Modernitet i vernakularnost u amaterskim filmovima Oktavijana Miletića
MODERNITY AND VERNACULAR MODERNISM IN OKTAVIJAN MILETIĆ’S AMATEUR FILMS

Summary/Abstract: Modernity has been a recurring theme in film and cultural theory, particularly relevant for the history of silent cinema. Since the methodology of these “cultural” approaches to film theory became a contestation point, the first part of the paper outlines the development of this debate. The key analytical tool of the paper is Miriam Hansen’s notion of vernacular modernism, a concept crucial for later film theory, and wider cultural theory and practice. The corpus analysed herein consists of silent Croatian documentary films, described in the eponymous publication Films in Croatian Film Archives 1904-1940, which fit into the category of travelogues or scenics, and specifically city films. The final section of the paper focuses on the amateur films of Oktavijan Miletić and draws on existing readings to demonstrate the vernacular qualities of his opus, especially his city symphony Zagreb in the City Lights (1934).

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