Gianikian and Ricci Lucchi’s powerful survey of the irreparable damage to human lives caused by World War One derives its exclamatory title from a quote by Leonardo da Vinci arguing that the very sight of the horrors of war is capable of awakening and renewing the human conscience. Unflinchingly organizing the archival footage which comprises the film, Gianikian and Ricci Lucchi create two broad categories—of displaced, sick, orphaned and malnourished children and of severely disfigured veterans. Forcing the audience to systematically confront, all at once, the ravages of war, the seemingly unruffled gaze of the camera, and the filmmakers’ own tolerance for the images, forms a devastating and almost numbing meditation on man’s will to destruction.  A sharp retort to complacent spectatorship, Oh! Man is also a bold testament to the power of the moving image to awaken the viewer and to objectify the camera’s subject.

This short film highlighting the glorification of the body by Italian fascism skillfully contrasts footage of staged athletic events with home movies of weddings and family celebrations.