The Resume

(January 2, 1896-February 12, 1954)
Born in Bialystok, Poland
Birth name was David Abelevich Kaufman
Directed the Kino-Nedelya and Kino-Pravda newsreel series (1919-24)
Directed the films 'A Sixth Part of the World' (1926), 'Man with a Movie Camera' (1929), 'Three Songs About Lenin' (1934), 'Lullaby' (1937) and 'In the Mountains of Ala-Tau' (1944)

Why he might be annoying:

His name translates as 'spinning top.'
He was an enthusiastic propagandist for Soviet Communism.
He re-edited 'Three Songs About Lenin,' adding segments that glorified Stalin's achievements and removing footage of 'enemies' like Nikolai Yezhov.
He wrote manifestos denouncing 'staged cinema' even though his best-known film, 'Man with a Movie Camera,' contains obviously staged scenes.
He dismissed the work of fellow Soviet film pioneer Sergei Eisenstein as 'the same old crap tinted red.'

Why he might not be annoying:

He was an early experimenter with techniques such as montage and split screens.
His first sound film, 'Enthusiasm: Symphony of the Donbass' (1931), was called the best film of the year by Charlie Chaplin, who said, 'I never would have believed it possible to assemble mechanical noises to create such beauty.'
His artsy direction fell afoul of the officially sanctioned school of social realism, so he eventually was demoted from directing to being an editor of newsreels.
Critic Kenneth Turnan called him, 'The most influential filmmaker hardly anyone knows anything about.'

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• Artsy/Fartsy Directors
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 42]
• Directors of Sight and Sound's 10 Greatest Films: 2012 Critics Poll (Ranked: 8)
• Directors of Sight and Sound's 10 Greatest Films: 2022 Critics Poll (Ranked: 9)
• Documentarians
• Film Pioneers [Silent Era]
• I Died in 1954 (Ranked: 58)
• I'm a Communist
• I'm Buried at Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow
• Look at Me, I've Got a Camera Too
• Profiles 32751-33000 (Ranked: 32827)

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 17 Votes: 58.82% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 7 Votes: 85.71% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 14 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 24 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 150 Votes: 50.67% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2015, Out of 6 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
In 2014, Out of 18 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
In 2013, Out of 7 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
In 2012, Out of 29 Votes: 89.66% Annoying