100 Documentary Films (Bfi Screen Guides)

Description:
Documentary films constitute a major part of film history. Cinema's origins lie, arguably, more in non-fiction than fiction, and documentary represents the other - often submerged and barely visible - 'half' of cinema history. Historically, documentary cinema has always been an important point of reference for fiction cinema, and the two have often overlapped. Over the last two decades, documentary cinema has enjoyed a revival in critical and commercial success. 100 Documentary Films is the first book to offer concise and authoritative individual critical commentaries on some of the key documentary films - from the Lumiere brothers and the beginnings of cinema through to recent films such as Bowling for Columbine and When the Levees Broke - and is global in perspective. Many different types of documentary are discussed, as well as films by major documentary directors, including Robert Flaherty, Humphrey Jennings, Jean Rouch, Dziga Vertov, Errol Morris, Nick Broomfield and Michael Moore. Each entry provides concise critical analysis, while frequent cross reference to other films featured helps to place films in their historical and aesthetic contexts. Barry Keith Grant is Professor of Film Studies and Popular Culture at Brock University, Ontario, Canada. He is the author of Film Genre: From Iconography to Ideology (2007), Voyages of Discovery: The Cinema of Frederick Wiseman (1992) and co-author, with Steve Blandford and Jim Hillier, of The Film Studies Dictionary (2001). Jim Hillier is Visiting Lecturer in Film at the University of Reading. He is the author of The New Hollywood (1993), the co-author of The Film Studies Dictionary (2001) and, with Alan Lovell, of Studies in Documentary (1972). His edited books include American Independent Cinema (2001) and two volumes of the English translation of the selected Cahiers du cinema (1985, 1986).

Review:
'The first book to offer concise and authoritative individual critical commentaries on some of the key documentary films.' - Sight& Sound

