Man with the Movie Camera

The film "The Man with the Movie Camera" is by far the best non-narrative film we've seen this semester thus far. I was actually quite pleased that it managed to capture my attention for most of the hour long session, despite its lack of story. I especially liked the ideas that went into making the movie. By taking away the theatrics of cinema with no acting cast, no set and no words, "The Man with the Movie Camera" was avant-garde in the sense that it was revolutionary. I would even go so far as to say that it was an active attack against convention films of the time, because the prelude (of sorts) to the film explicitly mentions the fact that there are no theatrics or no specific languge; it doesn't leave the audience wondering whether or not it is something unique.

One of the goals of the film that was definitely accomplished was the invention of a "universal language" without words. The clear imagery and simplicity of the movie made it very easy to understand, and this ease of access is what makes it really beautiful. Anyone can sit down and enjoy this film and take something away from it, though there are some deeper aspects, like the ones we discussed in class, that may not be so obvious.

One of the curious things I noticed during "The Man with the Movie Camera" was how the tempo and rhythm of the images seemed to almost always go against what the score was playing, instead of them being in sync. I'm not sure if that's alluding to the (in)stability of the Russian society of the time, or if it's suggesting that this "Man" is not actually capturing reality as thoroughly as we have been led to believe. Or maybe its something else?