DOCUMENTARIES...
williedynamite
263 Posts
Recently had to come up with a list of "10 Masterpieces of Documentary" to be included in a series at the Maysles Institute Cinemateque in Harlem. It was more difficult than I expected, especially in trying to avoid some of the obvious choices. Here's what I came up with:Time Indefinite (1993) Ross McElweeProject: Grizzly (1996) Peter LynchOne the Bowery (1957) Lionel Rogosin (a borderline doc, but close enough)Love and Diane (2002) Jennifer DworkinLost Book Found (1996) Jem CohenLorang's Way (1980) David MacDougallGeneral Idi Amin Dada (1976) Barbet SchroederVolcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry (1984) Donald BrittainChronicle of a Summer (1960) Jean RouchNight and Fog (1955) Alain ResnaisThe list goes on and on... Didn't even touch some of my favorite music-related films (Wattstax; Roots Rock Reggae; Gimme Shelter; Don't Look Back; Monterey Pop; Beat This!; Bombin'). Anyway, had a lot of fun coming up with the films and was wondering what documentaries have inspired all of you...
Comments
some i would add are stuff like ruttmans symphony of a city, iven's rain, iven's political joints like the chinese red army thing perhaps, um i think its criminal to exclude flaherty, trinh t. minh ha's reassemblage is a must, i consider man with a movie camera to be experimental documentary and if not then vertov's lenin shorts, and i like jean rouch's film on africa, i cant remember the name right now. oh and last but definately not least the motherfucken GOD of that shit fred wiseman's titticut follies or any of his joints for that matter.
"Crumb" is the one that immediately comes to mind. It's as much about family dysfunction as it is about the artist.
yeah... there are so many good ones out there. i tried to come up with a bunch that were less likely to be covered by other contributors. agree that Titicut Follies, Hospital, High School or pretty much any other Wiseman is a must, also the other classic observational films like Grey Gardens, Salesman, Don't Look Back, etc... I think the Jean Rouch film you're referring to might be Le Jaguar. Also the Mad Masters and Lion Hunters are great too...
this is the one i saw. les maitres-fous or something like that, yes? i saw it high on drugs so imagine how much i was freaking out during the blood scenes.
i definitely think you should include reassemblage. it basically deconstructs the documentary up to that point.
i have a soft spot for "city symphonies" which is why i lean towards ruttman and that man with a movie camera flick. also joris iven's rain is basically a love letter to amsterdam.
and flaherty. im a fan. in all his homophobic hegemonic white male glory.
Thin Blue Line
The Wonderful Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl
King of Kong
Hearts of Darkness
yeah, that film is unbelievable... imagine seeing it high could be either an incredible or scarring experience, especially the part at the end where they eat the sacrificed dog.
i actually like his work a lot too (though The Man from Aran puts me down like two caps of Nyquil)... The participatory aspect of Nanook amazes me, and wish that more of his contemporaries had picked up on it. there's a really interesting negative reading of his work in Fatimah Rony's "The Third Eye: Race, Cinema, and Ethnographic Spectacle" and then a great counter-argument by Jay Ruby in "Picturing Culture". Ruby is such a salty dude and really tries to tear her playhouse down...
and Reassemblage is a great suggestion by the way... haven't seen it since college, but will certainly check it out again.
have you seen night and fog? similar subject and very very, well, i dont know how to put it. a beautiful horrible poem that finishes by putting things into perspective.
haha.
yeah I've seen both. I mean obviously they're totally different in scope and aim (half hour vs. nine friggin hours).
Resnais was going for a short, atmospheric snapshot, which is almost a like visual art piece to me.
Lanzmann obviously sought to create a more definitive, comprehensive history. While not a straight historical narrative a la the History channel, it was nonetheless an attempt to really tell a complete story (hence the interviews with historians and survivors). Plus the whole "bystanders" element was pretty next level; I don't know of another shoah documentary that really goes that deep into the stories of the "bystanders." To me that's the most unique part of the film.
