Lullaby (Dziga Vertov, 1937)
Vertov’s final film was shot in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the 1917 Revolution. It focuses on the women and the role of motherhood, featuring images from across the Soviet Union, in particular the Far East. In that way, it resembles his earlier films thematically, especially A Sixth Part of the World (1926). The film features a toned down version of his famous montage style, and is structured around the lullabies that are sung to children by their mothers across the country. The songs are ostensibly representative of the local culture and folklore, although all of the melodies and lyrics were in fact written specifically for the production of this film.[1]
Like Three Songs of Lenin (1934), Lullaby eventually leads back to Moscow and Stalin, and is very much in keeping with the Stalinist cult that was pervading Soviet life and culture at this time. Nevertheless, the film quickly disappeared from movie theatres, evidently because of Stalin’s displeasure with the documentary form, although no overt evidence exists to explain this. Whatever the reason, Vertov would never make another film.[2]
Director: Dziga Vertov
Writer: Dziga Vertov
Year: 1937
Production Company: Mezhrabpomfilm
Like Three Songs of Lenin (1934), Lullaby eventually leads back to Moscow and Stalin, and is very much in keeping with the Stalinist cult that was pervading Soviet life and culture at this time. Nevertheless, the film quickly disappeared from movie theatres, evidently because of Stalin’s displeasure with the documentary form, although no overt evidence exists to explain this. Whatever the reason, Vertov would never make another film.[2]
Director: Dziga Vertov
Writer: Dziga Vertov
Year: 1937
Production Company: Mezhrabpomfilm