The Man With The Movie Camer Dziga Vertov

Before the development of sound, silent cinema was considered a medium for storytelling; particularly in American cinema. In most cases, silent films were more documental and depicted life as itself which helped build its development. Russian silent cinema, however, gained its roots in Soviet propaganda. During the days of silent cinema, Russia was undergoing a national crisis such as WWI, a famine, and economic crash. As a way of uniting the nation, the Soviet’s looked to film with the task of communication and consolidation. Because of this, early Soviet cinema became one of cinematic propaganda in the form of a documentary. One person who played a significant role in Soviet cinema was Dziga Vertov, particularly in his film The Man with the Movie Camera.

The film depicts daily life in Moscow, while also breaking down the process of filmmaking. As such, the film is more about itself rather than the actors on the screen. Using the kino-glaz technique, the film slowly reveals its own creation as it goes on. During the film, all of reality is presented in the film itself—it includes everyone in the daily life of Moscow: the cameraman (portrayed by Vertov’s brother), a woman who is editing the film (portrayed by Vertov’s wife), and the audience whom are watching the film