A New History of Documentary Film Jack C. Ellis and Betsy A. McLane. New York: Continuum, 2005, 3... more A New History of Documentary Film Jack C. Ellis and Betsy A. McLane. New York: Continuum, 2005, 385 pp. Jack C. Ellis and Betsy A. McLane have produced a survey of documentary film that updates an earlier volume by Ellis. A New History of Documentary Film includes new sections on the latest flowering of interest in the documentary-including the box office phenomena of films by Michael Moore, Errol Morris, and Morgan Spurlock; the activist films of the women's and social progressive movements in the US; the branded television products of "the Ken Burns phenomenon"; and the more mutant and shoddy form of reality programming for television. The book is encyclopedic in its coverage of English, Canadian, and US films; it does acknowledge the early influence of Soviet and European avant-garde filmmakers but rather quickly turns to the UK and North America. It's an excellent introduction for any student wishing to understand the major trends in documentary production in the UK and North America and the major films of various eras. Chapters trace first the beginnings of the documentary form in the UK, Canada, and the US, then its institutionalization and expansion in each of those nations. The book examines the stagnation of the form after World War Il and assesses the effect of television as a new distribution channel. Further, it briefly analyzes the films of the British Free Cinema and the impact of social-realist features on the form. The end of each chapter lists the most influential or seminal films of the era under discussion, and with so many to choose from, the authors have had to restrict themselves to fairly cursory descriptions of many of these. They make an exception, however, in the early chapters, devoting a good bit of discussion to the impact of Robert Flaherty and John Grierson on the birth, establishment, and development of the documentary form. The earnestness of the methodical lists and the need to discuss so many titles makes the strength of its encyclopedic summary also its weakness. Rather than engage in conversational narrative or extensive back stories of individual films or filmmakers, the authors are constrained by the immensity of their project; they must keep the discussion of individual films brisk, and sometimes merely list them as part of a larger body of work. But telling details are scattered throughout that lend the narrative charm, such as the quote pulled from Gary Cooper's voice-over for the 1961 documentary The Real West: "The longhorns were as treacherous as the backlash of a bullwhip. Later, the breed was white-faced and dimple-kneed, but spookier than a wing-busted bird in cat country." A discussion of the British Free Cinema films centering on the leisure time pursuits of the working class are described as having a "vaguely anarchic, nihilistic, iconoclastic air," and it is pointed out that Grierson saw these films as "implicitly revolutionary [and]... observed of them that they seemed strangely French." The authors do manage to interject some of the political realities that influenced the form: these include the Suez Canal crisis, which prompted British Free Cinema documentary in the UK; the shifting organization and funding of the National Film Board in Canada (with a fascinating chapter on Unit B during the 1950s and 1960s); and the diminishment of government funding for documentary film in the US following World War II. They also astutely note the transition from films of social critique or commentary to films centered more on individual lives and problems in the post-World World Il era-films they label "films of reassurance." Other shifts in tone and content are linked to the effect of the Vietnam conflict and of the 9-11 attacks. Further, the book traces the impact of globalization and of the widespread dispersal of film and video through the distribution and publicity possibilities that have proliferated because of the Internet. The authors clearly revere the accomplishments and establishment of documentary through the 1940s. …
1. Introduction: "Hum Aap ke Hain Koun: Cinephilia and Indian Films 2. Avenging Women in Ind... more 1. Introduction: "Hum Aap ke Hain Koun: Cinephilia and Indian Films 2. Avenging Women in Indian Cinema 3. Masculinity at the Interval in J.P. Dutta's Films 4. Screening the past in Mani Ratnam's Nayakan 5. Memory and Gangsters in Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Parinda 6. Conclusion:Digital Imaginings in Indian Popular Films 7. Bibliography
Small Screens, Big Ideas brings together specially commissioned writings from British and America... more Small Screens, Big Ideas brings together specially commissioned writings from British and American contributors to explore themes of diversity in the formative period of the 1950s. With radical changes taking place in terrestrial television, this is a timely moment to revisit the decade when television's very novelty was its most striking feature. Discussing television's role in the construction of national and gender identities and its relation to other media such as theatre, film, and radio, this fresh exploration is based on detailed case-studies of this complex era.
