MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA is an experimental 1929 Soviet silent documentary film, directed by Dziga Vertov, filmed by his brother Mikhail Kaufman, and edited by his wife Yelizaveta Svilova.
Vertov's feature film, produced by the film studio VUFKU, presents urban life in Moscow and the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Odesa during the late-1920s. It has no actors. From dawn to dusk, Soviet citizens are shown at work and play, interacting with the machinery of modern life. To the extent that it can be said to have "characters," they are the cameramen of the title, the film editor, and the modern Soviet Union they discover and present in the film.
MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA is famous for the range of cinematic techniques Vertov invented, employed or developed, such as multiple exposure, fast motion, slow motion, freeze frames, match cuts, jump cuts, split screens, Dutch angles, extreme close-ups, tracking shots, reversed footage, stop motion animations and self-reflexive visuals (at one point it features a split-screen tracking shot; the sides have opposite Dutch angles).
MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA was commissioned by the Soviet regime under Joseph Stalin to showcase the might of industry in the cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Odesa. The composer’s romantic score transforms a nationalistic propaganda film into a celebration of the human spirit, emphasizing the humanity of the Ukrainian people over the industrial prowess of the Soviet Union. Along with original compositions, the 2022 updated live musical score incorporates the Ukrainian national anthem, traditional Ukrainian folk melodies, and solo piano works by contemporary Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov.
Revered as a visual masterpiece, MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA gives historical context to the current Russian invasion and lays bare the costs of the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe. Composer Justin Sherburn’s joyful original score celebrates the beauty and resilience of Ukraine’s people and aims to inspire American audiences to support the country in its time of need.
The grandson of Romanian immigrants, Montopolis pianist and composer Justin Sherburn has a personal investment in the history and culture of Eastern Europe. His original score incorporates indie rock, extended techniques, and traditional Ukrainian folk melodies. According to Sherburn (whose Ashkenazi family name is Shapiro), the work is “an exercise in the power of music to undermine a film’s intention.”
