Docufictions: Essays on the Intersection of Documentary and Fictional Filmmaking - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0786421843 ISBN 13: 9780786421848

Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2005

Synopsis

Through most of the 20th century, the distinction between the fictional narrative film and the documentary was vigorously maintained. The documentary tradition developed side by side with, but in the shadow of, the more commercially successful feature film. In the latter part of the century, however, the two forms merged on occasion, and mockumentaries (fictional works in a documentary format) and docudramas (reality-based works in a fictional format) became part of the film and television landscape.

The 18 essays here examine the relationships between narrative fiction films and documentary filmmaking, focusing on how each influenced the other and how the two were merged in such diverse films and shows as Citizen Kane, M*A*S*H, This Is Spinal Tap, and Destination Moon. Topics include the docudrama in early cinema, the industrial film as faux documentary, the fear evoked in 1950s science fiction films, the selling of "reality" in mockumentaries, and reality television and documentary forms. The essays provide a foundation for significant rethinking of film history and criticism, offering the first significant discussion of two emerging and increasingly important genres.

Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

About this title

About the Authors

Gary D. Rhodes, a documentary filmmaker, is a professor at the Queen's University, Belfast.

John Parris Springer is a professor of English and film studies at the University of Central Oklahoma. He lives in Norman, Oklahoma.

Edition details

• Publisher: McFarland & Company
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0786421843
• ISBN 13: 9780786421848
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304
• Editor: Rhodes Gary D., Springer John Parris