Comparative Analysis Of Dziga Vertov's Man

“The screen is a magic medium. It has such power that it can convey emotions and moods that no other art form can hope to tackle.” The written word and the moving image have always had their entwining roots deeply entrenched in similar narrative codes, both functioning at the level of implication, connotation and referentiality. But ever since the advent of cinema, they have been pitted against each other over formal and cultural peculiarities – hence engaging in a relationship deemed “overtly compatible, secretly hostile” (Bluestone 2).

Introduction Joseph Stalin is perhaps one of the most important and discussed people in Russian history. He was arguably a feared tyrant cursed and despised by many. At the same time, one finds sufficient evidence for the adoration and worship of Stalin that used to exist in the minds of the citizens of the Soviet Union. One reason for this worship was the existence of the so called ‘Cult of Personality’ where Stalin was celebrated as a wise leader, father of all people, and the architect of victory of the Second World War. In his book, The Stalin Cult: A Study in the Alchemy of Power, Jan Plamper states that Stalin’s cult of personality was largely a visual phenomenon.

This essay will discuss how the film uses these two techniques, in reference to the film, and to what ideological and political ends are the techniques used in the films with specific references from the film to support the argument. A Man with a Movie Camera is based around one man who travels around the city to capture various moments and everyday

The video: Consumerism! The Musical is the perfect example of encompassing all the ideas and concepts in the Marxist unit. The video has a man who is extremely wealthy, signifying the concept of the dominant elite and also shows how the dominant elite are shown in society. To begin, in the video, the main character shows the characteristics of the dominant elite.

In “Aesthetic of Astonishment” essay, Gunning argues how people first saw cinema, and how they are amazed with the moving picture for the first time, and were not only amazed by the technological aspect, but also the experience of how the introduction of movies have changed the way people perceive the reality in a completely different way. Gunning states that “The astonishment derives from a magical metamorphosis rather than a seamless reproduction of reality”(118). He uses the myth of how the sacred audience run out the theater in terror when they first saw the Lumiere Brother Arrival of the train. However, Gunning does not really care how hysterical their reaction is, even saying that he have doubts on what actually happened that day, as for him it the significance lied on the incidence--that is, the triggering of the audience’s reaction and its subsequence results, and not the actual reactions and their extent. It is this incident, due to the confusion of the audience’s cognition caused by new technology, that serves as a significant milestone in film history which triggered in the industry and the fascination with film, which to this day allows cinema to manipulate and

Over the past century, film has served as a powerful means of communication to a global audience and has become a vital part of the contemporary culture in a world that is increasingly saturated by visual content. Due to the immediacy and the all-encompassing nature of film, the process of watching a film, is widely perceived to be a passive activity by the general masses. However, quoting Smith in his article about the study of film, “nothing could be further from the truth.” The study and understanding of film as an art form enhances the way we watch and appreciate films. It requires the audience's active participation and interaction with the film in order to fully comprehend the directors' intention behind every creative decision.

In Laura Mulvey’s article, “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema,” she writes about the relationship between voyeurism, cinema, and gender. She begins by describing the concept of scopophilia, which means to gain pleasure from looking. She writes that scopophilia is inherently active/masculine, and that pleasure is derived from looking at other people as mere objects. On the other hand, the passive/feminine is derived from the experience of being looked at (pg.188). Mulvey sees this binary relationship between viewer and object being viewed as a part of our culture, and the greatest example of this is found in cinema.

