The Man With The Movie Camera

The Man With The Movie Camera Dziga Vertovs 1929 film, The Man with the Movie Camera, documents life in a Russian city while also telling a story about filmmaking. The film is a dazzling mix of imagery and technique, inviting the viewer to see the city through the eyes of the cameraman, and to share his perception of the events and visions that he encounters through the filmmaking process. This review will examine the films narrative line and its underlying themes, its use of genre and generic traditions, the cinematic techniques employed and the effectiveness of its approach to the material. At the beginning of the film, The Man with the Movie Camera defines itself as something out of the ordinary. In the opening credits, the title cards refer to the film as an experiment in the cinematic communication of visible events, executed without the aid of intertitles, without the aid of a scenario, without the aid of a theater (Vertov). From the outset, the film distinguishes itself by aiming to explore the pure essence of film-to document and record human life and activity in the form of moving pictures. The Man with the Movie Camera is split into four sections, and is book-ended by imagery relating to film and filmmaking. It opens in a cinema and closes with the lens of a camera shutting its eye. From a narrative perspective, the film is different from the norm in that it has no typical protagonist or antagonist. If a main character had to be defined, he would be the cameraman, with his main supporting character being the editor. The city and its inhabitants as a unified entity also become a major character in the film, showing how they interact with each other in the daily routine of work, rest and leisure through the perspective of the filmmaker. The movie is predominantly concerned with depicting reality, rather than dramatized fiction or re-creations of historic events. The films story is constructed in an unconventional narrative style, but is brought together through the recurring theme of the camera and the filmmaker. The events in the film take place over the course of a day, and although Vertov experiments with geographical and temporal continuity, the audience is given enough information to piece together the plot. Upon first viewing, this plot may not be entirely clear, but as Roberts confirms, The Man with the Movie Camera does have a plot (1). Each section of the film covers the different parts of the day (work, rest and leisure), and through this, Vertov establishes images which provide the visual language which is brought into play throughout the length of the film. By layering this imagery through editing and montage, and combining them with the underlying story of the filmmaker and his camera, the overarching narrative is tied together. Roberts explains that all human life is here from birth to death via childhood, marriage, divorce, wo rk, rest and play (2). This avant-garde style of filmic storytelling became popular in the form of the city symphony genre. Dimendberg explains that the genre encompasses around twenty titles and relies heavily upon montage to represent a cross-section of life in the modern metropolis (109). In adhering to this genre, The Man with the Movie Camera does away with the traditional trappings of the documentary and becomes something different. There is no narration, no conventional narrative or plot elements, but rather a succession of rhythmic imagery detailing the inner workings of a city. Graf describes the genres structure as having a dawn to dusk strategy in the search for a pure film form (79). Vertov employed many cinematic techniques to achieve the incredible momentum of imagery found in the film. These techniques included split-screen, slow motion, freeze-frame, fast motion, and stop-motion animation. The stop-motion animation sequence where the camera seems to come alive and walk around on its tripod remains startling even today. When juxtaposed with the everyday motions of human life which the film presents, it becomes clear that the camera itself has a life of its own. It has its own perception of events separate from that of the filmmaker, and separate from that of the audience. The diversity of techniques used makes the film a showcase of the power of cinema and its ability to transform everyday life into something completely different, with its own rhythm and sense of unpredictability. The editing in The Man with the Movie Camera is one of the films strongest points. There is a segment which contrasts challenging footage of a birth with that of a funeral. As one life ends, another begins. Similarly, there is a scene of marriage, with joyous atmosphere and smiling faces. In contrast, Vertov inserts a somber scene of a couple signing their divorce papers. These binary oppositions are ubiquitous throughout the film, with juxtapositions between work and play, play and rest, man and machine, and many others. The musical score also brings much life and energy to the film. The repeated themes complement the visual language that Vertov established. According to Feldman, Vertov carefully planned the musical score and may well have intended the work to be made as the first Soviet sound film (qtd in Barsam 74). The synchronicity between sound effects and onscreen action creates an impressive and exciting mosaic of audio and imagery. While the film is certainly a product of its time, it holds up surprisingly well in modern day. Barsam states that the film was well-received in the domestic and international press (74). The inventive narrative construction and the multitude of cinematic techniques placed the film genuinely ahead of its time. Vertov was successful in his attempt at documenting Russian life in a city without many of the normal elements typically found in documentaries. He managed to show an impressive cross-section of Russian society, by following the daily lives of different classes of people. The Man with the Movie Camera remains a wonderful piece of experimental cinema, and offers a fascinating view of life as it was in the Soviet 1920s.

