Response to Man with a Movie Camera

Upon initial viewing, I perceived The Man with a Movie Camera as a film about the reflexive construction of a film and the creation of a narrative of the daily life in Soviet Russia as experienced by the title character (the man with the camera). As I watched it, I embraced it as a documentary, using the titles at the beginning of the film as a guide to lead me throughout its entirety.

Thus, I was appropriately surprised, after reading Graham Roberts novel, to find out that the film also functioned as a political tool used to enhance the power of the Stalinist regime. Graham explains:

"The Man with the Movie Camera, is the product of the state of crisis which led to the abandonment of the NEP and the reassertion of more clearly Bolshevik policies" (14).

Now thinking back, I do remember the confusion I experienced regarding the scenes involving agencies of the NEP. I only assumed that Vertov was highlighting their existence in a positive way instead of victimizing them in a greater agenda toward cultural revitalization.

After reading Grahams interpretation of the film, I now understand that the multiple scenes of industrialization (miners, machines, smoke stacks) were meant to instill a sense of impending economic change in contrast to the traditional agricultural sector. And, that the use of repetition is meant to leave a large impression on the viewer, regarding the role they should be playing in society. Additionally, scenes involving washing are symbolic of "cleansing" meant to signify a purge of of NEP political policy.

Ultimately, while Graham also comments on the way Vertov manipulates the film medium by using many different (and blatantly obvious) editing techniques, his analysis of the political message the film presents is not only necessary but also widely intriguing as it fully explains the function of the film and the way multiple formal elements have achieved this task.