Stride, Soviet!

Fans of Dziga Vertov's dazzling Man With A Movie Camera are probably going to be disappointed in this feature of his, a routine (in other words, rather dull) look at the improvements instituted by the Soviet government after the devastation caused by the revolution. The pace is much slower and the points made by Vertov are much more obvious, thus leaving the viewer little to think about or marvel at. New factories, schools, orphanages, apartments, trains etc. are presented as signs of improved life. It's hard to present such things in an interesting light and I get the feeling that Vertov wasn't even allowed to try. Films like this are not completely without value of course, since it is always interesting to see people and sights from the past, but it is not riveting viewing, especially when you know what the director was capable of when unleashed. For history buffs only.