Documentary [Paperback]

@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

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, alC&