Rhythmic Montage in the Films of Dziga Vertov: A Poetic Use of the Language of Cinema

Author(s): Anna Lawton

Source: Pacific Coast Philology, Vol. 13 (Oct., 1978), pp. 44-50
Published by: Penn State University Press on behalf of the Pacific Ancient and Modern Language
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 RHYTHMIC MONTAGE IN THE
FILMS OF DZIGA VERTOV:
A POETIC USE OF THE LANGUAGE
OF CINEMA

ANNA LAWTON

"I workin thefieldof thepoeticdocumentary film.That's

whyI feelso close to boththefolksongs and thepoetryof
Majakovskij." (Dziga Vertov)
Among the mastersof Soviet cinema ofthe 20's, Dziga Vertovplayed a
veryimportantrole. During that decade he completedthreelong seriesof
newsreels, Kinonedelja, Kinoprauda, and Goskinokalendar,and some
twentyfeaturefilms.His theoreticalwritings(especiallyhis theoryofthe
"cine-eye")as wellas his filmswereavant-gardepropositions,whichhad a
long lasting and internationalinfluence.'
Vertov's concept of montage is particularlyclose to certainideas and
techniqueswhichflourishedamongtheCubo-Futurists and theFormalists,
and later in the LEF group.Both in his writingsand, implicitly,in his
films,Vertovreiteratedthefundamentalprinciplethattheartisticmedium
(in this case, the language ofcinema)mustbe autonomous,self-referential
and universal. The constant foregrounding in Vertov'sfilmsof the two
basic structuralelementsof cinema - the shot and the montage - is
analogous to the Futurists'foregrounding of the structuralelementsof
verse- sound and rhythm.In a poemsuchas, "Dyrbul Ryl," byAlexander
Kruchenykh,the destructionofthe conventionalsemantic,syntactic,and
prosodic elements liberates the words from every kind of causal
relationships;they become unmotivatedand are thereforeperceivedas
autonomousvalues. The arrangementofthewordsin rhythmicalsegments
and by phoneticanalogies endowsthe textwitha new and freshmeaning,
based on parallelism. Similarly,Vertov in his films destroysboth the
conventional semantics of the shots (by means of unusual frame
compositions and camera angles), and the conventional syntagmatic
relationshipsthatwouldadvance a narrative(bymeans ofa strikinguse of
montage).The resultis a palpable textureofvisual analogies and rhythmic
segments,homologouswith the textureof a Futuristpoem. The kinship
betweencinemaand poetrywas emphasizedbyVertovwhenhe notedin his
diary,afterhaving in vain waitedto meetwithMajakovskij: "I wantedto

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tellhim about myattemptsto createa filmpoemin whichmontagephrases
would rhymeone withthe other."2
The terms"montage phrases" and "rhyme"(when applied to a visual
medium)are notimmediatelycomprehensible, but theycan be understood
in termsoftheFormaliststudieson versestructure. By "montagephrases"
Vertovmeant somethinganalogous to a line ofverse,and "rhyme"is used
hereas an instanceofthemuchbroaderfeatureofparallelism.It is fromthe
circleofOpojaz thatcame themostinsightfulsuggestionson thestructural
functionof rhythmin poetry.Osip Brik observedthat meaning in poetry
does notsimplyderivefromthesyntacticarrangementofthesentence,as in
prose discourse, but fromthe syntactic organization plus a rhythmic
orderingofthe verseline. The verseline becomesa semanticunit- which
Brik calls the "rhythmico-syntactic unit."3 For Tynjanov, syntacticand
rhythmicorderingin poetry do not have the same status. Rhythmic
fragmentation, whichdeformsand subordinatesthe syntacticordering,is
thedominantfeatureofverse.The rhythmic segments(theverselines)form
a repetitionpatternwhich engendersassociations in meaning.Therefore,
theverseline is fullyrealizedas a semanticunitwhenperceivedin relation
to other recurrentparallel lines.4 Parallelism is a featureinextricably
connectedwith the concept of rhythm;it is, accordingto Jakobson,the
fundamentalprincipleofpoetry.Not unlikeTynjanov,Jakobsonsustains
that "in poetry . . . any sequence of semantic units strives to build an
equation."5This equation is perceivedby the readerin termsofsimilarity
and opposition,or better,of oppositionwithinsimilarity.The rhythmic
segmentationfostersan expectationofa subsequentsimilarsegment;when
the expectationis partlyfrustrated the variationstands out by opposition
and is investedwitha strongsemanticstress.Morerecently,a similaridea
has been reiteratedby JurijLotman: "The rhythmicity of the verse is a
cyclicalrepetitionofdifferent elementsin identicalpositions,in orderto ...
discoverthesimilaritywithincontrast,ortherepetitionofsimilarelements,
in orderto ... establish the difference withinthe similarity."1
Vertovadapts the conceptof rhythm,as the fundamentalprincipleof
versestructure, to his cinematographicpoems.He worksoutwhatis known
as "the theoryofintervals."He declaresthatthefilmhas to be built"upon
'intervals,'that is, upon a movementbetweenthe pieces,the frames;upon
the proportionsof these pieces betweenthemselves,upon the transitions
fromone visual impulseto the one followingit." He indicatesthatnotless
importantthan the movementbetweenimages is "thespectacularvalue of
each distinctimage in its relationstoall theothersengagedin the'montage
battle'." And concludesby saying that the ultimatetask ofa filmeditoris
"to reducethese mutual attractions... these mutualrepulsionsofimages
among themselves . . . this whole multiplicity of intervals . .. to a simple
spectacular equation . . . expressing in the best possible manner the
essential themeof the cine-thing[film]."7
This theorywas mostsuccessfullyapplied in Man witha Movie Camera.
In this filmthe parallelism can be perceivedin termsofthe rhythmof a
phrase - i.e. the alternationofshots ofdifferent
durationin a sequence-
and the visual rhyme- i.e. theanalogy ofimages,framecomposition,and