Citizen Kane is not necessarily significant for the simple act of viewing in and of itself, but for what it is when you take it apart. This is perhaps why it is abundantly “clear that the average movie fan doesn’t cherish Citizen Kane quite as much as critics, directors and students – that is, people who are obsessed by the nuts and bolts of how films are assembled” and it holds its place in cinema greatness (“What’s so good about Citizen Kane?”, 2015). In many ways, it showed people how to take filmmaking a step further. Its shots, angles, lighting, and deep focus might not seem like anything extraordinary to the average person, but in the name of cinematography, it holds its significance. The impact of citizen Kane’s cinematography goes beyond

Film takes photography to another level. Film, or the cinema “is objectivity in time.” For the first time with film “the image of things is likewise the image of their duration, change mummified as it were”. Bazin argues "only the impassive lens, stripping its object of all those ways of seeing it, those piled- up preconceptions, that spiritual dust and grime with which my eyes have covered it, are able to present it in all its virginal purity to my attention and consequently to my love.

Baz Luhrmann is widely acknowledged for his Red Curtain Trilogy which are films aimed at heightening an artificial nature and for engaging the audience. Through an examination of the films Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge and The Great Gatsby, the evolution and adaptation of his techniques become evident. Luhrmann’s belief in a ‘theatrical cinema’ can be observed to varying degrees through the three films and his choice to employ cinematic techniques such as self-reflexivity, pastiche and hyperbolic hyperbole. The cinematic technique of self-reflexivity allows a film to draw attention to itself as ‘not about naturalism’ and asks the audience to suspend their disbelief and believe in the fictional construct of the film.

Two films, although created years apart yet have a lot in common, including their content of it’s narrative techniques. Both films, even though black and white with strokes of genius of cinema offer a vast stretch for study. I will be looking at Sir Orson Welles “Citizen Kane” (1941) and Akira Kurosawa’s “Rashomon” (1950). We see in Citizen Kane he values for the American life. The three abstract themes that constantly follow through Citizen Kane are Wealth, Power and Love.

Nevertheless slow and contemplative cinema cannot strictly be tied to a structured film movement as Matthew Flanagan in his Phd dissertation “Slow Cinema’: Temporality and Style in Contemporary Art and Experimental Film”, (probably the first deep study of “Slow Cinema”) clearly points out reframing the “aesthetic of slow” in an extremely broad context, from structural and avant-garde films since the 1960s, to realistic forms of observational documentary which focuses on the monotony of everyday life, including filmmakers such as Chantal Akerman, Lisandro Alonso, Theo Angelopoulos, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Sharunas Bartas, James Benning, Pedro Costa, Lav Diaz, Philippe Garrel, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Peter Hutton, Jia Zhang-ke, Fred Kelemen, Abbas Kiarostami, Liu Jiayin, Sharon Lockhart, Raya Martin, Wang Bing, Andy Warhol, Albert Serra, Carlos Reygadas Aleksandr Sokurov, Jean-Marie Straub, Daniele Huillet, Béla Tarr, Ben Rivers, Tsai Ming-liang and Gus Van

Baz Luhrmann’s films are known their ability to make a watcher feel as if they are part of the show. Between his use of camera angles, shots and the use of a narrator, it’s no wonder he is able to keep viewers on the edge of their seat. But how does Baz Luhrmann pull off this spectacular feat of his? This is probably explained best by referring to Baz Luhrmann’s films and how he himself has evolved as a director.

Baz Luhrmanns contribution to the art of film, brings about a flamboyant and revitalizing side to the industry. Through the use of cinematic language, his story telling techniques and belief in the theatrical cinema come to life. Baz Luhrmann has a very distinctive directing approach with particular techniques that define his style. He presents his films as if he were telling a story, which he invites you into. His stories are simple and he tends to give away the ending at the beginning of the film, which intrigues you to find out more about what had taken place.

It can be stated that it is important to determine the ways for the meaning of messages has been shaped by the perceptions of those involved in the movement as well as the response of those who come across the movement. The study under considerations has reflected the fact that readers can have a glimpse into a way through which different messages are heard and the ways through which the audiences are affected by the messages. It can be said that the social impact of postmodern films begins with the language and its meaning. The postmodern filmmakers have used the language strategies and the ways through which movements gain awareness among people. The critics are required to understand the way through which social movement arises and the ways through which the film sparks a conversation among people.