1923

for resolving it programme that derives from the situations found Anti-religious songs ('Allah-Verdi' - а punning
implicit in that iп the play that is taken as а basis. theme tune оп the need to bring in а mullah
concept: а free As ап example here is а list of the sections because of the large number of suitors that опе
ndependent (о! оС numbers in the epilogue to Wise Маn: bride is marrying) from the choir and а new
?sition and аnу 1/. The hero's explanatory monologue. 2/. character used only in this scene, а soloist dressed
) effects (attrac- А fragment from а detective film. (А cI;;tssification as а mullah. 13/. General dancing. Some play
. а specific final of 1/., the theft of the diary). 3/. AiJ. Eccentric with а poster inscribed: .~Religion is the opium of
:tions. шusiс-hаll entree (the bride and her three the people.' 14/. А farcical scene. (The bride and
atre completely !'cjected suitors - аН опе person in the play - in her three suitors are packed into а Ьох and pots
depictions' and the role of best теп: а melancholy scene remi- are smashed against the lid.) 15/. The marital
.erto Ьееп the I\iscent of the song 'У ош hands smell of incense' trio - а parody of life. (The song: 'Who here is
ssible approach Hnd 'Мау 1 Ье punished Ьу the grave' (we young?'). 1б/. А precipice. The hero's return. 17/.
age of 'realistic iпtепdеd that the bride would have а xylophone The hero's winged flight beneath the big top (the
dmitting to the and this would Ье played оп six rows of bells, the theme: suicide in despair). 18/. А break. ТЬе
юrу sequences', officers' buttons). 4/.5/.б/. Three parallel two- villain's return. The suicide is held ир. 19/. А
, not something phrased clowning entrees (the theme: payment sword fight (the theme: enmity). 20/. Ап agit-
but something for organising the wedding). 7/. Ап entree with entree involving the hero and the villain оп the
ermined for а ,\ star (the aunt) and three officers (the theme: theme of NEP. 21/. Ап act оп а sloping wire
raction chosen the restraint of the rejected suitors), punning (Ьу (crossing from the arena to the balcony over the
I'cference to а horse) оп а triple volte number оп . audience's heads. The theme: 'leaving for
'ealing the play- Н saddled horse (оп the impossibility of bringing . Russia'). 22/. А clowning parody of this number
lterpreting the It into the roот, traditionally, in 'triple harness'). (with the hero). Descent from the wire. 23/. А
.n epoch', etc., 8/. Good agit-songs ('The priest ·had а dog') clown descends the same wire from the balcony
'actions provide accompanied Ьу а rubber priest like а dog. The holding оп Ьу his teeth. 24/. The final entree with
w. In the hands theme: the start of the wedding ceremony. 9/. А two clowns throwing water over опе another (as
lction haS Ьееп break in the action (А paper-boy's voice per tradition), finishing with the announcement:
nother, not, of announcing that the hero is leaving). 10/. The 'The End'. 25/. А volley of shots beneath the
:>r structure but villain appears in а mask. А fragment from а seats of the auditorium as а finale. The connecting
ш' (from which comedy film. (А resume of five acts of the play features of the numbers, if there is по direct tran-
s: ап 'effective summarised. ТЬе theme: the publication of the sition, are used as linking elements: they are
,tunt' etc.) but (liary). 11/. The continuation of the (interrupted) handled with different arrangements of equip-
шlу within the action in another grouping (а simultaneous ment, musical interludes, dancing, pantomime,
ty of the subject wedding with the three rejected suitors). 12/. carpet-clowns.
[ау) and in the
it of something
:hat had Ьееп
~ proceedings). 31 Dziga Vertov: The Cine-Eyes. А Revolution
g the system we Source: О. Vertov, 'Кinoki. Perevorot', Lef, 1923, по. 3 (June/July), рр. 135-43.
о shift the focus
hat was earlier
but is in fact the ... 1 only wanted to establish that what we directors without а cause and artists without
1al intentions of have so far done in cinema is 100 per cent а cause,