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action.Man witha Movie Camera is enclosedin a narrativeframe:itstarts
by showingthe audience enteringthemovietheatreand ends byfocussing
on the public's reactionsto the conclusionofthe show. Withinthis frame,
the filmis dividedinto two symmetricalparts.They are bothmarkedby a
similarprogressiveintensificationoftherhythm,a kindofcrescendothat
startswithshotsofa ratherlongdurationand ends witha seriesofshotsno
longerthan a splitsecond.In thefirstpart,thismovementaccompaniesthe
theme of sleep, gradual awakening,beginningof the activities- street
traffic,factorywork, trade - and progressiveintensificationof the
activities,whichreacha totalfrenzyby theend oftheday.In thesecondpart
theslow-pacedrhythmaccompaniesthethemeofholiday,leisureand sport;
it picks up speed in connectionwitha tavernscene and a concertofspoons
and bottles,and ends upin a frenziedsuccessionofbarelyperceivableshots.
Two aspects ofSovietlifehave therefore been connectedbytheparallelism
oftworhythmic segments,and semanticassociationsbetweenthetwohave
been forcedupon the viewer'smind.
The transitionbetweenthe two main phrases is a good example ofhow
therhythmicpatternsubjugatesthe syntacticordering.The last sequence
ofpartI showsmachinery,peopleoperatingthemachinery,and citytraffic,
all movingat a terrificspeed;thepace oftherhythmis graduallyincreased
by means ofshorterand shortershots,fastmotionand super-impositions,
to the pointwhereit reaches a climax and it is abruptlyresolved.A total
relaxationofthepace startsthenextsequence:shotsofa longdurationand
a staticcamera are matchedbytheimages ofstillmachinery,male workers
washing in freshwater,femaleworkerscombingtheirhair,and a deserted
landscape. The lightsuggeststhat it is the end ofthe day, we see treetops
and a rainbow-likemetalbridgeprojectedagainst an eveningsky.The next
shot shows a crowdedbeach in the daylight.Syntagmatically,the latter
shouldbe understoodas thebeginningofpartII. In fact,whiletheendofthe
workingday is still relatedby contiguityto the last sequence ofpartI, in
space and time,the shot of the beach in the daylightsuggests a breakin
spatial and temporalcontinuity.However,the syntagmaticorderingis
deformedand overpoweredby the rhythmicparallelism. The rhythmic
patternofthesequence presentingtheend oftheworkingday matchesthat
of the openingsequence of part I; furthermore, several images - such as
people washing themselves, treesin a deserted park,and therainbow-like
metal bridge- rhymewithanalogous images at the beginningof part I,
and a similarlighteffect(dawn/dusk)reinforces therhyme.Therefore, bya
semanticshift,we take the end of the day as the beginningof part II.
The two parts of the filmare furtherconnectedby a series of visual
rhymes.The followingare only a few examples. A juxtapositionof two
oppositesoccursin partI and, witha variation,in partII. Two mannequins,
one black in a white 18th centurycostumeand wig,the otherwhitein a
black wig, appear in Part I. They are echoedin part II by a scene on the
beach, whereshots ofa girlwearinga whitekerchiefand coveringherface
with dark mud are intercutby shots of a pale-faced,dark-hairedlady
makingup herlips withdarklipstick.The use ofpostersto commenton the
action constitutesanotherlink betweenthe two parts. In part I we see a

