Course Description
History of Documentary Film surveys the major developments from the first factual films of 1895 to the present. The course covers major movements within the film genre, including factual film; ethnography, war, propaganda, documentary, and compilation films; films on art, direct cinema, cinema verité; films from the third world, and films from emerging social movements.
Because it is impossible to survey the entire history of documentary film in a single semester, we will be focusing on two broad themes in pre–World War II era and in the post-World War II era.
- In the years leading up to World War II in the 1940s, most documentary films were nationalistic in tone and in scope. Documentary films were often produced by governmental agencies that promoted the nation to its own people and to others around the world. They focused on the “big stories” of the nation. Part of this was due to the expensive nature of producing films. But it was also a function of the sociopolitical environment in the West and beyond. One could argue that this nationalistic fervor contributed to World War II and 70 million deaths. We cover this in modules 1–6.
- After World War II, filmmaking technology became less expensive to procure and less cumbersome to use. There were also new venues for exhibiting documentary films. And perhaps most importantly, there was a recognition that a progressive, cooperative spirit could realize peace among nations, although the Cold War would challenge that project. Documentary film in this era told many more stories than it ever had before. These films gave voice to communities and peoples who never could speak before. We cover this in modules 7–12.
The midterm exam divides the modules and our coverage of these broad themes.
Remote Online Course
This course will be conducted remotely over the Internet.
Most learning activities will be asynchronous, meaning that you will complete these on your own time. This includes readings, screenings, quizzes, essays, and exams.
In addition, there will be a certain number of synchronous activities, including a weekly discussion session on Zoom where we discuss the major issues relating to that week’s module on the history of documentary film.
Instructor
Juan Monroy
Office Hours
I will be available for individual meetings on Mondays and Wednesday, between 12:00 – 1:00 PM, US Eastern Time. Sign up for an appointment at least one day in advance at:
https://juanmonroy.com/prattofficehours
After you sign up, I will email you a Zoom Meeting link for you to join the meeting.
Assignments
Please complete all of the assignments by the date noted on the course schedule
Assigned Readings
Assigned readings are listed in the course schedule below and available from the following sources:
Grant, Barry Keith and Jeannette Marie Sloniowski. Documenting the Documentary: Close Readings on Documentary Film and Video, new and expanded ed. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2014.
McLane, Betsy. A New History of Documentary Film, 2nd ed. New York and London: Continuum, 2012.
- Amazon
- Pratt Online Bookstore
- Reserve from Pratt Library: the links for the chapters in the course schedule are for PDF scans from Pratt Library
Reading Quizzes
Each week, I will post a reading quiz on Canvas. The quiz will consist of true-false and multiple choice questions.
Complete each quiz by the dates noted on Canvas.
- Ten of twelve quizzes are required
- Weight: 20%
Screenings
Watch each of the films listed in the course schedule below. You will need to authenticate with your Pratt One Key credentials to access these screenings.
All films produced prior to 1930 are silent and are identified as such. Any music or other sounds was added years later. The soundtrack you may hear should not be considered part of the original filmmakers’ work.
Some titles are available to stream from commercial services, such as The Criterion Channel, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Kanopy, and others. Where available, I have linked to Just Watch, a service that aggregates the availability of online streaming for most movie titles.
I also have a Letterboxd list of relevant films for our course, including lists of eligible films for each essay:
- Essay 1: Prewar Documentary and National Identity
- Essay 2: Documentary Film and the Archive
Live Discussion Sessions
We will have an hourlong, weekly discussion session on Zoom, at the following time:
- Section 1: Tuesdays, 10:00–11:00 AM on Zoom
- Section 2: Tuesdays, 2:00–3:00 PM on Zoom
- Section 5: Thursdays, 10:00–11:00 AM on Zoom
In these sessions, we will review the major issues relating to that week’s module on the history of documentary film and closely examine how the films we studied represent reality in an innovative way.
These sessions will be recorded and made available only to students in our class upon request.
