Three Songs of Lenin (Dziga Vertov, 1934)
One of Vertov’s last films, Three Songs of Lenin functions as an ode to the deceased revolutionary leader, created for the tenth anniversary of his death. The film is structured, as the title suggests, around three songs sung to Lenin and functions to sanctify and celebrate him in a way that is seen as symptomatic of Socialist Realism. Many themes in this film appear in Vertov’s other films, especially those from the latter half of his career. Like A Sixth Part of the World (1926) and Lullaby (1937), Vertov draws upon the cultural diversity of the Soviet Union while always keeping the Soviet government as a point of reference by showing emancipated Central Asian women singing to Lenin. The film went on to great success at international film festivals, but its technical experimentation was met with suspicion. During the early years of Socialist Realism, Vertov’s style was seen as detrimental due to its perceived lack of accessibility to wider audiences.[1]
Director: Dziga Vertov
Writer: Dziga Vertov
Cast: Dolores Ibárruri, Nadezhda Krupskaya and V.I. Lenin
Year: 1934
Production Company: Mezhrabpomfilm
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Director: Dziga Vertov
Writer: Dziga Vertov
Cast: Dolores Ibárruri, Nadezhda Krupskaya and V.I. Lenin
Year: 1934
Production Company: Mezhrabpomfilm
Buy on Amazon.
WATCH THREE SONGS OF LENIN HERE!
[1] Richard Taylor. Film Propaganda: Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany (London: I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd., 2006) 84.