Man with the Movie Camera (1929)

As the brief introductory titles (the only ones in the film) tell us, Man with the Movie Camera is to be an “experiment” in pure cinema, unfettered from the restraints of the theatrical or literary traditions, a ‘truly international medium’. It is not surprising to see such a concept, and such a film arise out of Soviet silent cinema, it fits both the Russians pioneering use of montage, as well as the ideological considerations of that place and time. It is a snap shot of everyday scenes in and around what I believe to be Odessa. As such it proves to be a great record of the ordinary, you get to see people and things long gone, of which you otherwise would never be aware. In some respects its simplicity, showing people at the beach, or playing sports, or going for a drive, foreshadow the ‘real world segments’ of Sesame Street, which I’ve always found oddly fascinating. There’s some interesting editing and stop motion work here to, but not as much as I’d anticipated. Still an often referenced film, and thusly part of motion picture litera... I mean cinemaiteary. 4 out of 5.