Essay 1: Prewar Documentary Film and National Identity
An analytic paper on at least one documentary film, made prior to the end of World War II, screened in class that addresses how national identity is articulated.
Essay 2: Documentary and The Archive
An analytic paper that compares how the past is resurrected through the use of archival footage in contemporary documentary films.
Midterm Exam
The midterm exam, covering our study of documentary film through World War II, will consist of two parts:
- Identification of film stills from films screened in class, requiring you to identify and explain the clip in the context of the film.
- Short answer questions, requiring you to engage the screenings and readings related to the major movements and trends in documentary film we covered in class.
Details:
- Available on Canvas
- Due: see due date on Canvas
- Weight: 20%
Final Exam
The final exam, covering our study of documentary film after World War II, will consist of two parts:
- Identification of film stills from films screened in class, requiring you to identify and explain the clip in the context of the film.
- Short answer questions, requiring you to engage the screenings and readings related to the major movements and trends in documentary film we covered in class.
Details:
- Available on Canvas
- Due: see due date on Canvas
- Weight: 20%
Course Schedule
Complete each assigned activity—readings, quizzes, and screenings—by the date listed for each module.
Module 0: Introduction
In this introductory session, we will meet each other on Zoom, at the time noted below. I will discuss the format of the course, our approach to studying documentary, and our goals for understanding the history of non-fiction filmmaking.
Module 1: Beginnings
Module 2: Experimental Film and Modernity
- Read A New History of Documentary Film, “The European Avant-Garde Experimentation, 1922–1929,” 57–72.
- Read Documenting the Documentary, “Synthetic Vision: The Dialectical Imperative of Luis Buñuel’s Las Hurdes”
- Read MacDonald, Scott. “Avant-Doc: Eight Intersections.” Film Quarterly 64, no. 2 (December 2010): 50–57
- Watch Rhythmus 21 (Hans Richter, Germany, 1921, 3 min.) Silent film.
- Watch Manhatta (Charles Sheeler and Paul Strand, USA, 1921, 12 min.) Silent film.
- Watch Taris (Jean Vigo, France, 1931, 10 min.)
- Watch Las Hurdes: Tierra Sin Pan [Land without Bread] (Luis Buñuel, Spain, 1932, 27 min.)
- Watch Berlin: Symphony of a Great City (Walter Ruttman, Germany, 1927, 62 min.) Silent film.
- Complete Quiz 2 on Canvas
- Join the Live Discussion Session on Zoom:
Module 3: Documentary and the Soviet Revolution
Module 4: British Documentary Movement
- Read A New History of Documentary Film, “Institutionalization: Great Britain, 1929–1939,” 73–92.
- Read Documenting the Documentary, “The Art of National Projection: Basil Wright’s The Song of Ceylon.”
- Watch Industrial Britain (Robert Flaherty and John Grierson, United Kingdom, 1931, 21 min.)
- Watch Housing Problems (Edgar Anstey and Arthur Elton, United Kingdom, 1935, 16 min.)
- Watch Song of Ceylon (Basil Wright for Ceylon Tea Propaganda Board, 1937, United Kingdom, 38 min.)
- Watch Night Mail (Harry Watt and Basil Wright, United Kingdom, 1936, 24 min.)
- Complete Quiz 4 on Canvas
- Join the Live Discussion Session on Zoom:
Module 5: US Documentary and the New Deal
Module 6: Wartime Documentary
- Read A New History of Documentary Film, “WWII,” 117–157.
- Read Documenting the Documentary, “The Poetics of Propaganda: Humphrey Jennings and Listen to Britain.”
- Watch London Can Take It (Harry Watt and Humphrey Jennings, United Kingdom, 1940, 9 min.)
- Watch Listen to Britain (Humphrey Jennings, United Kingdom, 1942, 20 min.)
- Watch Why We Fight: A Prelude to War (Frank Capra, USA, 1942, 55 min.)
