MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA & FOUR FILMS (Masters of Cinema)

The postman knocked and when I opened the door he handed me a substantial package from Amazon. Oh, joy I thought, my copy of Vertov's Man with a Movie Camera as arrived. And it had.What a great set from Masters of Cinema. Beautiful artwork, from the card slipcase, to the covers on the two sets of discs, and the very nice book. All fully co-ordinated, of course, with graphic images from the film.And as for the BD, on first viewing, it looks clear, clean, crisp and detailed. However, I notice, [and it doesn't bother me], that there is flicker. I know that there is software that can deal with flicker, I don't know if it was used or not, or whether it was avoided on grounds of being too intrusive, or some other reason. I read nothing about the restoration, and as I say, it doesn't bother me, but it might bother someone who thinks restoration should mean the total removal of all perceived 'faults'.The image making itself is a joy, and I assume that most people contemplating buy this will already be familiar with the style and form of the work, although those like the few reviewers of previous releases, who have problems reading what appears to them to be non-narrative images, will not appreciate the film however beautifully it has been restored.I find it thrilling, exhilarating and a perfect form of cinema, and I'm looking forward to being immersed in the other films in this collection. A great purchase.

Just about four stars for this intriguing silent movie. Intriguing more for its historical details than for the plethora of editing techniques employed by the man with the movie camera. We know them now as the language of film, I’m sure back when this was first shown it would have been considered wondrous.Everything is shown. The movie camera and man, the audience, the orchestra pit, the editing. We start slowly with still pictures with the movie camera but gradually pick up pace. We see life back then, USSR. Life without bosses. Nine years after the workers revolution. Happiness seems endemic. Two buttons on a bra strap surprised me. Haircutting and nail polishing by someone else. Some things are not new.Cleaning tram lines, probably not done in Manchester. She even oils the cross-over points. Made in 1928 I was surprised to see a swastika and ‘Father of fascism’ being shot with a rifle. Many more details engaged me as I chose to watch without music/soundtrack.Historical details, signs of the times, imaginative editing, plenty of ‘arty’ shots. Worth your time I would say. Excellent picture quality on projection screen. Four other films are shown on a separate blu ray disc. Also includes good booklet.

This is an interesting disc. The Movie Camera is the hero of the film. I enjoyed this as an example of early cinematography exploration. What I particularly enjoyed were the extras that are of historic value. I visited the Soviet Union in 1963 and these early films accurately reflected the mood, attitude and propaganda that was used in those days. This disc is of historical interest, it is not entertainment. If you want entertainment look elsewhere. The musical score was interesting. It is important to turn off the sound when viewing the extras as the sound that exists is distracting.

Watching this film is a mesmerizing, cinematic and educative experience. Even if you don't know much about cinema or get all the interestig things included in this work of art, it is still a striking experience. This film presents so many ideas that would then influence the art of cinema, that it is impossible to list them all.Despite its distance from our viewers' habits, this film is not so heavy to watch, but rather a bizarre and stimulating sensorial trip where our perception gets manipulated to introduce us to the richness of cinema language. I wonder what it must have been like the first time they watched it.

Dziga Vertov, 1929, definitely not the kind of movie to watch on a saturday night with friends.But a must see for those interested in the history of film. As this "movie" was produced - 77 years ago -, the concept of film was completely different to what it is now. This shows how a man, without the filmic knowledge of a present-day director, manages to make breath-taking scenes never shot before.Dziga Vertov, can probably be seen as one of the inventors of the first long running movies.A must see, and an historical masterpiece!

This is one of those many old films that film buffs tend to read about. It had a sort of uninspiring title but it is well worth watching. Vertov ( not his real name. That was Kaufmann) and his brother certainly made a fascinating portrait of a Russian town in 24 hours- although it was actually filmed in three towns over the period -. The editing is superb and any one interested in this side of film making should watch this film and take notes. The only bugbear I found with this copy is the soundtrack which is so repitative that one tends to get slightly bored. It is, of course, a modern insertion. A pity really. It would have been better to have kept the original- whilst not so inspiring, perhaps- if only to maintain the film makers' ideas.

