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Political Documentary Films, 2002.
Examines four documentary films (televison and movies) related to war, politics and the media.
2,250 words (approx. 9.0 pages), 9 sources, $ 79.95
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Abstract
Examines four documentary television films related to war, politics and the media. The the 1988 "Coverup: Behind the Iran-Contra Affair, the 1992 "Panama Deception," the 1991 "Desert Storm: The War Begins," and the 1993 "Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media." Central concerns of the films. Role of news gathering organizations.
From the Paper
"Political documentary films have addressed a wide range of topics and have frequently seemed to produce action where the impact of the written word was far more limited. Indeed, filmed (or videotaped) news reports have even been credited with turning the American people against the war in Vietnam. But the responses of the military, the government, and the mainstream media to this presumed potential have concentrated on reducing the perceived threat of reporting by a number of means. Once it is clear, or seems to be clear, that a medium is capable of exposing activities to the public the leaders of the American executive and military often seem to think the logical response is simply to hide it better rather than, as it once seemed, to correct the problems.
The 1971 CBs television documentary, The Selling of the ..."
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Olympic Games Documentary Films, 2005.
This paper contrasts the 1936 Olympic Games documentary film by Leni Riefenstahl and the 1964 Olympic Games documentary film by Ton Ichikawa.
1,375 words (approx. 5.5 pages), 0 sources, $ 45.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that that Leni Riefenstahl's film of the 1936 Olympic documentary is propaganda, focusing more on German and German-sympathetic athletes and the ambiance of the Berlin stadium, seen in its new Nazi grandeur; whereas, in the most stunning photography, Ton Ichikawa's film of the 1964 Tokyo Olympiad is a salute of the exertion of the athletes regardless of race, nationality or ethnic background. The author points out that "Tokyo Olympiad 1964" is not a "sports documentary" in the traditional sense of showing races, winners and celebrating crowds but rather a technically and emotionally gripping documentary about the effort of preparation and the Olympic spirit. The paper concludes that, in a sense, this film is just as much a propaganda piece about Japan's new maturity as was Olympia 1936 but in a way that the glorification politics do not interfere with the presentation of the athletics.
From the Paper
"There is no real story line easy to follow, even though this nearly three-hour film opens with buildings being demolished to make way for the Olympic stadiums and arenas, and training areas as well as housing. As we see this, there is a voice-over which gives the other previous Olympic locations and dates. One of the next scenes is the obligatory Olympic documentary one of the torch reaching Japan, and the following thew various runners in the countryside, running to bring the torch to Tokyo and its new Olympic stadium. For Americans, the win of the Native American, Billy Mills, in the 10,000 meter race is a highlight. But, interestingly enough, the camera stays at the finish line until every racer has finished. There is also a somewhat poignant story line about the single athlete from Chad, who shares no common language with any other athlete, and trains alone. When he loses in the semi-final heat, Ahmed Isa is ignored by the crowd, but not Ichikawa. Here is loneliness amid the shouts of tens of thousands."
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Documentary Films, 2004.
Discusses documentary films by analyzing the film "Capturing the Friedmans".
1,800 words (approx. 7.2 pages), 5 sources, APA, $ 63.95
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Abstract
This paper use the documentary film, "Capturing the Friedmans", to define and examine the documentary film genre. The paper analyzes "Capturing the Friedmans", and discusses what the family's home movies reveal about contemporary American family life and the dynamics of the family relationships.
From the Paper
"According to Bill Nichols, every film is essentially a documentary, but true documentaries, as opposed to wish-fulfillment fictions, represent a unique genre of film that engages with the world as it exists in reality. Nichols says that the documentary engages with the world by representing it in one of three ways. First, documentaries offer a likeness or depiction of the world that bears a recognizable familiarity. Secondly, these films stand for or represent the interests of others. Third, some documentaries may represent the world..."
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Styles of Documentary Films, 2005.
