Updated for the Age of the Virus: This syllabus has been updated to reflect the switch to remote instruction. Please read this in full.

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 vérité; films from the third world, and films from emerging social movements.

Remote Course

This course will be conducted remotely.

Most learning activities will be asynchronous, meaning that students will complete these on their own time during the assigned week.

In addition, there will be a certain number of synchronous activities, including a weekly discussion session on Zoom. Office hours will also be held at a scheduled date and time on either Google Meet or Zoom.

Instructor

Juan Monroy

Office Hours:

Office Hours will be held remotely using:

Google Classroom

Assignments due before spring break require enrollment in our Google Classroom course. You can join the course by doing the following:

  1. Go to https://classroom.google.com.
  2. Sign in with your Pratt G Suite account.
  3. Enter the class code hixzims provided in class.

Pratt LMS: Moodle

Assignments and activities after spring break, and in the Age of the Virus, are available on the LMS.

Bibliography

The following books are surveys of documentary film that you might find useful for starting research for your writing assignments and for further individual study.

  • Aufderheide, Patricia. Documentary Film: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007.
  • Barnouw, Eric. Documentary: A History of the Non-Fiction Film, 2nd rev. ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993.
  • Cunningham, Megan. The Art of the Documentary: Ten Conversations with Leading Directors, Cinematographers, Editors, and Producers, 2nd ed. Berkeley, CA: New Riders Press, 2014.
  • Corner, John. The Art of Record: A Critical Introduction. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1996.
  • Fox, Broderick. Documentary Media: History, Theory, Practice. Waltham, MA: Focal Press, 2009.
  • Grant, Barry Keith and Jeanette Sloniowski, eds. Documenting the Documentary, New and Expanded Edition. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2013.
  • Nichols, Bill. Introduction to Documentary, 3rd ed. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2017.
  • Spence, Louise and Vinicius Navarro. Crafting Truth: Documentary Form and Meaning. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2011.

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:

  1. 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.

  2. McLane, Betsy. A New History of Documentary Film, 2nd ed. New York and London: Continuum, 2012.

Reading Quizzes

Each Tuesday morning, I will post a reading quiz on the LMS. The quiz will consist of true-false and multiple choice questions.

Complete each quiz by the end of the week of each class.

  • Due dates:
    • Quiz 6: April 3
    • Quiz 7: April 10
    • Quiz 8: April 17
    • Quiz 9: April 24
    • Quiz 10: May 1
    • Quiz 11: May 8
  • NINE of ELEVEN 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.

Video Lectures

Each week, I will post a link to a video recording of my lecture of that week’s course material. The link will be available on this course schedule, below, and on the LMS.

Live Discussion Session

All students must participate in the weekly discussion session. The session will be held each Monday, at 2:00 PM, beginning on March 30.

The session will be hosted on Zoom.

I recommend running Zoom on a computer through a web browser or through the mobile apps, available for Android and iOS. As a last resort, you can join the session using a telephone number and a PIN.

The link to join the session on Zoom is available on the LMS.

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 will consist of two parts:

  1. A set of take-home 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. The questions will be assigned on Google Classroom on Monday, March 2, and your responses will be due on Monday, March 9.
  2. A set of in-class identifications of excerpts from documentary films we have screened in class, at the beginning of class on Monday, March 9.

Details:

  • Take-home questions assigned on Monday, March 2 on Google Classroom, due on March 9, at the beginning of class
  • In-class identifications on Monday, March 9, at the beginning of class
  • Weight: 20%

Final Exam

The take-home final exam will consist of two parts:

  1. A set of visual identification questions asking you to identify the film and the segment’s context to the rest of the film. 

  2. A set of short answer questions about the screenings and readings related to movements and trends we covered in the second half of the course.

  3. Analysis of a film still films screened in class, requiring you to explain the clip in the context of the film.

  4. 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 the LMS
  • Due on Tuesday, May 12, at 5:00 PM, on the LMS
  • Weight: 20%

Course Schedule, Pre-Virus

January 27 • Beginnings

Readings
  • A New History of Documentary Film, “Some Ways to Think About Documentary,” 1–19.
  • A New History of Documentary Film, “The Work of Robert and Frances Flaherty,” 21–39.
  • Documenting the Documentary, “Robert Flaherty’s Nanook of the North
In-Class Screenings
  • Nanook of the North (Robert J. Flaherty, USA, 1922, 78 min.)

February 3 • Documentary and the Soviet Revolution

Reading
  • A New History of Documentary Film, “The Soviets and Political Indoctrination,” 41–56.
  • Documenting the Documentary, “Dziga Vertov’s The Man with a Movie Camera
Quiz
  • Quiz 1, available January 27, due on February 10.
In-Class Screening
  • The Man with a Movie Camera (Dziga Vertov, USSR, 1929, 68 min.)
Relevant Films

These titles are available on Landmarks of Early Soviet Film from the library:

  • Fall of the Romanov Dynasty (Esfir Shub, 1927, USSR, 89 min.)
  • The Old and the New (Sergei Eisentstein, USSR, 1929, 120 min.)
  • Turksib (Viktor Turin, USSR, 1929, 57 min.)