How Is the Power of Dreams and Dreaming in the Novel of Mice and Men Essay

The idea of moving from one place to another, working hard and trying to raise the quality of life for you and your loved ones is known as ‘The American Dream’. Steinbeck invites us to understand how having this dream keeps them going despite the challenging life that each character faces. Throughout the novel, Steinbeck makes this ‘dream’ the main focus of the story for both the reader and characters. George’s dream is to have independence and to â€Å"go into town and get whatever I want† but most importantly he dreams of being â€Å"somebody†. On the other hand, Lennie aspires to be with George and to â€Å"tend the rabbits†. Ultimately, George and Lennie both wanted to â€Å"have a little house and couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs† however, George only tells Lennie about their dream to comfort Lennie. This is shown when Lennie says â€Å"No†¦ You tell it. It ain’t the same if I tell it. Go on†¦ George. How do I get to tend the rabbits. † It is only after they all realised that together, â€Å"this thing they never believed in was coming true† Even though the dream is very important to George as well, Steinbeck portrays Lennie as someone who wants the dream a lot more. This is shown through Lennie’s angry or upset feelings when he feels like he has done something that would jeopardise their dream. George uses this to his advantage to threaten and control Lennie by blackmailing him, â€Å"If you do, I won’t let you tend the rabbits. † Consequently, Lennie tries to please George and to gain his approval as much as possible. Another way in which Steinbeck shows the power of dreams and dreaming in the novel is through how much they want it. Steinbeck portrays each character’s desperation through their lifestyle. The dream that each character has reflects what is missing from their life. George and Crooks are both very desperate about this dream because they both want their current lives to be like their past. This is shown when, for a second, George loses track of the present and says â€Å"we’d keep a few pigeons to go flyin’ around the win’mill like they done when I was a kid† which is referring back to his childhood. Similarly, Crooks wants to return to his past. â€Å"The white kids used to play at our place, an’ sometimes I went to play with them. † This shows that Crooks used to be well respected and equal within his community. After all, Crooks â€Å"ain’t a southern negro†; however, he is not treated well at the ranch, therefore, the dream provides comfort for Crooks. Although George wants to return to his childhood, there is a deeper meaning to his dream. George wants to â€Å"just say the hell with goin’ to work† because unlike Candy, George doesn’t want to stay at the ranch too long so he would get ‘canned’. For George, the dream means that â€Å"nobody could can us† Furthermore, George doesn’t want to have to keep moving because he would â€Å"jus’ live there† and â€Å"belong there. There wouldn’t be no more runnin’ round the country and gettin’ fed by a Jap cook. † This suggests that he’ll be his own boss. A result of being a migrant worker, no one at the ranch has any friends, which is why Crooks was surprised to hear that Lennie had George. For George and Lennie, the dream of having their own land provides a stable home that will eventually gain them friends and family. On the other hand, Crooks is very pessimistic about the possibility of a dream becoming a reality because he has been segregated in the ranch for as long as he can remember. His cynicism has led him to believe â€Å"It’s just in their head. They’re all the time talkin’ about it, but it’s jus’ in their head†. This suggests that his past experiences have affected his power to dream. Steinbeck reinforces the power of dreaming within the novel, as he shows every character’s reaction when they all realise that there is a possibility of George and Lennie’s dream becoming reality. â€Å"They looked at each other, amazed. This thing they had never really believed in was coming true. Once they believed that the dream is a possibility, the tension is ramped up. Suddenly there is something to lose and something to fight for. This massively enhances the power that the dream has over each character and for a while the feeling of doom is lessened. The reader wants to know if each character can escape the curse they seem to be under and reach their goals. For Lennie and candy the dream would provide an exciting o pportunity, as both characters are not worth much in the real world. The dream would provide them a chance of appreciation. To Lennie, the dream is an antidote to disappointment and loneliness, and he often asks George to recite the description of the farm to him for comfort. Like a child, he loved the hear George telling him to â€Å"tend the rabbits† correspondingly for Candy it would make him feel more important as he can â€Å"cook and tend the chickens