This paper defines styles of documentary films as exemplified by Robert Flaherty's "Nanook of the North", Albert and David Maysles' "Grey Gardens", Errol Morris' "The Thin Blue Line" and Kidlat Tahimik's "Perfumed Nightmare" ("Mababangong Bangungot").
855 words (approx. 3.4 pages), 0 sources, $ 30.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that Robert Flaherty's "Nanook of the North" and Albert and David Maysles' "Grey Gardens" are examples of the evidential style of documentary film, a sort of cinema verite, or truth-cinema, which attempts to portray reality through the lens of the camera, objectively and truthfully, with no commentary or underlying message. The author points out that Errol Morris in his documentary "The Thin Blue Line" uses a rhetorical style, in which the filmmaker has no intention of remaining objective to the subject matter and often features the filmmaker as a primary character or narrator, and, in contrast to evidential documentaries, often employs the use of dramatization, staged scenes and direct interviews for the purpose of convincing the audience of the truth of the film's message. The paper relates that rhetorical and evidential documentary techniques are not completely mutually exclusive as presented in Kidlat Tahimik's "Perfumed Nightmare" ("Mababangong Bangungot"), which blends dramatization and filmmaker interaction with objective, removed footage of unstaged events in real life.
From the Paper
"The Maysles brothers did not feel the need to stage scenes or use interviews to glean the information they were looking for, because that information was simply a glimpse into the real lives of the two women. This was achieved nicely in the film, which used a "hands-off" technique to capture the way life really was for the Beales. "Grey Gardens" does such a successful job of portraying reality that at times in the film when one or the other of the subjects is looking or speaking directly at the camera, the audience gets the impression that she is addressing a wall."
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Truth and the Documentary Film, 2005.
This paper discusses the subject of truth and the documentary film, making use of the beliefs of film director Errol Morris.
2,250 words (approx. 9.0 pages), 2 sources, $ 89.95
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Abstract
This essay examines the question of the presentation of film and looks at the topic of truth within the documentary film. The writer considers the words of Errol Morris, the director of 'The Thin Blue Line', who believes that documentaries can be as personal as fiction film making. The writer discusses that Morris challenges the concept that objective truth may be captured through film.
From the Paper
"Errol Morris, director of 'The Thin Blue Line', has criticized the cinema verite style of documentary, arguing that: "There is no reason why documentaries can't be as personal as fiction filmmaking and bear the imprint of those who made them. Truth isn't guaranteed by style or expression. It isn't guaranteed by anything". In making this argument, Morris is not only challenging the idea that objective truth can be captured through film, but that the generic line between fictional film and documentary film can often be extraordinarily blurred."
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Documentary Film: "The Corporation", 2005.
This paper analyzes the Canadian documentary film "The Corporation", based on the book by Joel Bakan.
1,800 words (approx. 7.2 pages), 2 sources, $ 71.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that the documentary film "The Corporation" demonstrates the way the ideologies of corporations impact society and the public good. The author points out that, in this film, the corporation is analyzed and treated as if it were a person with a personality of a textbook psychopath. The paper relates that corporations manipulate the mass media and the consumers by ignoring social accountability, moral rules and sometimes even direct laws.
From the Paper
"The corporation is probably the most dominant institution in our society today. It is the most wealthy, powerful, pervasive, and influential institution on earth today. The principal goal of a corporation is to make as much legal monetary profit as possible, regardless of the consequences. It is also an institution legally not concerned with the well being of the society at large. This essay will argue that the limited liability of corporations makes them all-powerful and that it is this status quo that the corporations want to maintain, using propaganda and consumerism in order to do so."
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Flaherty and the Documentary Film, 2008.
An analysis of Robert Flaherty's influence in the documentary genre of filmmaking, through his 1922 film, "Nanook of the North."
1,345 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 45.95
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Abstract
This paper analyzes Robert Flaherty's contributions to cinema, particularly with regards to documentaries. It focuses on Flaherty's 1922 documentary film, "Nanook of the North" and how it has become inextricably associated with the development of modern documentary film. The paper analyzes Flaherty's masterful cinematic touch, from shot order to the pacing and treatment of his subjects and explains why he is widely considered one of the most influential filmmakers in the documentary genre.
