its uniqueness and brilliance. The film's ability to capture such a fantastic framework of visuals and discussion is truly commendable.