"It is far from simple to show the truth, yet the truth is simple" Dziga Vertov
Reading about Dziga Vertov sparked a larger interest which called for more research. First off, his name in itself is a mouth full- not to mention his effect on film as we know it. Making such controversial political/economical film during the struggles and propaganda uproar of the twentieth century certainly receives special attention, especially when an amateur film-maker such as myself can actually trace the common cinema verite style used to this day, back to Dziga Vertov and his revolutionary 'Kinoki' film group. An interesting topic from the book (I wish they would have touched more on considering we are a women's institution) is the post-Kinoki work concerning films where women are powerful individuals in male professions. I wonder if this stemmed from his second wife Elizaveta Svilova becoming his side-kick in film production? I could hardly find anything on the web (in English) about her! I would also like to explore more on the post-Kinoki films which led Vertov to become blacklisted. Also- when I read about Vertov's acoustic experiments, I wanted to hear the acoustic experiments, so I hit up youtube once more to research and grasp the strong image/sound relationship Vertov brought to the table but had little luck finding clips where the sound was not edited. "Soviet Documentary as a whole also provided the most radical and systematic break with previous non-fiction practices." After this particular reading, I wanted to explore more about what exactly was going on during this 'social realism' in the 1920's. " I am the machine that reveals the world to you as only I alone am able to see it" (Vertov). The controversy of the films mentioned are incredible, with interesting underlying tones (people/animals suffering from lack of salt!), but more importantly these films offered solutions. It is always nice to see lovely narrative, storytelling cinema, but for me as an audience member, it is the timely non-fiction which really poses an impact.
WORD: Ethnographic
Main Entry: eth·nog·ra·phy Pronunciation: \eth-ˈnä-grə-fē\ Function: noun Etymology: French ethnographie, from ethno- + -graphie -graphy Date: 1834 : the study and systematic recording of human cultures; also : a descriptive work produced from such research
Alex
Alex, You touch on some interesting points. I wish you would have chosen one to develop and investigate a little more closely. I am happy to read your enthusiasm and respect for the ground-breaking and controversial work that Vertov (and other Soviet artists) were creating. I also appreciate your attempts to research more about Vertov and his wife, Svilova. Unfortunately, as you have found, a lot of their work is rare and hard to stumble upon on the web. In addition, it is not always easy to find versions of their work that use the original intended soundtracks... but it is definitely possible to find some... Perhaps this could be inspiration for your case study or final project?
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