ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the film The Man Who Has a Camera directed by Liu Naou. Naou was a Chinese polymath based in Shanghai whose pursuits included the writing of fiction, editing, publishing, translating, film criticism, film theory, screenwriting, and filmmaking. In 1933 he completed a film titled The Man who has a Camera, an amateur film that was shot on 9.5mm stock. The film does contain a number of passages that were shot and edited in a manner reminiscent of the city symphony style. Liu's film is primarily a family portrait, and a travelogue, and much of its cinematography is consistent with these forms. The Man Who Has a Camera is notable for a number of passages that show a profound interest in kinetic effects, including a sequence shot from a speeding train, and another one shot from the passenger seat of a bi-plane in full flight.