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Introduction A Propos de Nice, Jean Vigo, France 1930 The Act of Seeing with One's Own Eyes, Stan Brakhage, US 1971 The Atomic Cafe, Jane Loader/Kevin Rafferty, US 1982 The Battle of Chile/La Batalla de Chile, Patricio Guzman, Venezuela-France-Cuba 1975-1979) Berlin: Symphony of a Great City/Berlin: Die Sinfonie der Grossstadt, Walter Ruttmann, Germany 1927 Bowling for Columbine, Michael Moore, US 2002 A British Picture: Portrait of an Enfant Terrible (Ken Russell, UK 1989) British Sounds, Jean-Luc Godard/ Jean-Henri Roger, UK 1969 Bus 174, Jose Padilha, Brazil 2002 Cane Toads: An Unnatural History, Mark Lewis, Australia 1988 Le Chagrin et la pitie/The Sorrow and the Pity, Marcel Ophuls, Fr-Switz-W Ger, 1968 Chronique d'un ete/Chronicle of a Summer, Jean Rouch/Edgar Morin, France 1961 Close Up, Abbas Kiarostami, Iran, 1990 Coal Face, Alberto Cavalcanti, UK 1935 Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment, Robert Drew, US 1963 Daughter Rite, Michelle Citron, US 1979 David Holzman's Diary, Jim McBride, US 1967 Dead Birds, Robert Gardner, US 1965 A Diary for Timothy, Humphrey Jennings, UK 1945 Dont Look Back, D.A. Pennebaker, US 1967 The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On, Hara Kazuo, Japan 1987 Aetre et avoir, Nicolas Philibert, France 2002 The Fall of the Romanov Dynasty, Esfir Shub, USSR 1927 Farrebique, ou les quatres saisons, Georges Rouquier, France 1946 Fast, Cheap and Out of Control, Errol Morris, US 1997 For Freedom, Hossein Torabi, Iran 1979 Forgotten Silver, Peter Jackson, NZ 1995 Les Glaneurs et la glaneuse/The Gleaners and I, Agnes Varda, France 2000 Grey Gardens, Albert& David Maysles/Ellen Hovde/Muffie Meyer, US 1975 Grizzly Man, Werner Herzog, US 2005 Handsworth Songs, John Akomfrah, 1986 Happy Mother's Day, Richard Leacock/Joyce Chopra, US 1963 Harlan County USA, Barbara Kopple, US 1976 Harvest of Shame, David Lowe, US 1960 Heidi Fleiss: Hollywood Madam, Nick Broomfield, UK 1995 Hoop Dreams, Steve James, US 1994 Hour of the Furnaces/La Hora de los hornos, Octavio Getino/Fernando E. Solanas, Argentina 1968 Housing Problems, Edgar Anstey/Arthur Elton, UK 1935 Las Hurdes/Land Without Bread, Luis Bunuel, Spain 1933 I for India, Sandhya Suri, UK-Germany 2005 In the Year of the Pig, Emile De Antonio, US 1968 Jazz, Ken Burns, US 2001 Kon Tiki, Thor Heyerdahl, Norway 1950 Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance, Godfrey Reggio, US 1982 Lessons in Darkness/Lektionen in Finisternis, Werner Herzog, Ger-France-UK 1992 Let There Be Light, John Huston, US 1946 The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter, Connie Field, US 1980 Lonely Boy, Wolf Koenig/Roman Kroiter, Canada 1962 Lost Lost Lost, Jonas Mekas, US 1976 Lumiere programme, Auguste& Louis Lumiere, France 1895 Les Maitres Fous/The Mad Masters, Jean Rouch, France 1955 Manhatta, Charles Sheeler/Paul Strand, US 1921 The Man with a Movie Camera, Dziga Vertov, USSR 1929 Man of Aran, Robert Flaherty, UK 1934 March of the Penguins/La Marche de l'empereur, Luc Jacquet, France 2005 A Married Couple, Allan King, Canada 1969 Minamata, Tsuchimoto Noriaki, Japan 1971 My Winnipeg, Guy Maddin, Canada 2007 Nanook of the North, Robert Flaherty, US 1922 Native Land, Leo Hurwitz/Paul Strand, US 1942 Necrology, Standish Lawder, US 1971 New Earth/Nieuwe gronden, Joris Ivens, Netherlands 1934 News from Home, Chantal Akerman, France-Belgium-West Germany 1976 North Sea, Harry Watt, UK 1938 Nuit et brouillard/Night and Fog, Alain Resnais, France 1955 Not a Love Story: A Film about Pornography, Bonnie Sherr Klein, Canada 1981 One Man's War/La Guerre d'un seul homme, Edgardo Cozarinsky, France, 1982 Paris is Burning, Jennie Livingston, US 1990 People on Sunday/Menschen am Sonntag, Robert Siodmak, Edgar G.Ulmer, Germany 1929 The Plow that Broke the Plains, Pare Lorentz, US 1936 Portrait of Jason, Shirley Clarke, US 1967 Primary, Robert Drew, US 1960 Primate, Frederick Wiseman, US 1974 Les Racquetteurs/The Snowshoers, Michel Brault/Gilles Groulx, Canada 1958 Roger and Me, Michael Moore, US 1989 Salesman, Albert& David Maysles/Charlotte Zwerin, US 1969 Le Sang des betes, Georges Franju, France 1949 Sans soleil/Sunless, Chris Marker, France1983 79 Primaveras/79 Springs, Santiago Alvarez, Cuba 1969 Shipyard, Paul Rotha, UK 1935 Shoah, Claude Lanzmann, France 1985 El Sol del membrillo/The Quince Tree Sun/The Dream of Light, Victor Erice, Spain 1992) The Spanish Earth, Joris Ivens, US 1937 Surname Viet Given Name Nam, Trinh T. Minh-ha, US 1989 Talking Heads, Krzysztof KieA lowski, Poland, 1980 The Thin Blue Line, Errol Morris, US 1988 This is Spinal Tap, Rob Reiner, US 1984 Time Indefinite, Ross McElwee, US 1994 Titicut Follies, Frederick Wiseman, US 1967 Tongues Untied, Marlon Riggs, US 1990 Triumph of the Will/Triumph des Willens, Leni Riefenstahl, Germany 1935 Truth or Dare, Alek Keshishian, US, 1991 Turksib, Victor A. Turin, USSR 1929 Very Nice, Very Nice, Arthur Lipsett, Canada 1961 Waiting for Fidel, Michael Rubbo, Canada 1974 The War Game, Peter Watkins, UK 1965 We Are the Lambeth Boys, Karel Reisz, UK 1958 When the Levees Broke, Spike Lee, US 2006 Why We Fight: Prelude to War, Frank Capra, US 1943 Woodstock, Michael Wadleigh, US 1970 Zidane: a 21st Century Portrait, Douglas Gordon/Philippe Parreno, France-Iceland 2006

Author Biography:
BARRY KEITH GRANT is Professor of Film Studies and Popular Culture at Brock University, Ontario, Canada. He is the author of Film Genre: From Iconography to Ideology (2007), Voyages of Discovery: The Cinema of Frederick Wiseman (1992) and co-author, with Steve Blandford and Jim Hillier, of The Film Studies Dictionary (2001). JIM HILLIER is Visiting Lecturer in Film at the University of Reading. He is the author of The New Hollywood (1993), the co-author of The Film Studies Dictionary (2001) and, with Alan Lovell, of Studies in Documentary (1972). His edited books include American Independent Cinema (2001) and two volumes of selected criticism from Cahiers du cinema (1985, 1986).