Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter One: Some Ways To Think About Documentary
Description
Definition
Intellectual Contexts
Pre-Documentary Origins
Books On Documentary Theory And General Histories of Documentary

Chapter Two: Beginnings: The Americans And Popular Anthropology, 1922-1929
The Work Of Robert and Frances Flaherty
The Flaherty Way
The Flaherty Legacy
Films Of The Period
Books On The Period

Chapter Three Beginnings: The Soviets And Political Indoctrination, 1922- 1929
Reportage/Newsreel
Compilation
Epic
Fiction and Documentary
The Fiction Films
Films Of The Period
Books On The Period

Chapter Four Beginnings: The European Avant-Garde Experimentation, 1922-1929
Aesthetic Predispositions
Avant-Garde And Documentary
Changes In The Avant-Garde
Three City Symphonies
Films Of The Period
Books On The Period

Chapter Five Institutionalization: Great Britain, 1929-1939
Background And Underpinnings
The System
The Films
Grierson And Flaherty
Grierson's Contribution
Films Of The Period
Books On The Period

Chapter Six Institutionalization United States, 1930-1941
The March Of Time
Government Documentaries
Nongovernment Documentaries
Conclusions
Denouement
An Aside To Conclude
Films Of The Period
Books On The Period

Chapter Seven WW II
Part A: Great Britain
Early Days
Indoctrination
Social Documentary
Records Of Battle
Part B: Canada
Founding Of National Film Board
Theatrical Series
Nontheatrical Films
Summary
Part C: United States
Training
Indoctrination Why We Fight
Records of Battle
Social Documentary
Comparisons: Great Britain, Canada, United States
Films Of The Period
Books On The Period

Chapter Eight Postwar Documentary, 1945-1961
Personnel And Leadership
Sponsorship
USIA Films
Canada
Subjects
Internationalism
Approaches And Techniques
Observations
Films Of The Period
Books On The Period

Chapter Nine Documentary For Television, The "Golden Years," 1951-1971
Historical Background
Documentary Series
The Special Characteristics Of Early Television Documentary
Films Of The Period
Books On The Period

Chapter Ten British Free Cinema And New American Cinema, 1953-1960
Critical Background
Free Cinema Films
The United States
Films Of The Period
Books On The Period

Chapter Eleven Cinéma Vérité, Direct Cinema, 1958-1970
Historical Background
New Technology And First CV/Direct
Direct Cinema Vs. Cinéma Vérité
Effects On Documentary Subjects And Styles
Frederick Wiseman
Conclusion
Films Of The Period
Books On The Period

Chapter Twelve Power Of The People, The 1970s
Some Established Filmmakers
New Directions In Vérité
Political Emphases and Vietnam
Newsreel Collectives
Feminist Resurgence
Challenge for Change
Public Access Television
Other Emerging Organization
Films Of The Period
Books On The Period

Chapter Thirteen Video Arrives, 1980 - 1990s
Cable and Satellite Technology
Personal Essay Film
Compilation
Strictly Political
Social and Ethnic Minorities
Representing Gay and Lesbian Culture
Films Of The Period
Books On The Period

Chapter Fourteen Reality Bytes
Business and Technology: The Bad and The Good
American Public Television
Archival Documentary
The Ken Burns Phenomenon
Canada Soldiers On
Development in the U.K.
American Independents
Films Of The Period
Books On The Period

Chapter Fifteen Documentary Traditions in the Twenty First Century
Werner Herzog
Steve James and others
Erroll Morris
Women Documentarians
Experimental Documentary
Theaters and Festivals
Films Of The Period
Books On The Period

Chapter Sixteen Now and When
Aesthetics And Content
Finance
Documentary Un-Reality
Intimate Doings Of Reality
Academic Approaches
Emergent Technologies
Social Media
Commitment to History
Conclusion
Films Of The Period

Appendices
TOP 25 Theatrical Grossing Documentaries
TOP 10 Theatrical Grossing Sports Documentaries

Index

Promotional Information

A comprehensive survey of English language documentary film and video from beginnings to the present.

About the Author

Betsy A. McLane is the Director Emerita of the International Documentary Association. She holds degrees in cinema: a BFA from Ithaca College, MA and Ph.D. from The University of Southern California School of Media Arts. She has taught courses on film and documentary at Loyola Marymount University, The University of Vermont, Emerson College, The University of Southern California and California State University, San Bernadino, Palm Desert Campus. She is a Past President of the University Film and Video Association, and most recently served as the Project Director for The American Documentary Showcase, a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State.

Reviews

A New History of Documentary Film is a vital and essential narrative about the evolution of an art form, from its earliest manifestations around the birth of the moving picture to its modern-day diffusion of genres and sub-genres in the digital era. This new version brings readers up-to-date in this so-called Golden Age of Documentary, while providing a rich and lively tour over a century of innovation and provocation. As any good history evinces, this New History tells us where we've been and where we're going. --Thomas White, Editor, Documentary Magazine

Betsy McClane makes an important contribution to documentary history. She does an especially good job at shining a light on careers that were previously overlooked. - Thom Powers, documentary programmer (Toronto International Film Festival; Stranger Than Fiction)

Now in an updated second edition with additional material on Experimental documentary, Visual Anthropology, and Environmental/Nature films, A New History of Documentary Film is a scholarly, chronological evaluation of how documentary media has changed through the decades. A handful of black-and-white photographs (plus a few color plates) illustrate this extraordinary compendium that shines a spotlight on little-known pioneers in filmmaking as well as offering a solid overview of the medium, from the twenties, to the tumult of two world wars, to the postmodern era. An index rounds out this excellent resource for media studies courses, and fascinating browse for lay readers interested in learning more about nonfiction films throughout history.
*The Midwest Book Review*

Carefully streamlining and judiciously rearranging the first edition, McLane - sole author of the second edition - provides a stronger context for its expanded and deeper exploration of recent documentary and the key issues affecting its current production and distribution. This enhances the dramatic shape the original gave the story of the documentary's development and gives the new edition greater immediate relevance.
*CineMontage Book Review*

In her newly updated edition of A New History of Documentary Film, Betsy McLane, director emerita of the International Documentary Association, manages to be both exhaustive in scope and concise in approach. She offers an account of the genre's history as context for the current state of documentary film, while also considering the future of non-fiction films.
*Directors Guild of America Quarterly*

this revised version of A New History of Documentary Film is undoubtedly a useful reference for the scholars and students in documentary film studies as well as documentary enthusiasts.
*Media International Australia*