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woman sleeping in bed,juxtaposed to the posterof a man's head, witha
fingerto his lips,invitingthepublicto be silent.The postertakes thewhole
frame(we do notsee its edges),therefore itoccupiesthesame filmicspace as
the otherimages, and we take it as part of the diegesis. This illusion is
eventuallydestroyedwhen we see the same posterin a mediumshot on a
wall ofa busy streetwithpeoplewalkingback and forthin theforeground.
A similar manipulationof filmicspace occursin Part II, wherea poster,
showinga woman's head withan emptyglass closetoherlipsis juxtaposed
to people drinkingin a bar, and laterit servesas a backgroundfora rowof
beer bottles.A similar,but reversed,instanceis representedby a seriesof
close-upsofchildren.In partI, theyappear in freezeframesmanipulatedby
theeditorofthefilmin theeditingroom,and are seen as passing througha
moviola;in partII, thesame close-upsofchildrenare shownin theircontext
as they watch the tricksof a magician, and thereforeare a part of the
diegesis. The parallelism ofimages, in this case as well as forthe posters,
besides generating possible semantic connections,has the functionof
"laying bare the device."
A parallelism in frame composition is provided by the random
movementsof the crowdon a busy streetin part I, and the same random
movementsofthe crowdon a beach in part II. This randomnessoflines is
opposed to the straightintersectinglines of streetcartracksin part I, and
the geometricdesign ofrowsofpeoplein a physicaleducationclass in part
II. We can see otherexamples ofvisual rhymein theparallelismofactions.
In partI, a rapid montageis used tocreatea metaphorforthe"kino-eye,"as
Vertovcalled the lens. A sequence shows the camera lense that focuseson
flowers,intercutwitha woman's eyesfocusingon a treeoutofthewindow;
thewindowis screenedbyvenetianblindsthatstartblinkinglikea shutter.
The crosscutting,back and forth,betweenthe woman's eyes and the tree
occurs several times at a veryrapid pace. In part II, the same rapid cross-
cuttingmontageoccursin a shootinggallery,wherea womanfocuseson a
targetthroughthe viewfinderof her rifle.
The examples discussed above show how the rhythmofa sequence and
thevisual rhymescreatesemanticconnectionsbetweenthetwomain parts.
The same occurson a smallerscale withineach part.The firstsequence of
thefilmis a cataloguingofpeopleand objects.A womansleepingin herbed,
bums sleeping on park benches,coach driverssleeping on theircoaches,
infantssleepingin a maternityward,are intercutwithlifelessbuildingson
emptystreets,storewindowsdisplayingmotionlessmannequins,a seriesof
still objectssuch as an elevator,a typewriter,a telephone,a printingpress,
the wheel ofan automobileand thewheelsoffactorymachinery.These are
all ratherlong shots, and all of approximatelythe same duration.The
association people/machinesis thereforegeneratednot only by a visual
analogy - stillness - but also by the rhythmof the sequence. This is
reinforced by a subsequentsequence wherethesame (orsimilar)peopleand
objectsare shown in movement;the pace ofthe rhythmis moresustained,
theshots are shorter,butstillofequal duration.The analogy man/machine
is, in thiscase, just an instanceofa broadertheme;actually,themaintheme
of the film, which stresses the harmonic coexistence and interaction of

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human beingsand technologyin a constructivist world.The culminationof
the analogy is the almost centaur-likenatureof cameraman/camera.
An exampleofdissociationbyrhythmoccursin thesequenceofthesport
events. A series of athletesperforming in various sports- discus throw,
highjump,pole vault,highhurdles,hammerthrow,horserace - is shown
in slow motionand withoccasional freezeframes.These shotsare intercut
by shorter,regularspeed shots ofthe publicwatchingan event.The latter
last approximatelythreeseconds, versus the seven second lengthof the
former.The stressesofthisphrasefallon theshotsofthe athletes,because
theyare perceivedas varyingfromthenorm,boththroughtheslowmotion
and theirgreaterduration.An oppositionbetweenpublic and performers
has thusbeencreated:an oppositionwhichbecomessomewhatironicwhen
the sequence concludes with a fat lady (reminiscentof the ladies in the
public) who rides a mechanical horse in a reducingsalon.
Visual rhymes,which immediatelyfollowone anotherare providedby
cuttingon shape. A woman,signingherdivorcepapers,is associated with
anotherwoman,mourningon a grave,by theiridenticalposture.A cut on
shape associates a trafficsignal and the movie camera,both"watching"
the lifeofthe boulevardfroma vantage point.An entiresequence builton
cutson shape juxtaposes a waterreservoirtotextilemachines;thebubbling
exuberanceof a waterfallis duplicatedin the nextshot by the twirlingof
spools on a wheel,whichrotatesdownwards;thenthewatersmoothlyflows
over a roundedsurface,and in the next shot two rotatingcilinderson a
machineecho thatfluidshape and movement.Whatis importanthereis not
the association of water and machinery as such, but their aesthetic
parallelism. The impact of the sequence is purelyaesthetic,almost an
abstractsymphonyoffluid,everchangingshapes. The effect, futuristically,
reveals "the beautyof the machine."
Besides the cuttingon shape, analogical juxtapositionsare oftenbased
on action. It may be tingedwith irony,as in the beauty salon sequence,
whereshots of a seeminglybourgeoislady, having her hair washed and
trimmedand her hands manicured,are intercutwith shots of women
workingat jobs requiringmanual dexterity: a laundresswashingclothes,a
seamstressoperatinga sewing machine,and the editorof the filmat the
moviola. Anotheranalogy based on action, but devoid of any ironyis
generatedbythejuxtapositioncameraman/worker. One sequencepresents
shots of the cameraman climbing a factorychimneyto obtain a good
camera angle,intercutwithshotsofworkersoperatingmachines.Another
similarsequenceshows thecameramanin a mine,and laterat a steelplant;
shots of him operatinghis camera are intercutwithshots of minersand
workersperformingtheirjobs. This analogy sustains the idea that the
cameraman is just anotherworkercontributing to the needs of society.
The term"rhythmicmontage,"in this article,is not used in the sense
Eisensteinattributedto it.In "MethodsofMontage,"8Eisensteindiscusses
fivekindsofmontage,fromthe mostsimplistic,"metricmontage"(which
consistsofsplicingtogethersegmentsofthe filmofa mathematicallypre-
determinedlength,independentlyfromthecontentofthetext),to themost
complex, "intellectualmontage." Stage 2 is representedby "rhythmic