and hoe the garden some† Even though Curley’s Wife was the reason that the dream fell apart, she had big dreams to be in â€Å"pitchers† Unsatisfied by her surly husband, she constantly lurks around the barn, trying to engage the workers in conversation. However, although she may come across as very flirtatious, she only flirts with the men for attention. Which is what her dream would have provided her if she didn’t marry Curley. Shes so lonely, and so desparate for the attention of the men at the ranch that she even flirts with Lennie as she leans â€Å"closely† at him to â€Å"see if she was impressing him† To look in more detail about how Steinbeck shows the power of the dreams, take each individual character and how they all act to their dreams ending. For example, Steinbeck has made Curley very bitter after the realisation of his dreams ending when Candy’s wife is killed by Lennie. His bitterness shows how much the dream meant to him and how he needed it because he is old and disabled so he will probably get ‘canned’ soon, He shuffles out of the barn which that he has given up all hope, almost given up on life.

Thanksgiving Prayer - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1926 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2017/09/16 Category Religion Essay Type Argumentative essay Level High school Tags: Christianity Essay Did you like this example? Thanksgiving Prayer Edward Estlin Cummings, more commonly known as E. E. Cummings, was an American and one of the most popular poets of the 20th Century. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Thanksgiving Prayer" essay for you Create order However, he was not only a poet; he was a playwright, painter, essayist, and an author. Nevertheless, he was more renowned for his romantic themed poetry, which dealt with the themes of love and nature. As a poet, E. E. Cummings liked to go against the norm and play with syntax and sentence structure. Conversely, this made it hard for some readers to understand his work because many of his poems did not act in agreement with the conventional combinatorial rules that produce typical English. In, E. E. Cummings poem â€Å"I thank you God for most this amazing (65) MC,† he uses Christianity symbolism, an intriguing poem structure, word order inversions and a variety of very interesting word choices to annotate a man’s morning prayer, thanking God for allowing him to awake another day. E. E. Cummings makes many biblical and religious references throughout this poem, which allows him to stress the importance of religion or the idea of a higher being. Additionally, E. E. Cummings writes most, if not all of his poems in lower case writing. In fact, he doesn’t even capitalize his own name. However, in very unusual and important cases he will capitalize the first letter of a certain word, in order to emphasize the importance or power of the word capitalized. As we can see in line one, where he writes, â€Å"I thank You God for most this amazing,† and in line fifteen where he capitalizes the word â€Å"You,† so as to promote special praise and respect for God and a higher being. Furthermore, in line seven the speaker makes another religious reference, when he says â€Å"I who have died am alive again today,† meaning that he has once again risen to a new morning and is thankful that God has blessed him with a new day. However, the idea of dying and rising again in the Bible refers to the belief of the heavens of Christianity and the second coming of Christ, after he had died on the cross and rose again. Once more, in line nine the speaker makes a reference to angelic figures, when he says, â€Å"this is the birth day of life and love and wings. E. E. Cummings deliberately used the word wings, to refer to the wings of angelic figures, further stressing the importance of religion in this poem. Moreover, when someone is deep in prayer and thought, they will usually find themselves in a mystical state. E. E. Cummings refers to this state of mind when he says; â€Å"(now the ears of my ears awake and now the eyes of my eyes are opened,† meaning the speaker has reached that particular spiritual state of prayer. Not only does E. E. Cummings use Christianity symbolism to allow the reader to see the speaker is in prayer, but he uses the poems structure to help the reader understand what the speaker is thinking. In this particular poem, the second and fourth stanzas are in parentheses but the first and third are not. When I first came upon this I wondered what the hell he is doing. However, after reading through the poem a couple more times, I realized that the poet was using the parentheses to emphasize the soul within, it’s what the speaker was thinking when he was praying to God. In those two stanzas we can see that the speaker is talking to himself, reminding himself that today, like every other day is the â€Å"sun’s birthday† and â€Å"the birth day of life and love and wings. †Additionally, if the parentheses