Shestaya chast mira

Some of the images are beautiful, and the way Vertov crafts them all together is quite stirring. The propagandistic nature of the film does grow a bit tiring after a while: propaganda can be interesting as a historical artefact, but it (by its nature) sure can feel awfully didactic. That said, it's still a rather great film and I love how many different cultures are on show here, and all the wildlife, all the different jobs and the machinery and land: as a piece of documentary it's fascinating.

Essentially a compilation of little snippets of life across the Soviet Union, each lasting a few seconds and accompanied by a title card describing what is in them, and sometimes tying them together with a broader pro-Soviet message. It's interesting enough for what it is, enough of the footage is well shot and captivating enough to make me curious, but the elements used to bring it all together aren't that compelling to me. The version I watched also had no music, which may have been a mistake.

Here again we have the problem of the intelligentsia for the revolution. The images are scrupulously juxtaposed and well-framed adding up to a feeling of grandeur and solidarity for the mother Russia but I ask myself whether any of those workers could endure this film let alone have the opportunity to watch it. And it would be more touching if Vertov had added some music to this :)