From the Paper
"As Nanook declared to Flaherty before the filming of the walrus hunt, "the aggie [film] will come first." Though some modern critics have loudly proclaimed Nanook a fake by contemporary documentary standards, it is important to note that Flaherty can hardly be held accountable to the later standards of a film movement which did not, until he helped create it, exist. Though he drew heavily from historical precedent in nonfiction film and documentary-style presentations, Flaherty stands out because he was perhaps the first to fully integrate traditional ethnographic nonfiction into a satisfying and utterly engaging narrative form. Additionally, making Nanook the protagonist of his film, and portraying him in a respectful light set a precedent for future documentaries. By the time Nanook of the North had circled the globe, it had influenced and inspired filmmakers worldwide and triggered a nonfiction movement that has continued to this day. Flaherty's film contributes to the understanding of film as a whole by posing the most fundamental questions about nonfiction film, asking, what is reality? What is not? Where is the line between the two? Most importantly, Flaherty's Nanook of the North helped establish the often-unacknowledged fact that documentary film is not a newsreel but, first and foremost, art."
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The Documentary Film, 2008.
This paper looks at the six different modes of documentary filmmaking, with a focus on the documentaries "Out of Control: AIDS in Black America" and "Other Faces of AIDs".
2,614 words (approx. 10.5 pages), 8 sources, MLA, $ 78.95
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Abstract
The paper discusses the documentary film's six primary modes of filmmaking and illustrates some of these modes with reference to different documentaries. The paper then applies the data to two specific documentaries; "Out of Control: AIDS in Black America" and "Other Faces of AIDs," which address the growing AIDs crisis in the African-American community. The paper shows how in both films the expository mode takes over, creating a sense that the white reporters and filmmakers are lecturing, which undercuts the effectiveness of the message and separates the black community.
Outline:
Introduction
Six Primary Modes of Documentary Filmmaking
Conclusion
From the Paper
"The classification of documentary films into six modes was proposed and explained by Bill Nichols. As Nichols describes these six modes, he suggests that each of the six corresponded to a particular period in documentary filmmaking when that mode prevailed, though all persist and may be found in some films at any given time. The observational mode is considered by some to be the truest form, given that it involves the least direct interference or interpretation by the filmmaker. As Nichols writes, these are films that "eschew commentary and reenactment [and] observe things as they happen" (Nichols, Representing Reality: Issues and Concepts in Documentary 138). This is considered by many to be the most "documentary-like" of all the documentary forms, and perhaps the best-known practitioner of this form is Frederick Wiseman."
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The Art Film and the Genre Film, 2004.
Art and genre criticism in four classic films.
3,048 words (approx. 12.2 pages), 48 sources, MLA, $ 89.95
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Abstract
An analysis of two genre films and two art films - Antonioni's "Blow Up," Kelly/Donen's "Singin' in the Rain", Truffaut's "The 400 Blows", and Sirk's "All That Heaven Allows". The validity of both genre and art film criticism are examined.
From the Paper
"By its failure to accommodate the excess generated by its subject matter, All That Heaven Allows is not only critiquing the genre of melodrama, it also exposes the contradictions and conflicts present in American bourgeois society (Bourget, 1995, 45). However the subversive excess and contradictions present in the film prevent it from being ?just another melodrama?. Sirk worked within yet against the constraints of the Hollywood studio system to subvert the genre, and although the film is superficially a generic 1950s Hollywood melodrama, Sirk?s characteristic stylistic technique marks him as an auteur, a position usually associated with the art rather than the genre film."
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Seventies Films Versus Today's Films, 2001.
A comparison between films from different periods in time, and the differences in their entertainment methods.
