Dziga Vertov, "Entuziazm" ["Enthusiasm"]
(1930)
This film is also known as "Symphony of the Donbas" - the "Donbas"
is the Basin of the Don River, an area rich in mineral resources and a
center of coal mining in the Soviet Union. The film is important for its
innovative use of natural sound; you'll note that Vertov uses sound in
ways that are sometimes 'counter-intuitive' - i.e. he pairs sounds with
images that don't match. This is part of Vertov's urge to experiment with
film as a medium, but such experimentation was increasingly frowned upon
in the Soviet Union, and the film found more enthusiastic audiences abroad
than in Russia.
The film dramatizes miners' efforts during Stalin's First Five-Year Plan (initiated in 1928). During the First Five-Year Plan, the Soviet economy was to be intensely and rapidly industrialized; agriculture was to be converted from small, peasant-farmed plots to large-scale "collectivized" agriculture. The social costs of both these initiatives were enormous and devastating. But in official media - in the press, films, art and officially-sanctioned literature, the Plan was celebrated as being successful beyond expectation, and bringing modernity and abundance to the Soviet Union.
Before you(we)watch the film, read the brief excerpt from Stalin's speech on industrialization, found at http://artsci.shu.edu/reesp/documents/Stalin--industrialization.htm
The questions below refer to the Stites essay on reserve in Ladd, "Man the Machine" (Chapter 7 of Revolutionary Dreams: Utopian Vision and Experimental Life in the Russian Revolution)
- How did Russian receive "Taylorism" and Henry Ford?
- How does Stites explain revolutionary Russians' fascination with the machine?
- What values are embraced by Gastev, Kerzehents and their Russian followers? What is being rejected?
- What examples of the application of "Taylorism" in Russia particularly strike you?
- In class on Tuesday, we will briefly discuss Olesha's stories as they contrast with the visions discussed by Stites. Does Stites' discussion help you understand Olesha?
The images below give some visual examples of the "machine" ideal discussed by Stites.