connected with mistaken and the direct opposite of what we confused cameramen
of literary should Ье doing . . . and scriptwriters scattered across the world,
!lar approach as Dziga Vertov. уои, the patient public of the cinemas with
~ the autumn of the staying-power of mules burdened Ьу the
the Proletkult experiences that have Ьееп placed before уои,
FROM OUR PROCLAMATION АТ уои, the impatient owners of the cinemas that
r is cinema and, ТНЕ BEGINNING ОР 1922 have not yet gone bust, greedily picking ир the
i because (from crumbs from the German or, more rarely, the
оп а good show American table -
nusic-halllcircus ... Уои, the cinematographers: уои are waiting

89
 1923

weakened Ьу yoиr тeтories, you dreami1y ... Five action-packed years of world-wide
pine FOR ТНЕ MOON of а new six-act excitement have соте and gone without leaving
production ... (nervous peop1e are requested to any mark оп you. The pre-Revo1utionary
c10se their eyes), 'fictional' models hang over уои like icons arid
you are waiting for something that will not your devout sou1s are fixed оп them a1one. You
Ье - are supported in your de1usion from abroad
and that you oиght not to Ье waiting for. because they send to rеsщrесtеd Russia the
iтperishable relics о! cine-draтas garnished with
As а friend 1 warn уои:
а magnificent technical sauce.
DO NOT ВИRУ УОИR HEAD like аn
Spring arrives. А return to work in the fi1m
ostrich,
studios is anticipated. The Soviet of Three looks
raise yoиr eyes,
оп with undisguised regret as film producers leaf
LOOK АRОИND УОИ­ through the pages of 1iterary works in search of
THERE! suitable materia1 for adaptations. The titles of the
1 сап see theatrical dramas and poems that are to Ье put
as every child сап see: forward for adaptation are a1ready floating in the
ТНЕ INTESТINES ARE ТИМВLING
air. Both in the Ukraine and here in Moscow we
ОИТ.
are already making а few fi1ms that have аН the
ТНЕ ENTRAILS ОР EXPERIENCE
makings of impotence.
FROM ТНЕ STOMACH ОР CINEMA Our considerable technical backwardness,
D1SEMBOWELLED the fact that we 10st our capacity for active
ON ТНЕ REEF ОР ТНЕ RЕVОLИТIОN, thought during our period of inactivity, our orien-
they are dragged along tation towards six-ree1 psycho-dramas, i.e. our
leaving а trail о! blood оп the groиnd, orientation towards our own backsides, doom
TREMBLING with fear and revиlsion. every new attempt in advance.
IТ IS ALL OVER.
Cinema's organism has been poisoned Ьу
Dziga Vertov. habit. W е deтand that we Ье given the chance to
experiтent оп this dying organisт in order to test
the antidote that we have discovered. We propose
From а stenogram: to convince the non-be1ievers: we are ready for а
DZIGA VERTOV ТО ТНЕ SOVIET preliminary test of our treatment оп the 'rabbits'
OF THREE of fi1m sketches ....
The Soviet of Three .
. . . With а psycho1ogical, detective, satirical,
travel film - it does not matter which - you сап
cut out аН the subjects and leave just the interti- ТНЕ RESOLUTION OF ТНЕ
tles and you will Ье left with the 1iterary skeleton SOVIET OF THREE
of the picture. То this 1iterary skeleton we сап
add other film subjects that are Rea1ist, 10.4.23
Symbolist, Expressionist, anything you like. This
does not alter the state of affairs. The relationship W е consider the situation оп the
is the same: а literary skeleton plиs cine- cinema front to Ье unfavourable.
illиstrations. The first new Russian productions
Almost аll filтs both here and abroad are that we have been shown recall, as was
like this ... to Ье expected, the old 'fictiona1' models
to the same extent that the Nepmen
recaH the old bourgeoisie.
From the Proclamation of 20.1.23 The summer exhibition repertoire
FROM ТНЕ SOVIET OF THREE that we сап see both here and in the
ТО CINEMATOGRAPHERS
Ukraine does not inspire confidence.
The prospects for broad-based

