Thursday, April 22, 2004

The Man with a Movie Camera (1929)

In discussing this, I have to say that I feel like one of the apes in 2001, hooting and jabbering and something beyond my comprehension. This film is an experimental look at a day in the life of Russian society circa the Lenin era, and as such it's kind of a big fat valentine to socialism (though there are some sly digs at the system's inequalities -- the most pointed is the cross-cutting of a woman bathing from a chamber pot and a garbage can being hosed off). But that's not what matters. What does matter is that the film is also restlessly inventive and exciting in its still-groundbreaking use of montage and juxtaposition, with the breakneck rhythm of the film being matched by a perfectly rendered musical score. It's more or less a feature-length Ballet Mechanique except even better. Or, to put it another way, watching this is like being shot in the ass with a lightning bolt. After viewing this, you'll have enough energy to swim across the Atlantic Ocean. (What was I saying about Russian cinema being slow?...) Fucking awesome, this one.

Grade: A

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home