Documentary

by David Saunders

Overview

Dave Saunders’ spirited introduction to documentary covers its history, cultural context and development, and the approaches, controversies and functions pertaining to non-fiction filmmaking. Saunders examines the many methods by which documentary conveys meaning, whilst exploring its differing societal purposes.

After a historical consideration of international documentary production, the author examines the impact of recent technological developments on the production, distribution and viewing of non-fiction. In addition, he explores the increasingly hazy distinctions between factual and dramatic formats, discussing ‘reality television’, the ‘docu-drama’, and less orthodox approaches including animated and fantastical representations of reality.

Documentary encompasses a broad range of academic discourse around non-fiction filmmaking, introducing readers to the key filmmakers, major scholars, central debates and critical ideas relating to the form. This wide-ranging guidebook features global releases from the 1920s through to 2009, and includes films such as:

• Nanook of the North (1922)
• The Man with the Movie Camera (1929)
• Night Mail (1936)
• Night and Fog (1955)
• Primary (1960)
• Roger and Me (1989)
• Tarnation (2003)
• My Winnipeg (2006)
• Sicko (2007)
• Waltz With Bashir (2008)
• Say My Name (2009)
• Anvil: The Story of Anvil (2009)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415473101
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	04/21/2010
Series:	Routledge Film Guidebooks
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Dr. Dave Saunders is working on a number of research projects, the latest of which is a history of rock musicians acting in the cinema. His previous publications include Direct Cinema: Observational Documentary and the Politics of the Sixties (2007), and Arnold: Schwarzenegger and the Movies (2009).

Table of Contents

@contents: Selected Contents: Acknowledgements  Introduction  Part I: ‘A Troubled and Difficult Art’: A Brief Introduction to Non-Fiction Film  Chapter One: The ‘D’ Word: Definitions, ‘Obligations’ and Functions  Chapter Two: Major Trends, Movements and Voices  Part II: Reading Non-Fiction: Case Studies, Concepts and Criticism  Chapter Three: Pioneers  Nanook of the North (1922): Narrativising the Real  The Man with the Movie Camera (1929): Montage and Ideology  Night Mail (1936): The Poetics and Politics of Class  Chapter Four: Bards  Night and Fog (1955): Articulating the Unspeakable  My Winnipeg (2006): A City of the Mind  Waltz With Bashir (2008): Conflict and Memory  Chapter Five: Performers  Tarnation (2003): Performance and Autobiography  Sicko (2007): Michael Moore, Documentary Superstar  Say My Name (2009); Anvil: The Story of Anvil (2009): Rockumentary Revivals  Conclusion: New Challenges, Territories and Directions  A Select, Chronological Filmography  Bibliography