The Man With the Movie Camera

After reading this book and watching the movie, I realized how much the book helps in understanding what is going on. Had I only watched the movie I would have just considered this a strange experimental film and probably not have given it much thought. However, after learning about what film and culture were like at this time in Russia the film began to make more sense. It was interesting to see how Vertov tied all of the elements together to make a political message. In the book they talk about how the scenes of the streets being washed followed by a cut of a woman cleaning is supposed to symbolize how the cinema needs "cleansing of old bourgeois narrative". Without reading the book ahead of time I would have not connected the two events, and it helped with my understanding of the narrative. Also in the book they quote Vertov talking about the movie, " a little man armed with a movie camera leaves the little fake world of the Film Factory and heads for life...unlike the film factory where the camera is almost stationary and where the whole of life is aimed at the camera's lens in a strictly determined order of shots and scenes, life here foes not wait for the film director or obey the instructions." Knowing that this film was intentionally made to break the typical film mold somehow makes it more intriguing. There is more than meets the eye, and instead of being told what we are seeing and how we should interpret it, the audience is left to figure things out for themselves. You never know what is going to happen next and you are constantly changing your expectations to try and match the film. Overall I enjoyed the book and found it very helpful in interpreting and understanding the film.