Film chronicle of the February Revolution of 1917 and its representation in archival documentaries

Abstract

When considering pre-revolutionary newsreels, a certain standardization of the filming becomes evident.
As soon as the February Revolution of 1917 began to unfold, cameramen, led by M. Bonch-Tomaszewski and V. Viskovskiy, took to the streets of the capital to capture the previously unimaginable revolutionary events. The developments brought about a change in the vision of events, which effectively shattered previous understanding of the life around us. The new vision led to innovative filming techniques and new meanings of the footage. That said, the authors of the footage did not try to add any extra implication or significance; on the contrary, in their work they were guided by the meanings and senses that emerged in the course of revolutionary events.
Many stories were subsequently used in a variety of documentaries; two examples are considered in the present article — “The Anniversary of the Revolution” by D. Vertov and “From Tzar to Lenin” by H. Axelbank. H. Axelbank started collecting documentary footage in 1920, so that in his film he could use material which D. Vertov did not have access to and which was not to be found in the Krasnogorsk archive.
Film footage depicting the February revolution is imbued with the spirit of unbridled freedom and conveys the most radical demands that took hold of the masses. Street manifestations literally manifest these senses and meanings. Later on, annual holidays became filled with street demonstrations that did not so much manifest, as rather demonstrated support, often formal, of the existing political regime in the country.