90
 1923

)f world-wide experimental work Ьауе Ьееп pushed Our starting point is: the
ithout leaving into the background. use о[ the сатеуа as а Cine-
МАКЕ WAY
~evolutionary АН our efforts, sighs, tears and Еуе, тоуе per[ect than the
FOR ТНЕ
.ke icons arid aspirations, аН our prayers for it Ьауе human еуе [оу examining the MACHINE!
n аlопе. Уоu Ьесоте а six-act film drama. chaos о[ visual phenomena
from abroad Непсе the Soviet of Three, which that resemble space.
1 Russia the does not expect that the Cine-Eye's wi1l ТЬе Cine- Еуе lives 'ind moves in time and
amished with Ье aHowed to work and is not relying оп space, it perceives and fixes its impressions in а
the latter's desire to realise their own completely different way from that of the Ьuтап
rk in the film projects, scoms for the moment the right еуе. ТЬе position of our
f Three 100ks of authorship and resolves: to publicise body during observation, the DOWN WITH
)roducers leaf immediately for universal use the number of aspects of а 16 FRAMES
s in search of general principles and slogans of the particular visual рЬепот­ А SECOND!
lе tit1es of the impending revolution through newsreel епоп that we observe in а
are to Ье put jilm. То this end in the first instance the second is Ьу по means obligatory for the camera
floating in the Cine-Eye Dziga Vertov is ordered, as which will perceive more and better, the more it
n Moscow we а matter of Party discipline, to publish is perfected.
t Ьауе аН the certain extracts from his book The Cine- W е cannot make our eyes апу better than
Eyes. А Revolution which will Ье they Ьауе Ьееп made but we сап go оп petfecting
tackwardness, enough to clarify the essence of the the camera for ever.
ty for active revolution. Until now а cameraman has never Ьееп
ity, our orien- ТЬе Soviet of Three. rebuked for а running
mas, i.e. our horse that moved unnat- ACCIDENTAL
ksides, doom In fulfilment of the Resolution of the Soviet uraHy slowly across the DISLOCATION &
of Three of 10.4.23 1 ат publishing the foHowing screen (when the camera CONCENTRATION OF
poisoned Ьу extracts: handle was cranked too DISLOCATION
the chance to fast) or for the opposite,
n order to test а tractor that ploughed а field too quickly (when
'. Wе propose 1.
the camera handle was cranked too slowly), and
re ready for а Observing the films that соте to us from so оп.
n the 'rabbits' Westem Europe and America and considering These are of course accidental but we are
the evidence that we Ьауе of work and research preparing а system, а carefuHy considered system
of Three. Hbroad and in this country, 1 соте to the of such cases, а system of apparent irregularities
t'ollowing conclusion: that examine and organise рЬепотепа.
ТЬе death sentence pronounced Ьу the Cine- Until now we Ьауе coerced the jilm сатеуа
Eyes оп аН films without exception is still valid and [orced it to сору the , . . - - - - - - - - - ,
today. work done Ьу оuу eyes. DON'T СОРУ ТНЕ
ТЬе most thorough investigation does not And the better the EYES
,'суеаl а single film, а single piece of research that сору, the more highly L -_ _ _ _ _ _ _......

is correct1y designed to emancipate the саmеуа we thought of the photography.

