Vertov, Dziga

Man With the Movie Camera

Described by director Dziga Vertov as an experiment in the language of pure cinema, "The Man With the Movie Camera" is perhaps the most dazzling and sophisticated, not only of Soviet, but of world silent cinema. Music by the Alloy Orchestra.

Man with a Movie Camera

Kino-Eye/ Three Songs Of Lenin

Dziga Vertov, whose renegade approach to cinema is best remembered in the legendary "Man With the Movie Camera" and his series of Kino-Pravda newsreels, demonstrates his mastery of montage in this 1924 feature previously unseen in the United States. "Kino-Eye" (1924, 74 min.) is a fascinating film, not just for its aesthetic beauty and political significance, but for honestly documenting a society fresh from revolution, buoyed by idealism, ready to face the challenges of a difficult future. Also included on this DVD is "Three Songs of Lenin" (1934, 62 min.), Vertov's most personal work and the capstone of his career. The film reveals the Soviet leader as seen through the eyes of the people, represented by three songs. The exhilarating beauty of Vertov's images and the majesty of his filmmaking skills produced a film that The New York Times called "a work of unusual beauty and emotional exaltation."

Enthusiasm / Symphony of the Don Basin / Simfoniya Donbassa

Vertov and his Kino group produced this lyrical documentary on the lives of Coal miners in the Donbas who are struggling to meet their production quotas under the five year plan. Enthusiasm is most noteworthy for it's creative use of the new sound medium. Vertov liberated the recording equipment from the studio and shot sound on location. He also used common everyday sounds and wove them into what can only be described as a symphony. In fact, after seeing the film Charlie Chaplin wrote: "Never had I known that these mechanical sounds could be arranged to sound so beautiful. I regard it as one of the most exhilarating symphonies I have heard. Mr. Dziga Vertov is a musician.

Living Russia, or The Man with a Camera [Region 2]