A Woman With a Movie Camera
A memoir by Marina Goldovskaya, a Russian
woman filmmaker, who was the first in Russia and, probably, in the world, to
combine being a director, writer, cinematographer, and producer of her films.
It is written in a very light and simple style. It is easy to read, it is entertaining and very informative. The title comes from the classic Soviet film, Dziga Vertov's Man With a Movie Camera , a 1929 Russian documentary now taught in film classes all over the world. The book is multifaceted, serving different audiences. It tells the story of a courageous woman, born into the Soviet elite, who dared to move beyond the limits permitted to women in general and filmmakers in particular.
This book gives an insider's account about life in the Soviet Union with interesting details describing the specifics of the media and arts world, how the totalitarian system worked on a day-to-day level, and how the power structures ruled the media.
The book is of great interest for independent filmmakers, film students, and documentarians. Written in a free style that is easy and entertaining to read, the book gives a lot of information and insights into the art of independent documentary filmmaking… how life gives birth to films, and how films emerge from life. The whole complex process of documentary filmmaking is analyzed in detail, with colorful examples, stage by stage – from an idea of the future film - through production and post-production.
There are only a few books written by documentary filmmakers, including Joris Ivens, The Camera and I (1969), Harry Watt, Don't Look at the Camera (1974), and Nicholas Webster, How to Sleep on a Camel (1997). This would be the only one coming out of Russia, with a vision of that world tempered by life and work in the United States.
IN RUSSIAN
TEXAS UNIVERSITY PRESS is planning to publish the English version of Marina Goldovskaya's "A WOMAN WITH A CAMERA" early 2006
