The Cinematic Urbanism of the Kaufman Brothers

Global Context and Personal Visions

Abstract

This article reconsiders the city symphony as a genre through the lens of urban and film studies, focusing on the interplay between cinematic form and the production of socialist urban space. Rather than treating canonical examples such as Liudyna z kinoaparatom / Man with a Movie Camera (Dziga Vertov, 1929) as isolated masterpieces, the article situates them within a broader network of films and filmmakers, including Mikhail Kaufman, Alberto Cavalcanti, and Jean Vigo. Employing methods of shot-by-shot analysis, historical contextualisation, and discourse analysis, the article argues that the shared cinematic tropes – such as rhythmic montage, polyphonic structure, and the city as protagonist – allow for a coherent attribution of the city symphony despite the genre’s elusive definitions. Special attention is paid to the contrasting urban imaginaries constructed by the Kaufman brothers, particularly in Moskva: Probeg Kino-Glaza / Moscow: A Race of the Cine-Eye (1927), Man with a Movie Camera and Navesni / In Spring (1930), which reveal divergent visions of utopic, socialist urbanism. The article proposes that these films not only reflect but also mediate alternative spatial and ideological realities that persist on screen and in cultural memory.