February 10 • Avant-Garde and Modernity

Reading
  • A New History of Documentary Film, “The European Avant-Garde Experimentation, 1922–1929,” 57–72.
  • MacDonald, Scott. “Avant-Doc: Eight Intersections.” Film Quarterly 64, no. 2 (December 2010): 50–57.
Quiz
  • Quiz 2, available February 3, due on February 10.
In-Class Screenings
  • Rhythmus 21 (Hans Richter, Germany, 1921, 3 min.)
  • Manhatta (Charles Sheeler and Paul Strand, USA, 1921, 12 min.)
  • Taris (Jean Vigo, France, 1931, 10 min.)
  • Las Hurdes: Tierra Sin Pan [Land without Bread] (Luis Buñuel, Spain, 1932, 27 min.) Available on DVD from the library.
  • Berlin: Symphony of a Great City (Walter Ruttman, Germany, 1927, 62 min.)
Relevant Films
  • Lichtspiel Opus 1 (Walter Ruttman, Germany, 1921, 10 min.) Available on Vimeo.
  • Symphonie Diagonale [Diagonal Symphony] (Viking Egglund, Germany, 1924, 5 min.) Available disk 1 of Avant-Garde: Experimental Cinema of the 1920s and 1930s on DVD from the library.
  • Skyscraper Symphony (Robert Florey, USA, 1929, 9 min.) Available on DVD and Blu-ray from the library.
  • Un Chien Andalou (Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali, France, 1929, 15 min.) Available on DVD from the library.
  • Rain (Joris Ivens, Netherlands, 1929, 12 min.) Available on DVD from the library.
  • A Propos de Nice (Jean Vigo, France, 1930, 25 min.) Available on Blu-ray from the library.

February 17 • Great Britain and the “Creative Treatment of Reality”

Reading
  • A New History of Documentary Film, “Institutionalization: Great Britain, 1929–1939,” 73–92.
  • Documenting the Documentary, “Basil Wright’s The Song of Ceylon
Quiz
  • Quiz 3, available February 10, due on Feburary 17.
In-Class Screenings
  • Industrial Britain (Robert Flaherty and John Grierson, United Kingdom, 1931, 21 min.)
  • Housing Problems (Edgar Anstey and Arthur Elton, United Kingdom, 1935, 16 min.)
  • Children at School (Basil Wright, 1937 , 24 min.)
  • Night Mail (Harry Watt and Basil Wright, United Kingdom, 1936, 24 min.)
Relevant Screenings
  • Song of Ceylon (Basil Wright, United Kingdom, 1934, 38 min). Available disk 2 of Addressing the Nation: the GPO Film Unit on DVD from the library.

February 24 • US Documentary and the Workers Film and Photo League

Reading
  • A New History of Documentary Film, “Institutionalization: USA 1930–1941,” 93–184.
  • Documenting the Documentary, “Persuasion and Expression in The Plow that Broke the Plains
Quiz
  • Quiz 4, available Feburary 17, due on February 24.
In-Class Screenings
  • The Plow that Broke the Plains (Pare Lorentz, USA, 1936, 25 min.)
  • Native Land (Leo Hurwitz and Paul Strand, USA, 1942, 88 min.)
Relevant Media
  • Power and the Land (Joris Ivens, USA, 1940, 38 min.) Available on DVD from the library.
  • The radio program We Hold These Truths aired on December 15, 1941, a week after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and has a similar pro-democratic and pro–civil liberties message present in Native Land.

March 6 • Documentary and World War II, Germany

Because we will not meet on Monday, March 2, we will be screening Triumph of the Will (Leni Reifenstahl, Germany, 1935, 114 min.) as part of study of World War II-era films. The screening will begin at 1:10 PM.

As this class meets on a Friday, it is merely recommended that you attend. Triumph of the Will is available on DVD and on 16mm from the library.

Reading
  • Documenting the Documentary, “Leni Reifenstahl’s Triumph of the Will

March 9 • Documentary and World War II, US and Britain

Reading
  • A New History of Documentary Film, “WWII,” 117–157.
  • Documenting the Documentary, “Humphrey Jennings and Listen to Britain
Quiz
  • Quiz 5, available February 24, due on March 2.
In-Class Screenings
  • London Can Take It (Harry Watt and Humphrey Jennings, United Kingdom, 1940, 9 min.)
  • Listen to Britain (Humphrey Jennings, United Kingdom, 1942, 20 min.)
  • Why We Fight: A Prelude to War (Frank Capra, USA, 1942, 55 min.)
Relevant Media
  • Lambeth Walk, Nazi Style
  • Diary for Timothy (Humphrey Jennings, United Kingdom, 1945, 40 min.) Available on DVD from the library.
  • The Battle of San Pietro (John Huston, United States, 1945, 32 min.) Available on disk 1 of Treasures from American Film Archives: 50 Preserved Films on DVD.
  • The 1940 radio program, London After Dark, produced by the American radio network CBS and the Canadian Broadcasting Company, is a very evocative radio report of the conditions of London under The Blackout. Like the UK documentaries, it reports on the perseverance of Londoners during the German bombing campaigns over their city.
  • Although we didn’t encounter any documentary films about the US home front during the war, there were many fiction films produced in Hollywood. One example of such was the 1945 film The Clock, about a one-day encounter between a soldier on-leave and a young woman he meets before being deployed to the war front.