Watching that thing in its entirety is a labor, though. I mean it's exhausting.
i think this is why its important as a documentary. not solely because of its subject material, but because it is not at all trying to be objective in the matter. in a sense, night and fog is less about the holocaust and more about the atrocious nature of man, and how we will likely repeat these atrocities.
Paris is Burning
Growing Up In America
Woodstock
Do the Frozen Buffalo
Hoop Dreams (the War and Peace of Sports Docs)
The Filth and The Fury
I Hate My Tatoo
STYLE WARS[/b]
YOU DO DOODLE!
I Like Killing Flies
Spellbound
10 mph
The Future Of Food
Helvetica
24 Hours On Craigslist
I would like to see:
King Corn
Anyone remember the one done by a woman exposing the mining industry in the 70's? It took place in a certain southern town which was also the title of the movie. I remember that one was incredible, but can't remember many details or the title.
(I did write some words to go with these pictures but the internet ate them when I tried to preview.)
They're in pairs.
They have similar subject matters, and benefit from the juxtaposition.
Get ready to cry your eyes out.
Grace is definitely one I would suggest and these:
Warrendale, A Married Couple, Memory, EmpZ 4 Life
Empz 4 Life(synopsis from Toronto Int'l Film Fest)
A bullet blasts a hole in a family's front window - the target was their son. A tireless community leader tries to get through to him. "They are trying to kill you. Did you see your mother's face? This can only end two ways." Allan King, master of the documentary form and pioneer of cin??ma-v??rit??, turns his attention to the high-risk young men from Toronto's suburbs, and to the forceful and committed individuals fighting to safeguard their futures.
Brian Henry is a volunteer for HOOD-LINC, a youth agency. He is tough on the kids themselves and relentless on their behalf. "You are succeeding at keeping the black race in prison," he bluntly says to one. Though often confronted with their pose of defensive impenetrability, it is impossible for him to stop trying. He unremittingly lobbies the educational system and in return is accused of acting in self-interest. "I've met more honourable people in prison," he says, alluding to a past that still defines him.
His dedication is echoed by that of mathematician and writer John Mighton, who volunteers in the same community. Mighton's math classes are as much about building confidence as they are about numeracy. As his students surpass goals once thought impossible, they are bashful in the face of their own achievement.
The tireless commitment of the film's protagonists is matched by King's own. His trademark depth of vision is fully present here as he thoughtfully observes these young men. Without narration or interview, King allows the eloquence of his subjects' actions to reveal the complexity of this world with an immediacy and urgency that is characteristically immersive. This is a relevant and profound offering from a giant of Canadian cinema.
The summer of 2005 was branded in the press as Toronto's "Summer of the Gun," and much of the attention centred on these neighbourhoods. EMPz 4 Life is a respectful exploration of a community often simplified by the purple prose of daily headlines.
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I worked on documentaries for a long time, but never with King. I know a lot of his regular crew and he is apparently great to work with, which I think is important.
I still have mixed feelings about docs and don't know how if I will ever feel comfortable with the exploitative nature of them. Different directors/films and styles will have varying degrees of that, but it's always there in one way or another. It's sometimes hard for me to get over that.
He is one the best verite directors - I think his respect for the people in his films shows.
from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0426596/
In suburban Buenos Aires, thirty unemployed auto-parts workers walk into their idle factory, roll out sleeping mats and refuse to leave. All they want is to re-start the silent machines. But this simple act - the take - has the power to turn the globalization debate on its head. Armed only with slingshots and an abiding faith in shop-floor democracy, the workers face off against the bosses, bankers and a whole system that sees their beloved factories as nothing more than scrap metal for sale. With The Take, director Avi Lewis, one of Canada's most outspoken journalists, and writer Naomi Klein, author of the international bestseller No Logo, champion a radical economic manifesto for the 21st century
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074605/
all-time favorite.
Street Fight
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_Fight_%28film%29