Through the Lens
Through his films Dziga Vertov has two huge reoccurring themes, movement and travel. He shot much of his films in travelogue format, getting a lot of footage from other sources and creating almost a video montage of the works. After watching several of his silent films on YouTube, all of which accompanied by extremely well chosen soundtracks, one can see the talent Vertov possessed. In A Sixth Part of the World, Vertov travels all throughout the USSR seeking diversity and highlights the significant blend of people the Soviet Union holds.
Vertov is celebrating the people and industry that make up the Soviet Union. He felt the main goal of A Sixth Part of the World was to unite the people to achieve the ideal socialist society. He is straightforwardly propagandistic, much like Leni Riefenstahl in the potent, Triumph of the Will. Vertov critiques capitalism and shows visceral images of what it truly means to be a Soviet. Flashing from huge steamships, to men in a snowy forest, giant reindeer,womendancing, Vertov shows the diversity while still trying to show how strong the Soviet people are.
Sarkisova mentions how important early film was; mentioning that:
“The Soviet state also viewed film as a means of education, and the production of “enlightening” cinema was listed among the primary goals of nationalized film production.”
This was because unlike a painting or a relief, the film could be easily mass distributed and the government could use representational strategies to get across things like national policy. Sarkisova describes A Sixth Part of the World as a turning point in Vertov’s career, stating that the film both challenged and revised the genre of travel cinema. The film was originally supposed to be more of am advertisement but Vertov took it and made it much more than a simple advertisement. He used inter-titles to segue between all the types of people who encompassed the USSR, but to also to unite the people by saying they all make up the Soviet Union. Sarkisova makes a great summary of the piece when stating,
“Bringing together various localities and nations, Vertov creates a structure that preserves cultural variety while looking forward to a future when old patriarchal systems will give way to more egalitarian communities.”
Vertov also uses new techniques in his filmmaking which allowed him to criticize and put down capitalism while making socialism appear to be strong and powerful. This film polarized audiences, Sarkisova states that some found it to be powerfully unifying and well done, while others argued it showed the backwardness of the Soviet people. Regardless of where you stand, Vertov used his creativity and skill to make this travelogue a unique piece that allows the audience to see the Soviet Union in a much different way.
Lens photograph of Vertov: https://filmschoolthrucommentaries.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/vertov.jpg
Class Reading:
file:///Users/Taylor/Downloads/sarkisova_across%20one%20sixth%20of%20the%20world.pdf
Additional Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Sixth_Part_of_the_World
http://www.filmquarterly.org/2010/07/vertovs-world/