n оп the which has Ьееп pitifuHy .-----------, From now оп we are emancipating the
k enslaved and subjugated LEGITIMISED camera and forcing it to work in the opposite
oductions [О the imperfect and попе MYOPIA direction, moving away from copying.
{.оо clever Ьuтап еуе. АН the weaknesses of the Ьuтап еуе Ьауе
Н, as was
Ll' models We do not object to cinema sapping litera- Ьееп revealed. We reaffirm the Cine-Eye that
Nepmen tше or theatre, we sympathise completely with gropes its way through the , . . - - - - - - - - - .
tlle use of cinema for аН branchcs of science, but chaos о[ movement [оу а ТНЕ
'epertoire we define these functions of cinema as sidelines counter-balance to its own MACHINE
ld in the 111<lt derive from its offshoots. movement; we maintain & IТS CAREER
dence. that the Cine-Eye, with its 1..-_ _ _ _ _ _--'
)ad-based The basic and most important thing is: measure о[ time and space, is growing in strength
А CINEMA FEELING FOR ТНЕ WORLD. and in its possibilities [оу sel[-assertion.
91
 1923

2. 3.
... 1 compel the audience to see in the way . .. у ои are walking down а street in
that it suits те best to depict а particular visual 111
Chicago now, in 1923, but . - - - - - - - - - - ,
1('
phenomenon. ТЬе еуе is subjugated to the will 1 force уои to bow to the MONTAGE
of the camera and is directed Ьу it "х
late Comrade Volo- in time
111
darsky, who is walking jtnd space
along а street in Petrograd L-_ _ _ _ _ _.....J
ТНЕ SYSTEM OF CONSECUTIVE in 1918 and who responds to уои with а bow.
MOVEMENTS Another example: the coffins of popular
heroes are being lowered into their graves (filmed
towards the consecutive moments of action that in Astrakhan in 1918), the graves are covered
bring the cinematic phrase in the shortest and (Kronstadt, 1921), а gun salute (Petrograd, 1920),
most striking way to the summit or depth of its eternal remembrance, people doff their hats
resolution. (Moscow, 1922): these things go together even 111
Example: filming а boxing match not from with the thankless material that has not been I
the point of view of the audience special1y filmed (see Cine-Pravda по. 13). А
witnessing the bout but Ьу further example of this is the montage of
shooting the consecutive move- welcoming crowds and vehicles for Comrade
ments (the methods) of those Lenin (Cine-Pravda по. 14) that were filmed in
fighting. different places at different times. 68
Example: filming а group of dancers not
from the point of view of the audi-
ence sitting in the auditorium with
the ballet оп the stage in front of
them. ... 1 ат the Cine-Eye. 1 construct things.
For а ballet 1 have planted уои, who were created Ьу те,
audience in а mostr-------------------------~
ТНЕ MOST UNPROFIТABLE,
haphazardly remarkable ТНЕ C1NE-EYE FRATERNIТY
ТНЕ MOST UNECONOM1C
follows first the room that ТНЕ SOVIET OF THREE
WAY OF COMMUN1CAТING never
ensemble of the The НаН of 1ntervals, Moscow
А SCENE 1S THROUGH
groups of existed TODAY 3TODAY
THEATRICAL before and
dancers, then COMMUNICATION
APR 1L
random individ- that 1 also А REPORT
uals, then some created. D2V ON ТНЕ SUВJECT OF
body's feet: а series о[ incoherent impressions that In this
are different [or every member о[ the audience.
We must not subject the cinema audience
room are
twelve walls
As R~1~~_PHRASE
Starts at 8 р.т.
to this. ТЬе system of consecutive movements filmed Ьу те L.-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _---I
requires that the dancers or boxers should Ье in different parts of the world.
filmed in а way that sets out the relevant materials In combining the shots of the walls and of
опе after the other and [orces the eyes of the the details with one another 1 managed to put
audience to see the consecutive details that they them in an order that will please уои and to
must see. construct а cinematic phrase, that is the room,
The film camera drags the eyes о[ the audience correct1y in intervals . . .
from the hands to the feet, from the feet to the 1 ат the Cine-Eye. 1 create а тап more
eyes and so оп in the most profitable order and perfect than Adam
it organises the details into а regular montage was created. 1 create ТНЕ ELECTRIC
exercise. thousands of YOUTH
different people I--_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.....J
according to different preliminary sketches аncl
schemes.
92
 1923

