New History of Documentary Film

Betsy A. McLane is the Director Emerita of the International Documentary Association. She holds degrees in cinema: a BFA from Ithaca College, MA and Ph.D. from The University of Southern California School of Media Arts. She has taught courses on film and documentary at Loyola Marymount University, The University of Vermont, Emerson College, The University of Southern California and California State University, San Bernadino, Palm Desert Campus. She is a Past President of the University Film and Video Association, and most recently served as the Project Director for The American Documentary Showcase, a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State.

A New History of Documentary Film is a vital and essential narrative about the evolution of an art form, from its earliest manifestations around the birth of the moving picture to its modern-day diffusion of genres and sub-genres in the digital era. This new version brings readers up-to-date in this so-called Golden Age of Documentary, while providing a rich and lively tour over a century of innovation and provocation. As any good history evinces, this New History tells us where we've been and where we're going. --Thomas White, Editor, Documentary Magazine

• Preface Chapter One: Some Ways To Think About Documentary Description Definition Intellectual Contexts Pre-Documentary Origins Books On Documentary Theory And General Histories of Documentary Chapter Two: Beginnings: The Americans And Popular Anthropology, 1922-1929 The Work Of Robert and Frances Flaherty The Flaherty Way The Flaherty Legacy Films Of The Period Books On The Period Chapter Three Beginnings: The Soviets And Political Indoctrination, 1922- 1929 Reportage/Newsreel Compilation Epic Fiction and Documentary The Fiction Films Films Of The Period Books On The Period Chapter Four Beginnings: The European Avant-Garde Experimentation, 1922-1929 Aesthetic Predispositions Avant-Garde And Documentary Changes In The Avant-Garde Three City Symphonies Films Of The Period Books On The Period Chapter Five Institutionalization: Great Britain, 1929-1939 Background And Underpinnings The System The Films Grierson And Flaherty Grierson's Contribution Films Of The Period Books On The Period Chapter Six Institutionalization United States, 1930-1941 The March Of Time Government Documentaries Nongovernment Documentaries Conclusions Denouement An Aside To Conclude Films Of The Period Books On The Period Chapter Seven WW II Part A: Great Britain Early Days Indoctrination Social Documentary Records Of Battle Part B: Canada Founding Of National Film Board Theatrical Series Nontheatrical Films Summary Part C: United States Training Indoctrination Why We Fight Records of Battle Social Documentary Comparisons: Great Britain, Canada, United States Films Of The Period Books On The Period Chapter Eight Postwar Documentary, 1945-1961 Personnel And Leadership Sponsorship USIA Films Canada Subjects Internationalism Approaches And Techniques Observations Films Of The Period Books On The Period Chapter Nine Documentary For Television, The "Golden Years," 1951-1971 Historical Background Documentary Series The Special Characteristics Of Early Television Documentary Films Of The Period Books On The Period Chapter Ten British Free Cinema And New American Cinema, 1953-1960 Critical Background Free Cinema Films The United States Films Of The Period Books On The Period Chapter Eleven Cinéma Vérité, Direct Cinema, 1958-1970 Historical Background New Technology And First CV/Direct Direct Cinema Vs. Cinéma Vérité Effects On Documentary Subjects And Styles Frederick Wiseman Conclusion Films Of The Period Books On The Period Chapter Twelve Power Of The People, The 1970s Some Established Filmmakers New Directions In Vérité Political Emphases and Vietnam Newsreel Collectives Feminist Resurgence Challenge for Change Public Access Television Other Emerging Organization Films Of The Period Books On The Period Chapter Thirteen Video Arrives, 1980 - 1990s Cable and Satellite Technology Personal Essay Film Compilation Strictly Political Social and Ethnic Minorities Representing Gay and Lesbian Culture Films Of The Period Books On The Period Chapter Fourteen Reality Bytes Business and Technology: The Bad and The Good American Public Television Archival Documentary The Ken Burns Phenomenon Canada Soldiers On Development in the U.K. American Independents Films Of The Period Books On The Period Chapter Fifteen Documentary Traditions in the Twenty First Century Werner Herzog Steve James and others Erroll Morris Women Documentarians Experimental Documentary Theaters and Festivals Films Of The Period Books On The Period Chapter Sixteen Now and When Aesthetics And Content Finance Documentary Un-Reality Intimate Doings Of Reality Academic Approaches Emergent Technologies Social Media Commitment to History Conclusion Films Of The Period Appendices TOP 25 Theatrical Grossing Documentaries TOP 10 Theatrical Grossing Sports Documentaries Index