- Complete Quiz 6 on Canvas
- Join the Live Discussion Session on Zoom:
Midterm Exam
The midterm exam, covering modules one through six, is available on Canvas
Module 7: Post-War Documentary and Internationalism
- Read A New History of Documentary Film, “Post-War Documentary, 1945–1961,” 159–183.
- Read Documenting the Documentary, “Documenting the Ineffable: Terror and Memory in Alain Resnais’s Night and Fog.”
- Watch Night and Fog (Alain Resnais, France, 1956, 32 min.) Content warning: contains graphic scenes from the Nazi extermination camps that will disturb some of you.
- Watch The Wall (Walter De Hoog, USA, 1962, 9 min.). Content warning: contains some graphic scenes of military violence.
- Watch Tiré Die (Fernando Birri, Argentina, 1960, 33 min.)
- Watch Neighbours (Norman McLaren, Canada, 1952, 8 min.)
- Watch Very Nice, Very Nice (Arthur Lipsett, Canada, 1961, 7 min.)
- Complete Quiz 7 on Canvas
- Join the Live Discussion Session on Zoom:
Module 8: Cinéma Verité and Direct Cinema
- Read A New History of Documentary Film, “Cinéma verité, direct cinema, 1958–70,” 219–241.
- Read Documenting the Documentary, ““Don’t You Ever Just Watch?”: American Cinema Verité and Don’t Look Back”
- Read Documenting the Documentary, “Ethnography in the First Person: Frederick Wiseman’s Titicut Follies”
- Watch Bob Dylan: Don’t Look Back (D.A. Pennebaker, USA, 1966, 96 min.)
- Watch Chronique d’un étè [Chronicle of a Summer] (Jean Rouch and Edgar Morin, France, 1961, 92 min.)
- Watch Titicut Follies (Frederick Wiseman, USA, 1967, 84 min.) Trigger warning: graphic scenes in a psychiatric hospital, including medical procedures
- Complete Quiz 8 on Canvas
- Join the Live Discussion Session on Zoom:
Module 9: Political Activism and Documentary
- Read A New History of Documentary Film, “Power to the People,” 243–270.
- Read Documenting the Documentary, “The Two Avant-Gardes: Solanas and Getino’s The Hour of the Furnaces.”
- Watch Part 1, “Neocolonialism and Violence” of La Hora de los Hornos (Octavio Getino and Fernando Solanas, Argentina, 1968, 84 min.) Trigger warning: graphic scenes of animal butchering, violence, and a deceased corpse
- Watch Harlan County (Barbara Kopple, USA, 1976, 105 min.)
- Complete Quiz 9 on Canvas
- Join the Live Discussion Session on Zoom:
Module 10: Video and New Documentary Forms
- Read A New History of Documentary Film, “Video Arrives,” 271–300.
- Read Documenting the Documentary, “Silence and its Opposites: Expressions of Race in Tongues Untied.”
- Watch The Atomic Cafe (Jane Loader, Kevin Rafferty, Pierce Rafferty, USA, 1982, 86 min.)
- Watch Tongues Untied (Marlon Riggs, USA, 1989, 55 min.)
- Watch History and Memory (for Akiko and Takashige) (Rea Tajiri, USA, 1991, 33 min.)
- Complete Quiz 10 on Canvas
- Join the Live Discussion Session on Zoom:
Module 11: Documentary, Archives, and Truth
Module 12: Documentary, Memory, and Truth
- Read A New History of Documentary Film, “Documentary Tradition and the Twenty-First Century,” 331–362.
- Read A New History of Documentary Film, “Now and When,” 363–390.
- Read Documenting the Documentary, Mirrors without Memories: Truth, History, and The Thin Blue Line.
- Read Documenting the Documentary, “31 Cultural Learnings of Borat for Make Benefit Glorious….”
- Watch The Thin Blue Line (Errol Morris, USA, 1988, 103 min.)
- Watch Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (Larry Charles, UK and USA, 2006, 84 min.)
- Complete Quiz 12 on Canvas
- Join the Live Discussion Session on Zoom:
Final Exam
The final exam, covering modules seven through twelve, is available on Canvas