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8.3/10
Archivist John
Senior Editor
A definitive 8.3/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Man with a Movie Camera remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like seeing how things work or you're into fast-paced editing, you have to see this. It is almost 100 years old but it feels like it was made by someone with a massive caffeine addiction yesterday.
People who need a solid plot or characters with names will probably hate it. There isn't a single line of dialogue or a story to follow. 🎥
The first thing that grabbed me was Mikhail Kaufman. He’s the guy with the camera and he is everywhere.
He’s literally lying under a moving train at one point. I actually winced a little bit because the camera is so close to the wheels.
Then he’s hanging off the side of a bridge. It’s not just documenting life; it’s like he’s trying to flex on everyone else who ever held a camera.
Elizaveta Svilova did the editing and she is the person who actually made this a movie. Without her, it’s just random clips of people washing their faces or big machines spinning around.
The way she cuts from a woman’s blinking eye to the lens of a camera is just... wow. It’s such a simple idea but it hits you hard.
There’s this one sequence with sewing machines and cigarette packaging that goes so fast my head started to spin. It’s way more intense than the slow pace you get in something like Wild Oranges.
I loved the bit where the camera itself starts walking on its own tripod. It looks like a little wooden alien. 👽
It’s kind of funny because the movie keeps reminding you that you are watching a movie. You see the editor looking at the film strips, and you see the audience in the theater watching what you are watching.
It gets a bit meta. It’s like a hall of mirrors effect that shouldn't work for a film this old, but it does.
There is a scene with a woman giving birth that felt surprisingly raw for 1929. They don't hide much.
And then immediately it cuts to a funeral. It’s a bit heavy-handed, sure, but the rhythm of it keeps you from overthinking it too much.
Sometimes the industrial stuff goes on a bit long. I get it, the Soviet Union liked their tractors and their coal mines. 🚜
About halfway through, I found myself checking how much time was left when they were showing the athletes in slow motion. It’s cool to look at, but it lingers just a few seconds too long on the guy throwing the javelin.
But then the music (if you watch a version with a good score) kicks back in and the images start flying again. It’s much more energetic than the stuffy vibes of Passers-by.
I noticed a lot of the people on the street look genuinely confused. They aren't used to seeing a guy with a giant box on his shoulder filming them.
There's a girl getting her hair done and she looks so awkward and human. It’s those tiny, unscripted moments that make this better than a big studio production.
The movie doesn't really 'end' so much as it just explodes into a final montage. It left me feeling like I needed to go outside and just look at things for a while.
It’s a trip. Watch it on a big screen if you can, or at least with the lights off. 💡
IMDb —
1916
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