represent his inner sole, when he’s not directly praying to God, than that means the first and third stanza represent his actual prayer to God, thanking him â€Å"for most this amazing day. † Furthermore, E. E. Cummings uses sentence structure and word choice to implant the image of a man in prayer into the readers mind. In line one, E. E. Cummings uses word inversion to dictate to the reader that the speaker is still in a groggy state of mind at the beginning of his prayer. He says, â€Å"I thank You God for most this amazing day,† meaning the speaker is thankful for God allowing him to have woken up to this amazing day. If E. E. Cummings were to have used proper English and make the speaker say â€Å"he was thankful for an amazing day,† or something among those lines, than it would not give the connotation that the speaker has just woken up and is still speaking in mumble jumble. At the end of the first stanza, the speaker refers to the natural and the infinite as the â€Å"yes,† and in the third stanza the speaker refers to being â€Å"lifted from the no of all nothing. † He says this with the connotation that the yes represents everything good; the human world, tasting, seeing, hearing, feeling, etc. In contrast, the no represents the negativity, being lost in the universe and death. E. E. Cummings brilliance was displayed throughout this poem. He used word inversion, Christianity symbolism, poem structure and a virtuoso choice of words to depict a man deep in a thanksgiving prayer. He easily paints a picture of a man, early in the morning, thanking God for allowing him to wake to a new morning because it’s a blessing to be alive, it’s a blessing to taste, touch, hear, see, breathe, etc. His ability to construct an intriguing poem that’s allows him to express his vivid imagination through his vocabulary, is why E. E. Cummings is one of the most renowned poets of the 20th Century. Thanksgiving Prayer Edward Estlin Cummings, more commonly known as E. E. Cummings, was an American and one of the most popular poets of the 20th Century. However, he was not only a poet; he was a playwright, painter, essayist, and an author. Nevertheless, he was more renowned for his romantic themed poetry, which dealt with the themes of love and nature. As a poet, E. E. Cummings liked to go against the norm and play with syntax and sentence structure. Conversely, this made it hard for some readers to understand his work because many of his poems did not act in agreement with the conventional combinatorial rules that produce typical English. In, E. E. Cummings poem â€Å"I thank you God for most this amazing (65) MC,† he uses Christianity symbolism, an intriguing poem structure, word order inversions and a variety of very interesting word choices to annotate a man’s morning prayer, thanking God for allowing him to awake another day. E. E. Cummings makes many biblical and religious references throughout this poem, which allows him to stress the importance of religion or the idea of a higher being. Additionally, E. E. Cummings writes most, if not all of his poems in lower case writing. In fact, he doesn’t even capitalize his own name. However, in very unusual and important cases he will capitalize the first letter of a certain word, in order to emphasize the importance or power of the word capitalized. As we can see in line one, where he writes, â€Å"I thank You God for most this amazing,† and in line fifteen where he capitalizes the word â€Å"You,† so as to promote special praise and respect for God and a higher being. Furthermore, in line seven the speaker makes another religious reference, when he says â€Å"I who have died am alive again today,† meaning that he has once again risen to a new morning and is thankful that God has blessed him with a new day. However, the idea of dying and rising again in the Bible refers to the belief of the heavens of Christianity and the second coming of Christ, after he had died on the cross and rose again. Once more, in line nine the speaker makes a reference to angelic figures, when he says, â€Å"this is the birth day of life and love and wings. † E. E. Cummings deliberately used the word wings, to refer to the wings of angelic figures, further stressing the importance of religion in this poem. Moreover, when someone is deep in prayer and thought, they will usually find themselves in a mystical state. E. E. Cummings refers to this state of mind when he says; â€Å"(now the ears of my ears awake and now the eyes of my eyes are opened,† meaning the speaker has reached that particular spiritual state of prayer. Not only does E. E. Cummings use Christianity symbolism to allow the reader to see the speaker is in prayer, but he uses the poems structure to help the reader understand what the speaker is thinking. In this particular poem, the second and fourth stanzas are in parentheses but the first and third are not. When I first came upon this I wondered what the hell he is doing. However, after reading through