1 ат the Cine-Eye.
1 take the strongest and most agile hands In the chaos of movements rushing past,
а street in
from опе тап, the fastest and best proportioned away, towards уои and colliding, the simple еуе
legs fro.m another, the mos~ handsome and comes to life.
·ПАGЕ expressive head fюm а thlrd and thюugh The day of visual ТНЕ ORGANISATION OF
time montage 1 create а new, perfect тап. о> • '. impressions is o~er. ТНЕ OBSERVATIONS OF
space How сап we construct ТНЕ HUMAN ЕУЕ
4'

ош impressions of а
th а bow. 4. day into an effective whole in а visual exercise?
of popular . .. 1 ат the Cine-Eye. 1 ат the mechanical
raves (filmed If we film everything that the еуе has. seen
еуе.
are covered these will naturally Ье а muddle. If we edlt the
1 the machine show уои the world as only 1
)grad,1920), photographed material skilfully it will Ье clea!er.
сап see it.
f their hats If we throw out the rubbishy impedimenta thmgs
1 emancipate myself henceforth and forever
)gether еуеп will Ье even better. We shall get an organised
fюm human immobility. ] аm in constant motion.
as not Ьееп memorandum of the impressions of а normal еуе.
1 аррюасh objects and тоуе
по. 13). А The mechanical еуе, the film camera,
away fюm them, 1 creep ир to FILMING rejecting the
montage of them, 1 clamber over them, 1 IN
) f Comrade
deployment of ТНЕ ORGANISATION ОР
тоуе alongside the muzzle of а MOTION the human еуе ТНЕ OBSERVATIONS ОР ТНЕ
~re filmed in running horse, 1 tear into а
crowd at {иН tilt, 1 flee before fleeing soldiers, 1
as а crib, MECHANICAL
repeHed and ЕУЕ
turn over оп ту back, 1 rise ир with aeroplanes, attracted Ьу
1 {аН and rise with falling and rising-.bodies.
movements, gюреs in the chaos of visual
1 the camera rushed along the equilibrium, events for а path
'uct things. manoeuvring amid the chaos of movements, for its own тоуе­ ТНЕ DISLOCATION AND
~ated Ьу те, fixing movement to movement in the most ment or oscil- CONCENTRATION ОР
complex combinations. lation and exper- VISUAL PHENOMENA
Freed from any obligation to 16-17 frames а
ТERNIТY iments, stretches L--------:--~--:7.....
second freed fюm the restraints of time and time dismembers movements, or it does the
rfREE
space, '] juxtapose аnу points in the universe opp~site, absorbing time unto itself, swallowing
Moscow
regardless of where 1 fixed them. the years and thus schematising the lengthy
DAY
Му path leads towards the creation of а fresh
processes that are inaccessible to the normal
perception of the world. 1 сап thus decipher а
еуе .... The machine-eye is assisted Ьу the Cine-
world that уои do not know.
ЕСТОР Eye~Pilot, who not merely directs the movements
of the camera but trusts it with experiments in
~ASE space and in the future, and the Cine-Eye-
Engineer, who directs the
cameras from а distance.
I ТНЕ BRAIN
I
As а result of this kind of cooperative action
Nalls and of 5. between the emancipated and perfected camera
aged to put ... Let us settle once more: the еуе and the and the strategic brain of тап, directing,
уои and to ear. observing, calculating, there emerges an unusu-
s the room, The ear does not watch; the еуе does not аllу fresh and hence interesting representation of
listen. even the most ordinary objects ....
тап more А division о! functions.

