Graham Robert's The Man with the Movie Camera

The Man with the Movie Camera was definitely a stranger than usual film for me. Not only did the film seemingly contain no plot, but the actual film was just a series of shots randomly put together. As I watched the movie, however, I knew there was something more to it. Even the first few “scenes” where an audience gathers into a theater to watch the film gave away the film’s intention to create a story, even if it seems convoluted or nonsensical. Graham Robert’s book about The Man with the Movie Camera helped me (sort of) discover what Vertov was thinking when he created this film. While viewing it, I thought that the repetition of people doing their daily activities was a huge part of the film’s message. Robert solidified my belief; he points out that the movie shows people sleeping, working, and performing leisurely activities, the three major tasks that we humans participate in. Robert also proves his point further, saying that Vertov’s intention was to portray a “perfect” society or a purely harmonized one where nothing is confusing. While certainly not as entertaining as Rushdie’s analysis of The Wizard of Oz was, Robert’s book about The Man with the Movie Camera answered the many questions I had for the film after viewing it.