Capturing Reality: The Art of Documentary Review

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(More customer reviews)This is another class act from the National Film Board of Canada, which is continually winning awards for the quality of its productions. Director Pepita Ferrari interviewed 38 well-known documentarians for the core 97-minute film. You'll know a few like Errol Morris and Albert Maysles and you've probably seen a few of films covered, such as "Touching the Void". After watching this you'll probably head to your local video store (or Amazon) to seek out some more. The 163 film clips includes are just teasers.
I was thrilled to see that French Director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade was included. His two English language films - made for HBO - "Murder on a Sunday Morning" and "The Staircase" are two of my all-time favorites and I wanted to know more about him. (See my reviews of these films elsewhere on Amazon). The bonus features consist of additional interview segments and can be searched by topic or by the director's name. There's almost four hours worth! I did find the navigation of these segments a bit hard to maneuver but that was the only thing I found to be lacking in the DVD.
If you love watching documentaries, this is a DVD you must see. It explains both the thought process and the differing opinions among the filmmakers as to whether music is necessary and whether its appropriate to dramatize certain scenes. If you are new to the genre - maybe you have only seen hits like "Grey Gardens" or "Hoop Dreams" or "The Thin Blue Line" - consider this a starting place to explore further.
Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"


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Filmmakers have been turning their cameras on the world since the time of the Lumière brothers - and the idea of documentary has sparked impassioned creative debate ever since.Some of the genre's most influential directors reflect upon its unique power in Capturing Reality: The Art of Documentary. Over 30 luminaries - including Albert Maysles, Errol Morris, Alanis Obomsawin, Michel Brault, Nick Broomfield, Kim Longinotto and that great iconoclast Werner Herzog - offer insight into their craft while reflecting on the nature of representation and the perennially contested status of the "truth."Can film capture reality? What ethical issues arise when portraying real lives? How does editing or music condition our emotional response to film? More than 100 clips enliven the discussion, offering a panoramic overview of contemporary documentary cinema, from Grey Gardens and The Thin Blue Line to The Day I Will Never Forget and Darwin's Nightmare.

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