Response: Vertov

Response to the following: Dziga Vertov : "Speed of vision, speed of truth?" / Senses of Cinema Review

Film often projects a main narrative while presenting a subtle subjective statement. This is considered the sub-plot in today’s blockbusters. Dziga Vertov’s screen-based production The Man with a Movie Camera has three major aspects. The first and most apparent is the daily life of a cameraman. In the film, the protagonist can be compared to a modern day videographer carrying his equipment in the heart of the action. The audience therefore observes Russia "as it is", or more correctly as it was through the lens of the creator. Viewing the film today reveals everyday characteristics of life in this era as well as an underlying opinion. Throughout the film, Vertov has the ability to capture your attention, as any acclaimed movie should. At this moment when you find yourself living with the image on the screen, the angle is changed to reveal the camera. Better yet, STOP. The image is frozen. Remember, these are but frames spliced together to create this illusion.

Vertov creates realities that do not exist in true life. The events depicted are a close representation of such a day in the life of a cameraman yet research tells us that filmmaking techniques, the which 21st century viewers are familiar with, are used extensively. Vertov, places pieces of film one after the other. Whether intentionally or not, a narrative is inevitably created in the audience’s mind. The filmmaker also creates a parallel between daily activities by presenting similar movements such as the barber who sharpens a blade and the sharpening of an axe, and applying nail polish in contrast to applying glue to join clips. In this film, women are mostly seen as equals to men as they occupy virtually identical screen time. However, the male gaze is present in many scenes where feminine figures are shown in attractive manners. This film is experimental and innovative as it is a participatory experience, which includes the audience. It breaks the fourth wall, that is to say the audience is aware of the presence of a cameraman and editor as well as the latter being aware of the audience.

The film portrays a sort of utopia where society lives in harmony working for a common good. The effect of placing a camera in an environment, which does not expect it, produces genuinely superficial emotions. Non-actors are unsure of how to behave in proximity of this rather new device. This artificial joy would remain invisible without the dramatic change of focus to the cameraman. The viewer is reminded that these events are somewhat staged and artistically harmonized.

Although Vertov includes shots of a cameraman, theatre, and editing room, the continuity within the story, written in the mind of the audience, is never truly broken. All the elements in this film are coherent. This harmony may be what the creator wished to disrupt. If this is the case, The Man with a Movie Camera becomes an experiment which did not fully succeed.

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