KINOGLAZ ONLINE
"I am kino-eye, I am a mechanical eye. I, a machine, show you the world as only I can see it."[1]
Welcome to Kinoglaz Online! Here you can find a wide assortment of information pertaining to early Soviet cinema as well as the important developments that influenced it.
Created during a time of radical social and political upheaval, the originality and power of the masterpieces of Soviet silent and early sound cinema continue to speak to us across a gap spanning nearly a century. The October Revolution of 1917 triggered a wave of radical social and artistic experimentation, and cinema was at the center of it. Because of its ability to communicate directly with the masses, it was seized upon by a group of talented filmmakers as an essential tool in forging the new, modern Soviet society—cinema was to be the medium of the future. The result was a remarkably diverse and innovative collection of films that encompasses both the avant-garde and the commercial. Many of these works were influenced by Hollywood slapstick and adventure films, but the radical context in which they were made produced unique moving pictures. Whether it’s due to their experimentation with form, their political commitment, or the inextricable interweaving of the two, the fingerprints of the great Soviet directors of this era can be seen running through the world cinema that followed. Soviet silent cinema lasted but a moment, but it was a moment that lives on through the films it continues to inspire and influence, and we at Kinoglaz Online are dedicated to showcasing and celebrating this very special era in cinema history.
*Truncated from: "The most important art forms for us are cinema and the circus."
[1] Dziga Vertov. Kino-Eye: The Writings of Dziga Vertov. Ed. Annette Michelson. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984) 79.