Salina Temple screens 1929 Soviet Union silent film Friday

The Salina Temple will take a step back in time for one night this week by screening a silent film from the 1920s on Friday.

Released just two years after construction of the historic Masonic Temple was completed, “The Man with a Camera” is a 1929 Soviet silent film by Dziga Vertov that will be shown at 7 p.m. on May 24 in the historic third floor theater du Temple, 336 Avenue S. Santa Fe.

This isn’t the first time the Temple has hosted a film for the public, but according to Temple Executive Director Mary Landes, it’s been a few years since the last time.

“In 2019…we had a Day of the Dead (event) and we screened the Pixar movie ‘Coco,’” Landes said. “We don’t (show) a lot of films. This time, it’s more about just raising awareness of the theater (as a venue to host events).”

Why is the Temple showing this silent film?

Landes said the idea to screen this film came from Salina independent filmmaker Isaiah Marcotte, whose studio is located in Temple.

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“Isaiah wanted to do this for us as a fundraiser,” Landes said. “It really seemed like a unique project. He had wanted to show this film for a long time (because) it’s in the public domain. He just thought it would be cool to show it in a 1920s theater.”

The film is described as being part documentary and part narrative, as it follows a city in the 1920s Soviet Union from morning to night. He will be accompanied during this screening by a selected soundtrack.

“(This film contains) a variety of complex and innovative camera shots, the film depicts scenes from ordinary daily life in Russia,” the Temple said in its announcement for the event. “Vertov celebrates the modernity of the city, with its vast buildings, dense population and bustling industries. Even though there is no title or narration, Vertov still naturally conveys the wonders of the modern city.”