"Man With a Movie Camera" 'Nuff Said

Never have I seen a film that could chronologically portray the daily routine of a Soviet citizen in such a brilliantly captivating while simultaneously mind numbing way. From the minute the first reel came upon the screen and the invisible audience members took their seats then rose from their seats, and then sat down once again, I was entranced and curious as to what exactly the hell I was actually watching. In retrospect looking back I always did wonder what it would be like to watch a movie that had the simple and strait forward plot of following the daily routine of an individual. In "man with a Movie Camera" we are invited to observe what the daily norm is for a Soviet worker in early 20th century Russia. When I'm watching a movie I have to admit that besides a solid story the most thrilling movies have dynamic and well thought out shots. When I'm watching a film and I see a scene that the director just seems to nail and capture the essence of the film, I stop, take a moment, pick my jaw up off the ground, and admire the wonder before me. If a movie can do that for me and tell a fascinating and thought provoking story I am quick to join the bandwagon and quickly run to my local Wal-Mart so I can add it to my collection. Of course when I was watching "Man with a Movie Camera" it appeared to lack any discernable plot or dynamic group of characters. I was quickly assuaged though by this lack of content in the movie by the broad sweeping and amazingly modern shots Dziga Vertov was able to capture. Then upon my second run-through it dawned on me that there was indeed a plot and an ensemble cast, albeit in the most rudimentary form conceivable, but a plot and cast none the less. Watching more intently and yearning for some sort of narrative that could explain to me what the hell was actually going on I realized that the plot was simply a day in the life of Soviet citizens and maybe it’s because I never lived in the years of the "Red Scare" or the era of the Cold War or whatever you want to call it, but watching these people simply enjoy their lives touched on a human element that I have never seen in another film. My immediate first impression after I realized what I was actually watching was, "really? This is what brought the industrial world to the brink of nuclear holocaust? Common workers, who head to the bar to drink beer that directors seem to rise up out of and bare breasted women frolicking on the beach? What a joke." Then I began to notice that aside from the citizens themselves and the obvious presence of the director, there was a hidden and more dynamic character at the heart of this avant-guard documentary that was more critical and pertinent to the cohesiveness of the film; the camera itself. I realized that this whole experiment was entirely contingent on the scenes the camera captured and at certain points the camera itself was shown to have its own life. Without this pivotal character there would be no film for the images of culture and daily work for a modernizing Soviet Union requires a "Man with a Movie Camera" nothing more and certainly nothing less.

"Dr. Caligari" A Modern Film Before The Modern Film Era

Winding alleys, twisted buildings, overtones of dark ambient imbued in the imagery, and a profound tone of the elusiveness of comprehending a truly insane mind. These are all characteristics of the prevailing theme of "The Cabinet of Dr. Calagari," yet each, within the limitations words are innately confined to, are not sufficient in providing a broad and general understanding of the true meaning of the film. What is clear is the tremendous influence the overall composition of the story has had in contemporary film. My initial reaction to the film when witnessing the first flash back and subsequent immersion into this fantastic world, was that this was probably the first film director Tim Burton viewed when he decided that film making would be his fated life work. Every aspect of the film from its sinister undertones of dark fantasy and the potential for spiritual phenomenon which was then supported by an artistic sense of design and overall composition of the film, it all just seemed to be a vision Burton would idealize to include in his earlier works.
Now to be perfectly fair and honest I must admit that upon initial exposure to "Dr. Caligari" the thought of having to sit through over an hour of dialgoue which was provided only in the form of cue cards and 19th century style piano chords drifting and floating me along this nostalgic revisting of early film was not exactly the most thrilling of experiences I looked forward to having. i mean I was obviously intrigued once I started paying attention to the overall artstic design of the film and the fact that it seems so out of place for the era, but it wasn't until we are first introduced to Cesare that I thought "wow this movie is way more then I ever anticipated." I mean the actors capacity to capture the essence of a dead corpse returning to life to deliver a message to the living from the careful fluttering of his eyes opening once again, to the look of astonishment on his face that life had in deed returned to his rigid corpse, to his slow and eery stride toward the front of the stage, the whole performance just emmerses you into the film. Its here where I began asking myself "what the hell is actually going on here?"
Although I rarely found "Dr. Caligari" to be a horrofying or frightening  film, I completely approve of its categorization as a horror film. The eery atmosphere that is so delicately strung together, the hollowed and engaging performances of the actors involved, and the profoundly scencere message of questioning what madness looks like contrasted to what madness is, it all comes together in this brilliant and intriguing piece of film. After the film ended I was left astonish by the notion that these individuals were capable of creating something so creative, so expressive, just so artistic in a time when film is just beggining its rise.
"Dr. Caligari" is truly a film ahead of its time and it is a story, given a few modern film cosmetic updates, that could easily thrive in our current film market. With such limited knowledge and exposure to other movies in its time, this particular film is truly unique. "Dr. Calagari" is not the height or precedent of film in the early 20th century, it can better be described as a catalyst for films evolution or better yet the exceeding of the limits of the potential behind film making.