Course Schedule, Post-Virus

Please complete all of the activities by the date noted on this schedule.

March 30 • Post War Documentary and Internationalism

April 6 • Documentary Television Programs

  • Read A New History of Documentary Film, “Documentary for Television, the ‘Golden Years’, 1951–71,” 185–201.
  • Read about the Nashville Sit-Ins, about which the NBC White Paper documentary covers.
  • Complete Quiz 7 on the LMS.
  • Watch Harvest of Shame (CBS Reports, USA, 1960, 53 min.) Available from CBS News.
  • Watch Sit-In (NBC White Paper, USA, 1960, 60 min.) Available from the LMS.
  • Watch the recorded lecture, available April 3.
  • Join the Live Discussion Session on Monday, April 6, 2:00 PM, on Zoom. Recording Live Discussion Session available on the LMS.

April 13 • Cinéma Verité and Direct Cinema

  • Read A New History of Documentary Film, “Cinéma verité, direct cinema, 1958–70,” 219–241.
  • Read Documenting the Documentary, “American Cinema Verité and Don’t Look Back
  • Read Documenting the Documentary, “Frederick Wiseman’s Titicut Follies
  • Complete Quiz 8 on the LMS.
  • Watch Bob Dylan: Don’t Look Back (D.A. Pennebaker, USA, 1966, 96 min.) Available from the LMS.
  • Watch Chronique d’un étè [Chronicle of a Summer] (Jean Rouch and Edgar Morin, France, 1961, 92 min.) Available on Kanopy.
  • Watch Titicut Follies (Frederick Wiseman, USA, 1967, 84 min.) Available on Kanopy. Trigger warning: graphic scenes in a psychiatric hospital, including medical procedures.
  • Watch No Lies (Mitchell Block, USA, 1973, 15 min.) Available from the LMS. Trigger warning: a woman recounts her experience being sexually assaulted.
  • Watch the recorded lecture, available April 10.
  • Join the Live Discussion Session on Monday, April 13, 2:00 PM, on Zoom. Recording Live Discussion Session available on the LMS.

April 20 • Political Activism and Documentary

  • Read A New History of Documentary Film, “Power to the People,” 243–270.
  • Complete Quiz 9 on the LMS.
  • Watch In the Year of the Pig (Emile de Antonio, USA, 1969, 103 min.) Available on Kanopy.
  • Watch Harlan County (Barbara Kopple, USA, 1976, 105 min.) Available from the LMS and on the Internet Archive.
  • Watch the recorded lecture
  • Join the Live Discussion Session on Monday, April 20, 2:00 PM, on Zoom. Recording Live Discussion Session available on the LMS.

April 27 • Video and New Documentary Forms

  • Read A New History of Documentary Film, “Video Arrives,” 271–300.
  • Read Documenting the Documentary, “Expressions of Race in Tongues Untied.”
  • Complete Quiz 10 on the LMS.
  • Watch The Atomic Cafe (Jane Loader, Kevin Rafferty, Pierce Rafferty, USA, 1982, 86 min.) Available from the LMS.
  • Watch Tongues Untied (Marlon Riggs, USA, 1989, 55 min.) Available on Kanopy.
  • Watch Who Killed Vincent Chin? (Rene Tajima and Christine Choi, USA, 1988, 87 min.) Available on Alexander Street Press.
  • Watch the recorded lecture
  • Join the Live Discussion Session on Monday, April 27, 2:00 PM, on Zoom. Recording Live Discussion Session available on the LMS.

May 4 • Documentary, Archives, and Truth

  • Read A New History of Documentary Film, “Reality Bytes,” 301–329.
  • Read Documenting the Documentary,Performance in Paris is Burning.”
  • Quiz 11 on the LMS.
  • Watch Paris is Burning (Jennie Livingston, USA, 1990, 78 min.) Available from the LMS.
  • Watch The Brooklyn Bridge (Ken Burns, USA, 1981, 58 min.) Available from the LMS.
  • Watch the recorded lecture
  • Join the Live Discussion Session on Monday, May 4, 2:00 PM, on Zoom. Recording Live Discussion Session available on the LMS.

May 11 • Documentary, Memory, and the Future

  • 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, “31 Cultural Learnings of Borat for Make Benefit Glorious…
  • There is no quiz to do today.
  • Watch Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (Larry Charles, UK and USA, 2006, 84 min.) Available on the Internet Archive.
  • Watch The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara (Errol Morris, USA, 2002, 107 min.) Available on Alexander Street Press.
  • Watch the recorded lecture, available May 8.
  • Join the Live Discussion Session on Monday, May 11, 2:00 PM, on Zoom. Recording Live Discussion Session available on the LMS.

May 12 • Final Exam

The take-home final exam is due today on the LMS.