Der Mann mit der Kamera

Ohne erklärende Untertitel, ohne Geschichte; eigentlich nichts von dem, was man erwarten würde. Und doch eine so fesselnde und hinreißende Angelegenheit. Eine Stunde und sieben Minuten habe ich bei Der Mann mit der Kamera stumm gestaunt. Übrigens, ich habe eine Version mit der Musik von Alloy Orchestra gesehen, die wirklich toll war. Ich bin aber froh, dass es auch andere Soundtracks gibt. Ein Grund mehr, zu diesem Film (über einen Film) zurückzukehren.__PS: Bei einer Reihe von Szenen hatte ich den Eindruck, dass ich die Inspiration für Reggios Koyaanisqatsi sehe. Ein Zufall? Sicherlich nicht. (13.05.2014)

A revolutionary film, basically, it’s impossible to say whether it is "bad", "excellent" or "passable" because of its heavy experimental character. A picture book with no script and no story that doesn’t get boring is a big win, and what's more, it’s a particular piece of work that will make more than a few film enthusiast get an insatiable desire to grab a camera and head out into the social jungle in search of a perfect, concise and beautiful shot... To be honest, I was expecting a more significant foray into the practice of the Soviet montage school, which continues to be dominated by Comrade Eisenstein, but Man with a Movie Camera is undoubtedly a remarkable contribution to that unique cinematic era. (09.12.2015)

One of the few films where you can really see how crucial the work of the editor is. Reassembling it completely would give the film a whole new, different meaning. Moreover, it might not create interesting contrasts, such as those between life and death, old and new. The film's title is perfect. Vertov and his brother, the cameraman, capture life in all its splendor, with its speed and slow pace, its beauty and ugliness, and its significance and insignificance. (15.07.2014)