Kino Eye

Plot

Dziga Vertov's 'Kino Eye' presents a revolutionary vision of Soviet life through the lens of the Young Pioneers, the youth organization dedicated to building socialism. The film follows these industrious children as they engage in various community activities: plastering propaganda posters across village walls, distributing handbills advocating cooperative shopping over private markets, promoting temperance campaigns, and assisting impoverished widows in their daily struggles. Vertov interweaves these documentary sequences with groundbreaking experimental segments, most notably the famous reverse-motion sequences showing a bull being 'un-slaughtered' and bread being 'un-baked,' challenging conventional cinematic reality. The film culminates in a powerful demonstration of collective action as the Young Pioneers organize a community festival, embodying the socialist ideals of cooperation and progress. Through its innovative techniques and propagandistic content, 'Kino Eye' presents both a celebration of Soviet achievements and a manifesto for the transformative power of cinema itself.

Historical Background

'Kino Eye' was created during a pivotal period in Soviet history - the New Economic Policy (NEP) era of the early 1920s, when Lenin's government allowed limited private enterprise while maintaining state control of key industries. This was also the formative period of Soviet cinema, with filmmakers like Vertov, Eisenstein, and Pudovkin developing new cinematic languages to serve the revolutionary cause. The film emerged at a time when the Soviet Union was actively promoting literacy, collectivization, and the formation of new social institutions like the Young Pioneers. Vertov's work reflected the Bolshevik belief that cinema could be a powerful tool for education and propaganda, capable of shaping the consciousness of the new Soviet citizen. The film's emphasis on collective action and community service mirrored the government's efforts to build socialist consciousness among the population, particularly the youth who would inherit the revolution.

Making Of

The production of 'Kino Eye' was marked by Vertov's uncompromising vision and experimental approach to filmmaking. Working with his brother Mikhail Kaufman as cinematographer, Vertov rejected traditional narrative cinema in favor of what he called 'life caught unawares.' The crew often had to conceal their cameras to capture spontaneous reactions, sometimes using hidden cameras disguised as everyday objects. The reverse-motion sequences were particularly challenging to execute, requiring precise coordination and multiple takes. Vertov insisted on using real workers, peasants, and Young Pioneers rather than professional actors, believing this would lend greater authenticity to the film's message. The editing process, overseen by Elizabeth Svilova, took months as Vertov experimented with various montage techniques to create rhythm and meaning through the juxtaposition of images. The film was made under difficult conditions, with frequent equipment malfunctions and limited film stock, yet Vertov's determination to realize his cinematic vision never wavered.

Visual Style

Mikhail Kaufman's cinematography in 'Kino Eye' broke new ground in documentary filmmaking through its innovative camera techniques and visual strategies. The film employs a variety of unconventional camera angles and movements, including low-angle shots to emphasize the dignity of labor and dynamic tracking shots that create a sense of movement and progress. Kaufman utilized both stationary and moving cameras, sometimes mounting them on bicycles, cars, or even moving trains to capture the rhythm of Soviet life. The cinematography frequently juxtaposes close-ups of human faces with wide shots of collective activities, creating a visual dialogue between individual and society. The famous reverse-motion sequences required meticulous planning and execution, with Kaufman having to film processes in their entirety and then reverse them in post-production. The visual style emphasizes geometric compositions and industrial motifs, reflecting the modernist aesthetic prevalent in early Soviet art. Kaufman's approach to cinematography embodied Vertov's Kino-Eye theory, using the camera not merely to record reality but to reveal hidden patterns and meanings within everyday life.

Innovations

'Kino Eye' introduced numerous technical innovations that would influence cinema for decades. The film's pioneering use of reverse motion effects, particularly in the 'un-slaughtering' and 'un-baking' sequences, demonstrated new possibilities for temporal manipulation in cinema. Vertov and his team developed innovative camera mounting techniques, allowing for dynamic movement through industrial and urban spaces. The film's complex montage sequences, created through meticulous frame-by-frame editing, established new possibilities for creating meaning through the juxtaposition of images. The use of hidden cameras and candid photography techniques anticipated later developments in observational documentary filmmaking. The film also experimented with superimposition and multiple exposure techniques to create layered visual metaphors. Vertov's approach to sound synchronization, though the film was silent, anticipated later developments in audio-visual cinema through his theoretical writings on the relationship between image and sound. These technical achievements were not merely formal experiments but served Vertov's larger goal of creating a new cinematic language appropriate to the revolutionary society it depicted.

Music

As a silent film, 'Kino Eye' was originally presented without a synchronized soundtrack, though it would have been accompanied by live musical performances during theatrical exhibitions. The musical accompaniment varied depending on the venue and could range from a single pianist to a full orchestra. In some Soviet theaters, the film was accompanied by specially composed music that emphasized the revolutionary themes and industrial rhythms depicted on screen. Vertov himself was known to provide detailed instructions for musical accompaniment, suggesting specific moods and rhythms for different sequences. Modern restorations of the film have featured newly composed scores by contemporary musicians who attempt to capture the spirit of the original performances while incorporating modern musical sensibilities. These contemporary soundtracks often blend classical elements with electronic and experimental music, reflecting the film's avant-garde nature and its continuing relevance to modern audiences.

Memorable Scenes

• The iconic reverse-motion sequence showing a bull being 'un-slaughtered' and coming back to life, symbolizing the possibility of reversing the processes of death and decay through socialist progress
• The 'un-baking bread' sequence where loaves of bread miraculously reassemble themselves from crumbs and return to their raw ingredients, demonstrating cinema's power to reveal hidden processes
• The montage of Young Pioneers enthusiastically distributing propaganda posters throughout the village, their youthful energy embodying the revolutionary spirit
• The cooperative shopping sequence where citizens are encouraged to buy from state-run stores rather than private markets, illustrating the film's propagandistic purpose
• The final community festival sequence showing collective celebration and cooperation, bringing together all the film's themes in a joyous display of Soviet achievement

What Critics Said

Initial Soviet critical reception to 'Kino Eye' was mixed, with some critics praising its innovative techniques while others accused Vertov of formalism and excessive experimentation. The film's rejection of traditional narrative structure and its avant-garde editing style were seen by some as too 'bourgeois' and insufficiently accessible to the masses. However, international avant-garde circles quickly recognized the film's significance, with European filmmakers and critics praising its bold visual experimentation. Over time, 'Kino Eye' has been reevaluated as a masterpiece of early documentary cinema, with modern critics recognizing its profound influence on the development of film language. Contemporary scholars view the film as a crucial document of both Soviet cinematic innovation and the broader avant-garde movement of the 1920s. The film is now widely studied in film schools and appreciated for its technical brilliance and its role in establishing documentary cinema as a legitimate artistic medium.

What Audiences Thought

Contemporary Soviet audience reception to 'Kino Eye' is difficult to document precisely, but reports suggest that many viewers found the film's experimental techniques confusing and its non-linear structure challenging. The film's avant-garde nature meant it appealed primarily to educated urban audiences and film enthusiasts rather than the broader working-class audience it was ostensibly made for. However, the sequences showing Young Pioneers engaged in community activities reportedly resonated with viewers who recognized similar scenes from their daily lives. In subsequent decades, as the film gained recognition as a classic of world cinema, it found appreciative audiences among film students, historians, and enthusiasts of experimental cinema. Today, the film is primarily viewed in academic settings and film archives, where its historical significance and technical innovations are properly contextualized and appreciated.

You Might Also Like