Documentary Movies
Documentary movies are the non-fiction branch of the movies industry that are usually narrative-based that present a side of life that mainstream audiences may or may not be familiar with. Documentary movies are a vehicle for directors or the lead character to highlight an aspect of society or perhaps an individual’s story for the purpose of bringing an issue to the forefront.
Topics that documentary movies can cover can be as diverse as the topic can get with well known topics ranging from biographical (Stephen Hawking in A Brief History of Time, 1992) to entertainment milestones (Woodstock, 1970, Madonna: Truth or Dare 1991) to social expose and commentaries (Michael Moore films) to environmental examinations (An Inconvenient Truth, David Attenborough documentaries).
There are some documentary movies that provide do not deal with whole issues but rather one person’s person struggle or dilemma, with this then used to comment on a greater issue.
Perhaps one of the most infamous documentarians is Michael Moore, an independent filmmaker that focuses on the biggest flaws and issues facing both corporate and consumer America with some of his most notable films being Bowling for Columbine (2002) and Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004). These films looked into the American gun culture and the Bush administration, with Fahrenheit 9/11 now recorded as the highest-grossing documentary of all time.
Documentary movies can be used to represent the opinion and cause for one person or a whole country, with the documentarian acting as the audience filter.
Examples of Documentry movies are Food, Inc and Tyson:
Other documentary forms
Compilation films
Compilation films were pioneered in 1927 by Esfir Schub with The Fall of the Romanov Dynasty. More recent examples include Point of Order (1964), directed by Emile de Antonio about the McCarthy hearings and The Atomic Cafe which is made entirely out of found footage that various agencies of the U.S. government made about the safety of nuclear radiation (e.g., telling troops at one point that it's safe to be irradiated as long as they keep their eyes and mouths shut). Similarly, The Last Cigarette combines the testimony of various tobacco company executives before the U.S. Congress with archival propaganda extolling the virtues of smoking.
Copyright: This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Documentary film".
Documentary News
At the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival, the all-star documentaries program features premieres of films by Errol Morris, Alex Gibney, Kim Longinotto and Werner Herzog (working in 3-D!), among others. Here's the list.
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Food Inc investigates the industrial production and distribution of food in the United States by large multinational corporations such as Monsanto and Tyson, to the detriment of small independent farmers and to the overall quality of nutrition.
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Filmmaker Dana Brown covers the world's most challenging professional surfing competitions, the Triple Crown competitions, held each year on the North Shore of Oahu. Great footage of world class surfers, with commentary by Brown and surfing world super stars.
A list of the best documentary films of 2009
Water Wars - Movie Review of Water Wars - 2009
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