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montage,"accordingto which"theactual lengthdoes notcoincidewiththe
mathematicallydeterminedlength of the piece according to a metric
formula... [but]its practicallengthderivesfromthe specificsofthepiece,
and fromits planned lengthaccordingto the structureof the sequence."'
Eisenstein gives an example of "rhythmicmontage" from his film,
Battleship Potemkin:
The rhythmicdrumofthesoldiers'feetas theydescendthe
steps violatesall metricaldemands.Unsynchronizedwith
the beat of the cutting,this drummingcomes in off-beat
in its
each time,and the shot itselfis entirelydifferent
solutionwitheach ofthese appearances. The finalpull of
tensionis suppliedby thetransferfromthe rhythmofthe
descending feet to another rhythm- a new kind of
downward movement- the next intensitylevel of the
same activity- the baby-carriagerollingdownthesteps.
The carriage functions as a directly progressing
acceleratorof the advancing feet.The steppingdescent
passes into a rollingdescent.10
In thisessay, as in severalothers,Eisensteinwas criticalofVertov,who,
in his opinion,never went beyond a complexformof "metricmontage."
Whateverreasons theremightbe behind the polemicbetweenthese two
masters of the Soviet cinema, it is certain that there are structural
differencesbetween their films. Vertov did not use montage in the
Eisensteinianway,either"metric"or "rhythmic," buthe editedhis filmsin
his own highlycreativeway. Far fromfollowinga mathematicalprinciple
in cuttinghis montagesegments,he wovein each ofhis filmsa subtlenetof
semanticrelationshipsby means ofrhythmicpatterning.The resultofthis
kind of "rhythmicmontage" is a meaningfulwhole,based on the same
principlesthat sustain the creationof modernpoetry.

PURDUE UNIVERSITY

NOTES
'See Seth R. Feldman, Evolution of Style in the Early Work of Dziga
Vertov (New York: Arno Press, 1977); Dziga Vertov, Stat'i, dnevniki,
zamysli (Moscow: Izdatel'stvo iskusstvo,1966).
2Dziga Vertov, "The Writingsof Dziga Vertov," Film Culture, 25
(Summer1962),56.
30sip M. Brik,"Contributions totheStudyofVerseLanguage," Readings
in Russian Poetics, eds. L. Matejka and K. Pomorska (Cambridge:MIT
Press, 1971),pp. 117-125.
4See Jurij Tynjanov, Problema stixotvornoga jazyka: stat'i (Moscow:
Sovetskijpisatel', 1965).

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 5RomanJakobson,"Linguistics and Poetics," The Structuralistsfrom
Marx to Levi-Strauss,eds. Richardand Fernande DeGeorge(Garden City,
N.Y.: AnchorBooks, 1972),p. 111.
6JurijLotman,Lekciipo struktural'noj poetike(Providence,R.I.: Brown
UniversityPress, 1968),p. 65. See also, Strukturaxudoizestvennogo teksta
(Providence,R.I.: Brown UniversityPress, 1971).
7Dziga Vertov,p. 65.
8FilmForm,ed.,trans.,Jay Leyda (New York:Harcourt,Brace & World,
1949),pp. 72-83.
9Ibid,p. 74.
1iobid,p. 74.

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