DOVZHENKO'S FILMS
Sta,—Mr. Basil Wright wonders whether, in my reference to "Dovzhenko's juxtaposition of newsreel shots," I had intended to name not Dovzhenko but Vertov and his Kino-Eyc. No, Sir, I had not so intended. The reference was to page 161 of the book I was reviewing, Experiment in the Film, where Grigori Roshal analyses Dovzhenko's current work (which Mr. Wright admits he has not seen) in such phrases as, "The very selection of the material from the rich store of newsreels is peculiar. And, working on this newsreel material, Dovzhenko reaffirms the poetical elements inherent in man.... This is achieved by means of the self-same daring combination of the 'low' and the lofty." I agree with Mr. Wright that Dovzhenko's earlier films, such as Earth, "arc a thousand miles from Mr. Ray's statement." But they are twenty years away, too, and I was reviewing the book before me, not writing my reminiscences.—
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