the poem a couple more times, I realized that the poet was using the parentheses to emphasize the soul within, it’s what the speaker was thinking when he was praying to God. In those two stanzas we can see that the speaker is talking to himself, reminding himself that today, like every other day is the â€Å"sun’s birthday† and â€Å"the birth day of life and love and wings. †Additionally, if the parentheses represent his inner sole, when he’s not directly praying to God, than that means the first and third stanza represent his actual prayer to God, thanking him â€Å"for most this amazing day. Furthermore, E. E. Cummings uses sentence structure and word choice to implant the image of a man in prayer into the readers mind. In line one, E. E. Cummings uses word inversion to dictate to the reader that the speaker is still in a groggy state of mind at the beginning of his prayer. He says, â€Å"I thank You God for most this amazing day,† meaning the speaker is thankful for God allowing him to have woken up to this amazing day. If E. E. Cummings were to have used proper English and make the speaker ay â€Å"he was thankful for an amazing day,† or something among those lines, than it would not give the connotation that the speaker has just woken up and is still speaking in mumble jumble. At the end of the first stanza, the speaker refers to the natural and the infinite as the â€Å"yes,† and in the third stanza the speaker refers to being â€Å"lifted from the no of all nothing. † He says this with the connotation that the yes represents everything good; the human world, tasting, seeing, hearing, feeling, etc. In contrast, the no represents the negativity, being lost in the universe and death. E. E. Cummings brilliance was displayed throughout this poem. He used word inversion, Christianity symbolism, poem structure and a virtuoso choice of words to depict a man deep in a thanksgiving prayer. He easily paints a picture of a man, early in the morning, thanking God for allowing him to wake to a new morning because it’s a blessing to be alive, it’s a blessing to taste, touch, hear, see, breathe, etc. His ability to construct an intriguing poem that’s allows him to express his vivid imagination through his vocabulary, is why E. E. Cummings is one of the most renowned poets of the 20th Century.

Marxist Comparison with Durkheim - 1320 Words

PART 3: Explain, in as much detail as you believe necessary, class-consciousness, as offered by Karl Marx. Discuss the similarities and differences of class-consciousness and collective conscience and indicate to what, if any, extent, the two concepts are interchangeable. Do you believe class-consciousness is a useful tool for understanding social relations among classes, today? Use examples to illustrate your answer and thoroughly explain why or why not. * One very complex issue of today is the idea of social change. This paper will introduce the lives of Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim and how they both use different theories to introduce the structure of modern society. Each special theory explains how society stays stable and what†¦show more content†¦Therefore, organic solidarity is based on difference and change where the norms are frequently changing creating confusion making it look like there are no norms anymore. Today’s example of organic solidarity can be Iraq. Looking at Iraq, you had a strong authoritarian government undone of power. The government in place has little power. What would Durkheim say is the reason? Its in the collective consciousness. Iraq doesnt have a collective consciousness anymore. It has a bunch of different elites all of whom follow their own norms and do what they want. These norms are different. There is nothing to guide the whole nation into solidarity, there’s no unity and no r eason to pull the nation’s society together. Karl Marx, a German philosopher, sociologist, economist and revolutionary socialist who’s work in economics laid the basis for the current understanding of labour and its relation to capital. He’s more of a social conflict. He believed that workers should demand more just treatment and ask for higher wages. He introduces the term class-consciousness where the proletariats realize and become aware of exploitation. They would become conscious of one’s place in a system of social classes and where the capacity to act on its own rational interests. Marx believed that the main point of social struggle was based on the leader of the ruling class whom where the bourgeoisies.Show MoreRelatedAnalysis of Marx, Weber, and Durkheims Views Essay1223 Words   |  5 PagesThe sociological views of  the three founding fathers; Karl Marx,  Max Weber, and  Emile Durkheim  all assert that various aspects of our lifestyle are fully a product of the society in which we live. Each theorist views the impact of society and its manifestation of our identity in a different way. 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