1. Documentary and Politics
Chapter Three
Documentary and Politics

2. John Grierson (1898-1972) The founding father of documentary
The leader of the British Documentary Movement
Grierson used the term "documentary" to describe a non-fiction film

3. "creative treatment of actuality"
 Grierson wrote the essay "First Principles of Documentary" (1932)
—— the principles of documentary were that cinema's potential for observing life could be exploited in a new art form; that the "original" actor and "original" scene are better guides than their fiction counterparts to interpreting the modern world; and that materials "thus taken from the raw" can be more real than the acted article. 
Grierson's definition of documentary as
"creative treatment of actuality"

4. (Robert Flaherty & John Grierson ,1933)
Drifters
( John Grierson , 1929)
Nightmail1 (1922)
Industrial Britain
(Robert Flaherty & John Grierson ,1933)

5. Diaoyu Island-The Truth
(Chris D.NeBe, 2014)

6. Questions Try to picture the image of the narrator,
such as age, gender, educational
background, personality and etc.
What is the style of the narration?
In terms of voiceover and image,
which one is more important to your
understanding of the content?

7. The Characteristics of Expository Mode
Voice-over + images
— narration directly addresses the viewer
— images serve a supporting role
Pre-setting the theme
— educating and transmitting information
Commentary often sounds ‘objective’ and omniscient
— 'Voice of God' narration
— Voice-of-authority commentary
Evidentiary editing
— establishing direct relationship between images and voice-over
— sacrifice spatial and temporal continuity to rope in images for
the purpose of maintaining the continuity of the spoken
argument or perspective.

8. Limitations and Potential problems
Documentarian’s subjective viewpoint
Passive audiences
Missing the voice of the ‘character’
Overlooking the complexity of reality

9. Triumph of the Will (1935)
Leni  Riefenstahl

10. Documentary films in WWII
Why We Fight
(1942－1945)
Frank Capra

11. Ordinary Fascism
(Mikhail Romm, 1965)
Triumph of the Will
(Leni  Riefenstahl ,1935)