Man with the Movie Camera -1929- Old Joy -2006-
Film is a universal language? Maybe. But I think storytelling is the language and film is the dialect.
Somebody on Flixster called Man with the Movie Camera “Communist propaganda.” I missed that part. I didn’t see any communism here. I just saw a day in the life of the streets in the Soviet Union.
I understand why this movie is important. That’s not to say I didn’t like it, because I did, but I could never love it. That’s because I love narrative, and this didn’t have enough of it. It shouldn’t have had more, though. I’m glad that someone did something this different.
It took awhile, but I warned up for this film. At first, I thought this would be a “one night stand” movie (top 10 list coming soon, I hope)… a film I only saw once. But now, I might see it again, and I’ll probably enjoy it even more the second time. (Still no love, though.)
I will never love Old Joy either, but that’s for another reason: it wasn’t a good film. Spoiler alert: nothing happens. The last five minutes is, for me, the only rewarding part. If I may hate on C-SPAN for just a moment, an hour of Old Joy is equal to an hour and a half in C-SPAN time.
Man with the Movie Camera: there are worse ways to spend an hour. ***
Old Joy: there are worse ways to spend an hour, but that doesn’t mean you should watch this movie. **
Notes:
- How about that pre-Claymation in Camera?
- Both of these films are available now on Netflix Instant, but Man with the Movie Camera will expire on November 1.
- If you see and find beauty in Man with the Movie Camera, I suggest you see My Winnipeg.
- Coming soon: October Recap and the final 70s poll.