Dziga Vertov, 1929. A precursor to modernity. Now everyone has a lusty, manic “kino-eye” in their pocket. And they also have an editor, too. You know the apps that create splice of life montages from your camera reel that change every two seconds? This is exactly that, expect a hundred years ago. Makes you wonder what other works of great effort will be effortlessly reproduced 100 years from now via technological advances. It also makes you wonder how many of the people featured in this film died the following decade, considering the future was portrayed as looking quite bright throughout the film (spoiler: it wasn’t).
I watched a truly silent version of this and regret it – Cinematic Orchestra did an entire soundtrack for it and it’s definitely the version to watch unless you can get the other one with the Nyman score.
Was surprised to see this listed as the number eight best film of all time according to a panel of “critics” (in this decade’s version the word is used incredibly loosely) at Sight and Sound. As I’m reading about some of these silents (especially the Soviet ones), I’m pounded over the head with how important these films are. I get it – but maybe it’s better served on a most consequential or influential list than a greatest one. Great movies change your life. And I fully recognize great movies often owe tremendous debt to what came before. A Man With A Video Camera came before, but it is not great. Sorry!
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