Movements Films Short Films

Genre: Documentary

Kino Eye (1924) Dziga Vertov

Kino Eye 1924 poster

This documentary promoting the joys of life in a Soviet village centers around the activities of the Young Pioneers. These children are constantly busy, pasting propaganda posters on walls, distributing hand bills, exhorting all to “buy from the cooperative” as opposed to the Private Sector, promoting temperance, and helping poor widows. Experimental portions of the film, projected in reverse, feature the un-slaughtering of a bull and the un-baking of bread.

Man with a Movie Camera (1929) Dziga Vertov

Man with a Movie Camera 1929 poster

This playful film is at once a documentary of a day in the life of the Soviet Union, a documentary of the filming of said documentary, and a depiction of an audience watching the film. Even the editing of the film is documented. We often see the cameraman who is purportedly making the film, but we rarely, if ever, see any of the footage he seems to be in the act of shooting!

Buffalo Dance (1894) William K.L. Dickson

Buffalo Dance

Three Sioux Indians perform a ‘buffalo dance’ while two others use drums to supply a rhythm. The three dancers move around in a circle as they perform the various actions that are part of the dance.

Tools