2,625 words (approx. 10.5 pages), 8 sources, $ 79.95
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A comparison of three honored films from the seventies, "Easy Rider", "Five Easy Pieces", and "The Godfather" and two films from the the year 2000, "The Gladiator" and "Erin Brokovich". The paper considers how they differ in the realm of providing distracting entertainment versus probing consideration of timely issues, concluding that seventies films left a more lasting vision.
From the Paper
"What do we want from our movies? Do we seek simple escape or deeper understanding of our lives? Can a movie be both probing and entertaining? Are entertainment, eye candy and special effects enough, or do we seek something deeper? Do we want to look inside ourselves and ask questions, or to merely stay on the surface, distract ourselves, and deny that there is anything more to be considered? These questions arise when comparing three movies from the 1970s with two films nominated for Academy Awards in the 2000. The films considered are: from the seventies, Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, and The Godfather, and from 2000, Gladiator and, Erin Brokovich. Pauline Kael, the well-know New Yorker film critic, commenting on how she got hooked on films, agrees another critic, Paul Coates, that in its ideal form, ?Cinema is the dream of an afterlife from which to comprehend this one? (Kael 63). In light of this quote, the films from the seventies embody elements which through the focused vision of the director offer mythic qualities that provide not only entertainment but an opportunity for viewers to examine their lives. That in accomplishing this, they provide images that remain in the mind?s eye could be considered the tradition of the seventies. In contrast, recent films Gladiator and Erin Brokovich are entertaining distractions, providing no lasting vision."
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"Seven Up!" - A Documentary on Childhood, 2006.
An examination of the way in which children and childhood are presented in the documentary film "Seven Up!", directed by Peter Almond.
1,287 words (approx. 5.1 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 43.95
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Abstract
This paper examines the documentary film "Seven Up!" directed by Peter Almond. It looks at whether the film presents the true voices of the children involved; what they actually think and feel. The paper also examines the way in which children and childhood are presented by the film and the importance of the film in terms of developing our understanding of childhood. The paper argues that the film does not present the true voices of children but rather how these voices are shaped and influenced by the children's environment and their social and economic status.
From the Paper
"Childhood is a socially constructed concept and as such hides the vast differences between children in terms of age, gender, ethnicity and social status. The film attempted to highlight these issues to some extent. The children chosen for the film were all seven year olds from Britain. Hence in some ways they all shared the same concept of childhood, the western one (as opposed to for example non-western, developing country childhood). To some extent there is a cultural chauvinism in the film, since the children are all fit into this western concept of childhood."
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Film Studies: Analyzing Three Films within the Context of South East and Asian Historical Perspectives, 2005.
The Chinese Communist Party soon came to power after years of exile and puppet rule that Pu Yi had experienced in the ever changing political and gove...
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 6 sources, $ 53.95
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Abstract
The Chinese Communist Party soon came to power after years of exile and puppet rule that Pu Yi had experienced in the ever changing political and governmental landscapes of China. In 1950 Pu Yi was forced to leave his Soviet township and soon became a prisoner of the new Communist Party politics.
From the Paper
ABSTRACT TOO SHORT
Film Studies: Analyzing Three Films within the Context of South East and Asian Historical Perspectives Essay 1: Understanding the Premise of Vietnamese Communism within the Film: Full Metal Jacket The film Full Metal Jacket (1987), directed by Stanley Kubrick, offers an American point of view of a Vietnamese conflict that depended heavily on the communist (NLF) National Liberation Front. The communist resistance to American pressure to abdicate to the puppet regimes of older leaders, such as Ngo Dinh Diem, resulted in the NLF being called the "Viet Cong" or a "Democratic Dictatorship" within military and governmental propaganda. The reason for this is reflected in the film, as the Tet Offensive becomes the symbolic part of the movie where the Americans begin to lose the war, marking the American military's last real ground-based initiative to take the country. In this manner, a historical perspective of the NLF can be analyzed, but
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Film: "The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl", 2008.
This paper describes and analyzes Ray Muller's documentary film "The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl", who is best known as a documentary filmmaker during the time of Hitler.
