Man with a Movie Camera

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Q&A with sound editor and filmmaker John Walter!

Soviet director Dziga Vertov’s experimental film grew out of his belief, shared by his editor, Elizaveta Svilova (who was also his wife), and his cinematographer, Mikhail Kaufman (also his brother), that the true goal of cinema should be to present life as it is lived. To that end, the filmmakers offer a day-in-the-life portrait of a city from dawn until dusk, though they actually shot their footage in several cities, including Moscow, Kiev, and Odessa. After an opening statement, there are no words in the film (neither voice-over nor titles), just dazzling imagery, kinetically edited – as a celebration of the modern city with a marked emphasis on its buildings and machinery. – Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide

The film when released in 1929was silent and accompanied in theaters with live music. It has since been released a number of times with different soundtracks. This STF screening will feature a modern musical score by filmmaker John Walter (How to Draw a Bunny; Theater of War).

• Country Russian
• Rating NR
• Year 1929
• Running Time 68 minutes
• Director Dziga Vertov

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.