Blog 2 - Early Doc - Man with the Movie Camera - Nanook of the North - Ethics in Documentary

This week we explored the world of early documentaries.

Looking at examples of early documentary it is clear to see that there is less of a distinction between objective truth and artful interpretation. In Nanook of the north we see one of the first, best examples of a fleshed out feature length documentary. Robert J. Flaherty is a pioneer of documentary filmmaking and Nanook is considered a milestone in the craft. Looking back, the practices displayed in the film would probably be considered abhorrent by today’s standards. At this point, the medium was just finding its feet and the film is still largely praised.

                For different reasons, the Man with the Movie Camera is seen as a staple of documentary filmmaking and filmmaking in general. Dziga Vertov showcases a brand new style of filmmaking that combines documentary as well as heavy influences of art film. The movie on the surface is just the goings on of 1929 Soviet Russia, but the way in which this is conveyed is artful and unique. Vertov sought out to capture a world “caught unawares.” This can be seen as a foray into the Poetic mode of documentary, similar to Godfrey Reggio’s Koyaanisqatsi. Vertov employs a number of camera, editing, and post production techniques like splicing, split-frame and quick cuts and ultimately uses them to portray the life and energy of the world he inhabited.

                These films along with the other films we sampled like The Blood of the Beasts, Berlin: Symphony of a Great City, The River, and Night Mail all show an example of work that manipulates the reality of the situation for the purposes of enhancing the film. This practice has certainly been drawn back in recent years with an emphasis on the objective truth of the moment. It could be seen that at the time these movies were not made to show exactly what happened but rather to reflect the overall ideas of the situations. They were working on a limited set of tools and they made the movies that conveyed their point of view.

One thing to be said about these films is that although they may not be necesarily "ethically sound," they have a message and use the means that they have to convey them. You could say that documentary can only depict true events and I think that is true, but it is not unusual for a filmmaker to make the truth suit his or her needs to fit the narrative. I would say the level of manipulation is important to moniter and varies by case.