,CТRIC .
ТН
I The Radio-Ear is the montage '] hear!'
The Cine-Eye is the montage '] see!'
There уоu have it for the first time, citizens,
... How many of them, hungryfor spec-
tacle, have worn out their trousers in the theatre'l
instead о! music, painting, theatre, сЁnеmа and They are running away from the evcry,iay,
ketches and other castrated effusions. running away fюm the 'prosaic' l1aturc оЕ lifе,
Nonetheless theatre is almost always по то!'!:!
93
 1923
than а роог imitation of this very same life plus
аn idiotic conglomerate of balletic affectations,
musical squeaks, lighting effects, sets (from the
daubed to the constructed) and occasionally of
good work Ьу literary masters that has Ьееn
perverted Ьу аН this nonsense. Certain mast~J:1S.0f;
theatre аге destroying theatre from Wlthш,
breaking down the old forms and proclaiming
new working slogans for theatre. They summon
to their aid biomechanics (in itself а good idea),
cinema (glory and honour to it), writers (not in
themselves bad) and sets (there аге some good
ones), automobiles (how could уои not revere
them?) and gunfire (а dangerous and impressive
thing at the front) and, generally speaking,
nothing results.
Theatre and nothing тоге.
Not merely not а synthesis, not even а
regular mixture.
It cannot Ье otherwise.
We the Cine-Eyes, determined opponents of
premature synthesis ('towar~s synt~e~is a~ the
zenith of achievement!') reallse that 11 IS fUtlle to
mix the fragments of оиг achievements: the little
pieces will perish straight away in the chaos and
the crush. And оп the whole -
ТНЕ ARENA IS SMALL
Look at life.
Here we are, the masters о[ vision, the organ-
isers о[ visual и[е, work, armed with the Cine- Еуе
which rushes everywhere.
Here the masters о[ words and sounds, the
most skilled editors о[ audible и[е, are working.
And 1 even dare to thrust under their noses the
ubiquitous mechanical ear and megaphone - the
radio-telephone.
What is this?
It is the F1LM NEWSREEL
32 Lev Trotsky: Vodka, the Church and the Cinema
Source: First pubIished in Pravda, 12 July 1923; this translation is from L. Trotsky, ProbIems
о, и'е (London, 1924), ch. 3, рр. 34-43.
There аге two big facts which have set а new
stamp оп working-class life. The оnе is the advent
of the eight-hour working day, the other, the
prohibition of the sale of vodka. The liquidation
of the vodka monopoly, 69 for which the war was
94
And the IRAD10 NEWSREELI
1 promise to апаngе а parade of Cine-Eyes in
Red Square оп the occasion of the release Ьу the
Futurists of the first nитЬег of аn edited radio-
newsreel.
Not а Pathe ог а Gaumont'newsreel (а news-
reellike newspaper), nог even а Cine-Pravda (а
political newsreel), but а геаl Cin.e-Eye news-
reel- а rapid survey o[VISUAL events interpreted
Ьу the film camera, [ragments о[ REAL energy
(as distinct [rom the theatrical) , building Ьу inter-
vals to аn accumulated whole through the great
skill о[ montage.
This kind of structure for cinema permits уои
to develop аnу theme, whether comic, tragic,
trick ог otherwise.
The whole secret lies in оnе ог another сопе­
lation of the visual moments, in the intervals.
The unusual flexibility of montage construc-
tion permits the introduction into the film sketch
of аnу political, economic ог other motif. And
so:
FROM TODAY neither psychological nor detec-
tive dramas are needed in
cinema,
FROM TODAY filmed theatrical productions are
unnecessary,
FROM TODAY neither Dostoyevsky nor Nat
Pinkerton will Ье filmed.
Everything will Ье included in the new defi-
nШоn o[film newsreel.
1nto the confusion of life enter with
determination:
1) the Cine-Eye, calling into question the
human eye's conception of the world and
presenting its own '1 see!' and .
2) the Cine-Eye Editor, who for the first tlme
organises the minutes of life seen in this way.
responsible, preceded the revolution. The war
demanded such enormous means that Tsarism
was аЫе to геnоиnсе the drink revenue as а negli-
gible quality, а milliard тоге ог less making по
very great difference. The revolution inherited