A sublime glimpse into the fascinatingly creative Russian constructivist movement via the early cine camera. It sort of makes most of the films produced in the supposedly advanced west look a little intimidated and rather anal by comparison. It is experimental and humorous and rather empathetic to the human condition without a trace of the usual sentimentality ascribed to western attempts. If you believe you can take photographs or handle a cine (video) camera take a look and find out most likely, you probably can't (certain exceptions excluded).

What can I possibly say about Vertov that hasn't already?The boxset is beautiful and much larger than I had anticipated. The box contains two keep cases and a 100 page booklet with some wonderful essays and writings by Vertov. Man with a Movie Camera has some great special features but the second disc containing the four other films is sparse to say the least. A must own for any cinephile!

Habe diesen Film vor einem Monat in einer restaurierten Fassung mit Livemusik (Synthesizer+Saxophon) gesehen! Der Film ist einfach ein Wahnsinn, wenn man bedenkt, dass er fast 100 Jahre alt ist (1928)! Die Musik von Peter Greenaway Leib Komponisten geht auch!

What can I say about this documentary, detailing a day in the life of Leninist Moscow, that hasn't already been said?It utilizes every film making technique known at that time, and probably invents a few more!The Image Entertainment DVD I purchased, although from 1998, features an excellent quality print.And it is in Region 1 format for us North Americans.There may be a newer release out, but it's likely not cheap.See it before you die!

Il restauro sul documentario principale pensavo fosse migliore.Per chi fosse interessato, tra gli extra ci sono materiali interessanti ma non sono presenti riprese relative all'esecuzione della colonna sonora composta da M. Nyman.

Para empezar, decir que recomiendo esta edición en blu-ray a todo amante del buen cine: Lleva muchos más extras que la misma edición en dvd (que sencillamente, no lleva...) y es un título imprescindible, que no ha envejecido lo más mínimo, aunque también sirva como documento histórico (y que descubre una Unión Soviética todavía bastante burguesa durante los primeros años del estalinismo... las purgas vendrían después, empezando por el pobre Dziga...)La música de Michael Nyman, individualmente considerada, es también muy buena, y me gustaría conseguirla en cd. El problema es que no funciona como banda sonora: está francamente descoordinada con respecto a las imágenes, aplicando en muchas ocasiones los tempos y motivos opuestos a la acción que se desarrolla, no lográndose una obra conjuntada, que es lo que debería perseguirse... Parece compuesta sin tener la pantalla delante...Como prueba de mi anterior comentario, basta compararla con la edición española de divisa (que trae extras franceses y de la que por lo visto no voy a poder prescindir...). Esta edición lleva 2 bandas sonoras: la segunda es una modernez electrónica francamente prescindible; la primera, obra de The Alloy Orchestra, es, sencillamente, excepcional: sigue las indicaciones dadas por el propio Dgiza Vertov en su momento, también en lo correspondiente a efectos sonoros, y complementa las imágenes a la perfección. También podemos darnos cuenta que el propio Michael Nyman reutiliza temas de ésta (posiblemente serían los compuestos para su estreno en 1929...)En resumen, una edición excepcional, que sin embargo podría haberse beneficiado de una banda sonora adicional más adecuada.Un último inciso: Es una muy buena publicidad eso de "votada como el mejor documental de la historia", pero yo nunca he considerado esta película como tal: es un poema visual, y una genial reflexión sobre el medio y el oficio del cineasta.

Un excellent film de l'époque futuriste à la gloire du mouvement, de la vitesse et d'un monde en marche.Mais je conseille vivement aux futurs acheteurs de se tourner vers un autre éditeur. Cette version est une copie de très mauvaise qualité, à la limite de la pixellisation...