"Man with movie Camera" and "Bicycle Thief"

a. What was Pudovkin's concept of constructive editing and how did it manifest itself on film?

b. What was the Kuleshov effect and give me an example of how is it used in today's film's?

c. What was Eisensteinian Montage and how does it work in the "Odessa Step" sequence?

4. Andre Bazin and Realism

a. What were Andre Bazin's frustrations with Classical and Formalistic film making?

b. What do Realist filmmakers strive for in their work?

c. What techniques to realists use in their filmmaking?

Similarities

Realism and Formalism are both non-standard film editing styles. Realism is the use of long shot duration and deep focus, with limited camera moves. Formalism is the juxtaposition of themed or non themed shots to create meaning. Mostly, these types of  films are relegated to art films but can be interpreted any way by the viewer. On the hand of Thief  we have long shots where you decided the meaning. On the other we have associative cuts that add meaning in Movie Camera. Andre Bazin states that... 

"film should not stick to one simple style of film but encompass different perspectives and types of story telling."

And thus, most films are not one or the other, but rather a mixture.

The Man With a Movie Camera

This film is very interesting. Its way ahead of its time, and even now we watch videos just like this on Vimeo. There many more cuts than Bicycle Thief, and is quite a sight to behold. MWAMC implements ideas of mainly Formalism but also Realism as well.  The film uses alot of imagery, and tries to recreate the reality we live in on film. It also uses contrast of images to create new meaning. For example,  "At first we'd see the life of rich aristocrats, then the following shot would be of a man stuck in poverty and starvation." Vertov uses these juxtapositions to create meaning, which only you can decide what that is. Another side effect of the quick cuts is a heightened intensity and speed that goes with the film such as a very interesting train shot cutting between the man on the tracks and the train wheels. An aspect of realism in the film are certain shots of just landscape. They simply hang around for  a while, giving us a chance to analyze the scene for ourselves. It also gives a sense of location.  Formalism at its core is based on these thematic meanings, and I would like to explore one in a film down the line. 

Bicycle Thief

Bicycle Thief borders on Realism and Classicism.  Some cuts seem longer than normal, with deep focus, and some seem cut to action. Early in the film we classicism  and later we see the not so dynamic neo-realism. Formalism is present in the scene with the father and son near the bike racks, as he, unable to have a bike after his was stolen, is surrounded by hundreds of unattended ones. He looks down at his kid who is clutching himself in his own arms. From this we understanding a deeper meaning despite his flat face: he wants to steal a bike.


This film is part of a less-dynamic movement, the Neo-Realism movement. For example, during the chase scenes, I was surprised by the use of deep focus and odd length clips compared to what I am used to. Not really an extreme of Realism, but a subtle one as if you were there watching the chase happen in front of you. The cuts are used to show a change in action or emotion and it flows so well with the film that the audience accepts it as normal. There were no surprises in the cuts, unlike in The Man With a Movie Camera.