Kinoglaz review
Review:
Kinoglaz is an early full-length feature made by Russian documentarian Denis Kaufman, better known as Dziga Vertov. In technical terms, it is real eye-opener, as both the camerawork and editing is of a highly advanced kind associated with the "Russian montage" school of the 1920s. Kaufman repeatedly demonstrates his effectiveness in utilizing short takes, unusual camera angles, and dynamic editing. There are also some brief animated segments that are very striking. In terms of its content, Kinoglaz is both intriguing and unsettling, as it is Soviet agitprop largely directed toward children. The activities of the "Young Pioneers" are depicted in a manner similar to that of an American Boy Scout troop, except that it is clear that the social context is greater than the children and what they do, as the kids help to re-educate the adults in the canon of collectivism. There are moments in Kinoglaz that are not quite so heavy with political doctrine. At one point, a Chinese magician performs tricks, as does the camera itself, which delights in making things run backwards -- trains, workers, and, in one sequence, a diver are seen in reverse motion, which predates Leni Riefenstahl's similar usage in Olympia by more than a decade, though here it is nowhere near as sophisticated technically. The camera and filmmaker is referred to in the third person as "Kino-Eye," as though the medium of film itself is an individual. The sequence where mental patients are shown expressing sentiments that are pre-Revolutionary seems unnecessarily cruel and humiliating, but it shows to what lengths the Soviets would go to get their message out to the masses. Kinoglaz also contains some statements that are mildly anticlerical in tone. If viewers are interested in Soviet life, in film technique, or both, Kinoglaz cannot fail to be less than absorbing, and in some parts amazing and thought-provoking. Kino's video restoration of this exceedingly rare title is to be commended, as Robert Israel's music score is exactly appropriate to the period and style of the movie and the fragmentary final moments of the film are put together in a way that makes sense. The visual quality is excellent despite the type of film Kinoglaz ultimately is -- a low-budget third-world silent in a still-experimental style. by David Lewis, All Movie Guide
