"The Man With The Movie Camera" January 21, 2009

The Man with a Movie Camera is the kind of movie that turns cinephiles into cinemaniacs. A kaleidoscope of visual possibilities, a feast of energy and ideas, Dziga Vertov's everything-including-the-kitchen-sink picture-poem teems with life, craft and innovation. It's an ode to the city, to the machinery of modern life, to the rhythms of everyday people and to the visual splendor of movement, but most of all it's a love letter to the camera itself. Vertov may have pioneered the use of the "hidden camera", capturing moments of uncommon naturalism, but this restless film also puts the material reality of filmmaking front and center, even letting the camera do a charming stop-motion dance number. Toying with the artificial omnipotence of filmmaking, Vertov takes the documentary places few have been able to follow. This film wasn't made for DVD--like a wild horse, The Man with a Movie Camera needs to run through the projector gate! The film's live score will be performed by multi-instrumentalist/producer Thavius Beck, who, in addition to solo albums and work under the moniker Adlib, has collaborated with Nas, Nine Inch Nails and Saul Williams.