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  • A Certain Tendency of The Documentary Cinema - ReelPolitik

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    sooperdooperfun
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    A whole slew of popdocs are premiering at the Tribeca Film Fesival next month. There's also starstudded docs on digital cinema and Morgan Spurlock's latest "mansome" kafman: it seems that there is a general lack of complexity in the work.

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    A Certain Tendency of the Documentary Cinema _ ReelPolitik

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    A whole slew of popdocs are premiering at the Tribeca Film Fesival next month. There's also starstudded docs on digital cinema and Morgan Spurlock's latest "mansome" kafman: it seems that there is a general lack of complexity in the work.

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    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    8 views3 pages

    A Certain Tendency of The Documentary Cinema - ReelPolitik

    Uploaded by

    sooperdooperfun
    A whole slew of popdocs are premiering at the Tribeca Film Fesival next month. There's also starstudded docs on digital cinema and Morgan Spurlock's latest "mansome" kafman: it seems that there is a general lack of complexity in the work.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 3

    Is"TheHunger Games"Anti CapitalistCinema ... ACertain Iran'sMovie Tendencyofthe Diplomacy:How DocumentaryCi... CanWeAttack...

    "TheIsland Will"A President"Forced Separation"Oscar OutofOffice... WinHurtorHelp ...

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    ACertainTendencyoftheDocumentary Cinema
    NEWS
    BY ANTHONY KAUFMAN | MARCH 9, 2012 8:15 AM | 2 COMMENTS

    Thecelebritydrivennonfictionfilmhasbecomeanunwelcomemainstrayofthedocumentaryformrecently.Not onlyisOscarwinningdirectorDavisGuggenheim("AnInconvenientTruth")directingcommercialsfornone otherthanpublicpersona#1BarackObama,butawholeslewofpopdocsarepremieringattheTribecaFilm Fesivalnextmonth,withnewfilmsonJosephPapp,musicianssuchasQueenandTonyBennett,andsports figuressuchastheRedSox'sTimWakefieldandtheMet'sR.A.Dickey.There'salsostarstuddeddocsondigital cinema("SidebySide,"featuringJamesCameron,DavidFincher,GeorgeLucas,etc)andMorganSpurlock'slatest "Mansome"(withinterviewswithWillArnett,JasonBateman,PaulRudd,ZachGalifianakis,etc).AnddoIcare? Notreally. Tribecahaspremiereditsfairshareofimportantdocs, from"JesusCamp"to"TaxitotheDarkSide."Butit's alsoincreasinglybecomeahomeforhagiographiesand celebrityprofiles,withfilmsonfamousdesigners (Halston)andfamousmusicians(EltonJohn)and figures(JoanRivers).WhileI'msurethere'splacefor thesenamedrivendocs,andthestarstatusoftheir subjectsdriveacertainamountofticketsales,byand large,thefilmsdon'tinterestme. Granted,Ihavestayedawayfrommanyofthem,so perhapsIcan'taccuratelyjudgethistendencyin documentaryfilmmaking,butitseemstomethatthere isagenerallackofcomplexityinthework.Afterall,howmuchcanyoupaintashadedportraitofacelebritywho probablyhassomecontroloverthesubjectmatter,anddoesn'twanttobeshowninanegative,orambiguous,
    SidebySide,featuringKeanuReeves

    light? AtSundance,IthoughtJoeBerlinger'sPaulSimondocumentary"UnderAfricanSkies"largelyavoidedthepitfalls ofthecelebritydoc,showingsomeoftheproblemswithSimon'sSouthAfricanvisitduringtheApartheidyears, butthenagain,themoviealsosufferedfromit,andwouldhavebeenfarmorecomplexandinteresting,Isuspect, ifSimonwasn'tsoactivelyinvolved.Theproblemisthatcelebritiesarecelebritiesforareason,they'recharismatic andpersuasiveandhaveagreatscreenpresence,whichmakesthemnaturaldocumentarysubjects.(Look,some ofthegreatestdocsever"Don'tLookBack,""GimmeShelter,"forinstance,focusonpopstars.)Butit's necessarytoinjectanystrongfilmwithalevelofambiguitythatisoftenlackinginthesefilms. UnlikethePremiereandSpotlightsectionsatfests,thecompetitionslatesatSundance,SXSWandTribecaarerife withdocumentaryfilmsthathavenotasinglefamousnameinthem.Perhapsthatiswhereweshouldfocusour attention.

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    2 Comments
    Name Email YourComment

    SUBMIT

    BILLNICHOLS|MARCH9,201212:50PM

    REPLY

    WehadTheMostonHefflongago,LonelyBoyonPaulAnka,DontLookBackonDylan,etcsowhat'swrong withcelebdox,orlikeHotelTerminus(onthesearchforKlausBarbie)ontheheinousandanticelebrity?The mainissuehere,itseems,ishagiographynotcelebsassuch.Canafilmmakerhaveacritical,distancedviewof thesubjectorisallswoonandworship?OfcourseadsforObamaaren'tevendocsinanymeaningfulsense unlessallnonfiction(Ithinkthey'renonfiction!)equalsdox.MaybethenewfeatureonSarahPalinwillbethe answer.b

    FED|MARCH9,201211:15AM

    REPLY

    Oryoucangotothemanygreatregionaldocumentaryfilmfestivalsthatactuallycelebratethesefilmmakersin earnest,likeFullFrame,True/False,etc.andavoidtheforprofitfestivals.

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