MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA (1929) Mikhail Kaufman & Yelizaveta Svilova | Documentary | B&W | Free Movie

Please visit our streaming service at https://lostnfoundfilms.uscreen.io/

Man with a Movie Camera (1929) is an experimental Soviet silent documentary directed by Dziga Vertov, filmed by his brother Mikhail Kaufman, and edited by Vertov's wife Yelizaveta Svilova. The film, produced by All-Ukrainian Photo Cinema Administration (VUFKU), showcases urban life in Moscow, Kiev, and Odessa in the late 1920s, with no actors, focusing instead on the modern Soviet Union and its machinery.

Famous for its groundbreaking cinematic techniques such as multiple exposures, fast and slow motion, freeze frames, jump cuts, and split screens, the film was initially criticized for its fast editing, self-reflexivity, and focus on form over content. However, it later gained recognition and is now regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. In 2012, it ranked 8th in the British Film Institute's Sight & Sound poll and was named the best documentary of all time in 2014.

In 2015, the film was restored using a 35mm print and released on Blu-ray. It remains in the public domain, and the restoration was licensed to Flicker Alley.

Synopsis

Part documentary and part cinematic art, this film follows a city in the 1920s Soviet Union throughout the day, from morning to night. Directed by Dziga Vertov, with a variety of complex and innovative camera shots, the film depicts scenes of ordinary daily life in Russia. Vertov celebrates the modernity of the city, with its vast buildings, dense population and bustling industries. While there are no titles or narration, Vertov still naturally conveys the marvels of the modern city.

Cast & Crew

Mikhail Kaufman as The Cameraman
Yelizaveta Svilova as Woman editing film

Directed by: Dziga Vertov
Written by: Dziga Vertov
Cinematography: Mikhail Kaufman
Edited by: Dziga Vertov, Yelizaveta Svilova
Production companies: All-Ukrainian Photo Cinema Administration (VUFKU), Dovzhenko Film Studios
Release date: January 7, 1929
Running time: 68 minutes
Country: Soviet Union
Languages: Silent film