1,055 words (approx. 4.2 pages), 3 sources, APA, $ 37.95
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Abstract
The paper explains that title of the documentary "The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl" captures the controversy, which Leni Riefenstahl arouses and summarizes the nature of her film work. The author points out that Riefenstahl is popularly acknowledge for having made two of the best documentary films ever produced but they have been denounced for their inherently horrible ideology of Nazism and central figure Hitler. The paper relates that, while this documentary is objective by presenting her admirable qualities, the film also exposes an infinitely less attractive dimension to Riefenstahl's personality, her self-defensive, over-brimming with self-justification and unwaveringly unapologetic stance about the services she rendered to Hitler and the Nazi party. The author discusses the use of voiceovers, flashbacks and contrasts in the production of the film.
From the Paper
""The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl" compels mixed reactions to its protagonist, evoking both admiration and aversion towards Riefenstahl. In one of the scenes, she is depicted as walking on a pier, carrying her own, undoubtedly heavy, scuba diving gear. Her much younger companions are walking ahead of her and neither offers to help her with her equipment and, indeed, her demeanor suggests that she would have rejected any offers of help. This scene would not have been remarkable were it not for the fact that Riefenstahl was over 90 at the time."
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Multiculturalism and the Canadian Documentary, 2007.
This paper discusses the issue of multiculturalism in Canadian film.
2,435 words (approx. 9.7 pages), 6 sources, MLA, $ 74.95
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Abstract
In this article, the writer points out that Canadian documentary directors have used the genre to effectively illustrate facets of multiculturalism and style that would be lost in the non-documentary film-making world. The writer discusses and compares three films in this paper. The writer describes that Simcha Jacobovici and Roger Pyke present a striking memorandum that illustrates the pain and struggle of religious persecution in the film 'Expulsion & Memory: Descendants of the Hidden Jews'. Similarly, the writer looks at Alanis Obomsawin's 'Richard Cardinal: Cry from the Diary of a Metis Child'. The writer also discusses 'Shooting Indians: A Journey with Jeffery Thomas' by Ali Kazimi that quietly illustrates one man's struggle to change the stereotypical image of Native cultures and people in North America, while also reflecting on the relationship of culture as the director shares his cultural background. The writer concludes that through different uses of the documentary genre, all three films effectively use the factual background to establish strong views of multicultural identity.
From the Paper
"As a film style, documentaries are tied to stricter guidelines than other films because they must adhere to fact to some respect. While many filmmakers might see this as a problem or hurtle, well-made documentaries take advantage of this factor as strength. American director St. Clair Bourne explains that the making of a fictional movie is much more demanding because the background and context must all be created from scratch; he finds documentaries to be more about interpretation and bringing out the real story that already exists within a context. This is the case with the three films discussed here, though each film faced different challenges in creation, and succeeded in different aspects. Each of these films takes the raw material of the history involved and shapes it to create a story with whatever intentions exist from the directors."
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World History in Film, 2005.
An analysis of four documentary films about different periods of history.
900 words (approx. 3.6 pages), 4 sources, $ 35.95
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Abstract
This paper analyzes four documentary films in the context of world history. It discusses the history behind each film and how the film the audience a taste of what it was like to live in that time. The program offers reenactments of possible events during this period of history. This helps the viewer to see the various environments and filming theory that help bring to life a by-gone age. The paper also discusses any interviews that were screened in the films about the time period.
From the Paper
"Film Studies: Analyzing four Documentary Films in the Context of World History Film 1: Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire. This film seeks to understand and verify the historical premise of 16th through 19th century Japan. The various issues of Tokugawa Era samurai classes and the Shogun's leadership are evaluated through a variety of international sources. The program offers reenactments of possible events during this period of history. This helps the viewer to see the various environments and filming theory that help bring to life a by-gone age. Also, there are interviews with various western and Japanese scholars that abound within the historical topics being discussed. This helps to create a more balanced approach to realizing the impact of historical events that would influence Japan's role in the world theater after the end of the Tokugawa government."
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