How to Evaluate a Documentary Film

Some ways documentary films convey arguments: archival documents, periodicals, diaries, letters photographs, “ephemeral” films Ken Burns effect (panning over documents/photographs) interviews/talking heads (witnesses, experts) voiceover/voice-of-god narration editing: juxtaposition of video (two different pieces of footage for example) and audio elements (voice and music) reenactments of events

Documentary film that uses conventional documentary elements effectively: The Civil War (PBS, dir. Ken Burns, 1990) A history of the Civil War in the United States Uses historical photographs, documents, newspapers, letters, diaries Uses “Ken Burns effect”—panning over photographs or written sources—to entertain and focus the viewer Uses “voice-of-god” voiceover narration to advance the story and interpret historical sources Uses “talking head” interviews with experts to interpret evidence and provide conclusions Downplays slavery as the central issue of the Civil War; overemphasized states’ rights as an issue in the conflict

Excellent documentary film made exclusively with historical footage: The Atomic Café (1982) A film about living in fear of nuclear war in the U.S. during the early Cold War. Uses “ephemeral” films from the period from the Prelinger Archives (advertising, educational, industrial, and amateur) Uses juxtaposition of archival video and sound (both voice and music) to produce an interpretation opposite to the anticommunist view proposed by historical films it uses Uses no voiceover or talking heads beyond those already in the historical footage

Documentary film that uses feature film elements to interpret past events: The Thin Blue Line (dir. Errol Morris, 1988) A film investigating an old case where one man murdered a cop but another one was falsely convicted for murder Uses case documents, interviews with witnesses and the convicted man, as well as new evidence found by the director Interviews are highly stylized No voice-over narration Events of the murder are reenacted by actors Uses dramatic music by Philip Glass Convincing: as a result of the film, the conviction was overturned

Mockumentary—a feature film made in a style of a documentary: This Is Spinal Tap (dir. Rob Reiner, 1988) A film about a fictional metal band satirizing the music industry and the “rockumentary” genre Was so realistic about the pitfalls of touring and recording for small bands that: Some musicians found it painful to watch Others, like Ozzie Osborne, thought that the band was real Film was so popular that musicians formed a real band, toured successfully, and made a record

Sample midterm question A 1988 review of The Thin Blue Line in Variety magazine stated: “[Errol] Morris has, in spite of himself, made a film that succeeds both as an objet d’art and a nonfiction narrative. Visual design, lightning and editing are impeccable, with all these elements carefully planned in a way entirely at odds with a technique of the ordinary documentary.” Explain why Errol Morris’s style seemed so at odds with the documentary film tradition. What was his pioneering style? How was his film effective as an interpretation of a historical event?