krobcecil's review against another edition
5.0
A few weeks ago a friend ecstatically informed me that Lars Ulrich played Joris Ivens in the HBO film HEMINGWAY AND GELLHORN. An instant look of befuddlement exposed my ignorance of who this Ivens figure was. "You know, Joris Ivens. The Dutch documentary filmmaker. He's one of the most influential figures in film history." I had a sudden urge to shift my ignorance by saying, "Of course, but who is this Lars Ulrich you speak of?" Instead I tucked my cineaste tail between my leg and accepted the deserved derisive glare. As he walked away, I immediately decided to bump Erik Barnouw's DOCUMENTARY to the top of my reading list.
The few chapters I read for a film history class didn't prepare me for the exquisite depth of this essential work. Barnouw drifts between film analysis, biographies, evolution of technology, shifting movements and trends, while simultaneously offering a world history of political and economic trends of the 20th century Zinn would approve of. His insights on individual films are consistently poetic and enthusiastic. He never wastes time on unworthy films, they are simply left out of the book. The vast amount of research involved is hard to comprehend, Barnow and his wife traveled the globe exploring archives, interviewing filmmakers and participants, scanning scripts and viewing hundreds of documentaries; yet the dramatic narrative feels effortless.
The only disappointment is that Barnouw was, tragically, mortal and passed before the Youtube era and the most recent boom in doc popularity, as his insights would continue be revelatory and fascinating.
The few chapters I read for a film history class didn't prepare me for the exquisite depth of this essential work. Barnouw drifts between film analysis, biographies, evolution of technology, shifting movements and trends, while simultaneously offering a world history of political and economic trends of the 20th century Zinn would approve of. His insights on individual films are consistently poetic and enthusiastic. He never wastes time on unworthy films, they are simply left out of the book. The vast amount of research involved is hard to comprehend, Barnow and his wife traveled the globe exploring archives, interviewing filmmakers and participants, scanning scripts and viewing hundreds of documentaries; yet the dramatic narrative feels effortless.
The only disappointment is that Barnouw was, tragically, mortal and passed before the Youtube era and the most recent boom in doc popularity, as his insights would continue be revelatory and fascinating.
hauntedvamphotel's review
dark
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Genocide and Racism
The book deals with the history of documentary films and includes chapters on documentary filmmaking during WWII, the Vietnam War and mentions of other conflicts throughout the world, and so mentions of deaths, weapons used, war propaganda, atomic bombs and tests are discussed quite heavily. It also includes brief mentions of colonial violence against Indigenous peoples around the globe.
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