Lullaby

OriginallytitledKolybelnaya,the45-minuteLullabywasoneofthreefilmsturnedoutin1937bylegendarySovietdocumentaristDzigaVertov.Itwasalsohislast"personal"film.UnderfirefornotadheringtotheStalinstpartylineofsimplified,or"dumbeddown"socialistrealism,andforcontinuingtoworkinhisoldstyleofflashy,self-indulgent"formalism,"Vertovhadtocontenthimselfwithstraightforwarddocumentariesandnewsreelsfortherestofhiscareer.Curiously,whenseentodayLullabyseemslikepro-Sovietpropagandathroughandthrough,extollingthepraisesofRussianwomanhoodbydetailingtheprogressmadesincethe"equalizing"Revolution.VertovoffersglimpsesofSovietfemalesofallagesgainfullyemployedinavarietyofprofessions,fromagrariantoindustrial.Thelyricismhebringstotheseimagesbringslifetowhatotherwisemighthavebeenanexerciseinpuretract;hisgenius,however,wasnotaltogetherappreciatedbyAmericanfilmcritics,whodismissedhisartisticcompositionsanddiffusedlensesas"poorcamerawork."~HalErickson,AllMovieGuide