Jack C. Ellis and Betsy A. McLane have produced a survey of documentary film that updates an earl... more Jack C. Ellis and Betsy A. McLane have produced a survey of documentary film that updates an earlier volume by Ellis. A New History of Documentary Film includes new sections on the latest flowering of interest in the documentary— including the box office phenomena of films by Michael Moore, Errol Morris, and Morgan Spurlock; the activist films of the women’s and social progressive movements in the US; the branded television products of “the Ken Burns phenomenon”; and the more mutant and shoddy form of reality programming for television. The book is encyclopedic in its coverage of English, Canadian, and US films; it does acknowledge the early influence of Soviet and European avant-garde filmmakers but rather quickly turns to the UK and North America. It’s an excellent introduction for any student wishing to understand the major trends in documentary production in the UK and North America and the major films of various eras. Chapters trace first the beginnings of the documentary form in the UK, Canada, and the US, then its institutionalization and expansion in each of those nations. The book examines the stagnation of the form after World War II and assesses the effect of television as a new distribution channel. Further, it briefly analyzes the films of the British Free Cinema and the impact of social-realist features on the form. The end of each chapter lists the most influential or seminal films of the era under discussion, and with so many to choose from, the authors have had to restrict themselves to fairly cursory descriptions of many of these. They make an exception, however, in the early chapters, devoting a good bit of discussion to the impact of Robert Flaherty and John Grierson on the birth, establishment, and development of the documentary form. The earnestness of the methodical lists and the need to discuss so many titles makes the strength of its encyclopedic summary also its weakness. Rather than engage in conversational narrative or extensive back stories of individual films or filmmakers, the authors are constrained by the immensity of their project; they must keep the discussion of individual films brisk, and sometimes merely list them as part of a larger body of work. But telling details are scattered throughout that lend the narrative charm, such as the quote pulled from Gary Cooper’s voice-over for the 1961 documentary The Real West: “The longhorns were as treacherous as the backlash of a bullwhip. Later, the breed was white-faced and dimple-kneed, but spookier than a wing-busted bird in cat country.” A discussion of the British Free Cinema films centering on the leisure time pursuits of the working class are described as having a “vaguely anarchic, nihilistic, iconoclastic air,” and it is pointed out that Grierson saw these films as “implicitly revolutionary [and] . . . observed of them that they seemed strangely French.” The authors do manage to interject some of the political realities that influenced the form: these include the Suez Canal crisis, which prompted British Free Cinema documentary in the UK; the shifting organization and funding of the National Film Board in Canada (with a fascinating chapter on Unit B during the 1950s and 1960s); and the diminishment of government funding for documentary film in the US following World War II. They also astutely note the transition from films of social critique or commentary to films centered more on individual lives and problems in the post–World World II era—films they label “films of reassurance.” Other shifts in tone and content are linked to the effect of the Vietnam conflict and
CINEMA OF INTERRUPTIONS: ACTION GENRES IN CONTEMPORARY INDIAN CINEMA Lalitha Gopalan. London: BFI... more CINEMA OF INTERRUPTIONS: ACTION GENRES IN CONTEMPORARY INDIAN CINEMA Lalitha Gopalan. London: BFI Publishing, 2002, 240 pp. Lalitha Gopalan's Cinema of Interruptions proposes a view of popular Indian cinema that challenges the perception that as a narrative form, Indian films have not fully achieved the seamlessness of Hollywood films. The author argues that Indian cinema, with its "interruptions" of song and dance numbers, its interval or intermission, and its censored scenes, has an aesthetic coherence that marks it as uniquely Indian. Ratherthan considering these pauses or "interruptions" as side trips away from the narrative cause-effect chain, Gopalan argues that filmmakers make these interruptions integral parts of the narrative. For example, she suggests that the interval has been used in a variety of ways, such as to launch a new sensibility or to suture two genres together. Under her analysis, the interval (or intermission) emerges as a structuring d...
Dr. Cunningham reported that the College of Graduate Studies has over thirty applicants to the Ma... more Dr. Cunningham reported that the College of Graduate Studies has over thirty applicants to the Math and Science Education Ph.D. program. There are twenty to thirty applicants for each of the Computational Science and Molecular Biosciences Ph.D. programs. Each of the three programs has ten graduate assistantships to offer. III. Approval of minutes from last meeting-January 25, 2010 A motion was made to accept the minutes of the January 25, 2010 meeting. The motion was seconded and passed. IV. SubCommittee Reports A. Graduate Faculty and Curriculum Review Dr. Kevin James, Chair • Consent calendar attached • A motion was made to accept the consent calendar. The motion was seconded and carried.
... It wasn't until 1953 that the television and film industry trade journal Variety noted t... more ... It wasn't until 1953 that the television and film industry trade journal Variety noted that Kukla, Fran, and Ollie were finally off the sustaining list: "It's been something of an industry ... William "Hopalong Cassidy" Boyd was the first B-movie cowboy to put the Western on television. ...
... texts and one which was a far more organized tool to educate potential voters on the ... Whil... more ... texts and one which was a far more organized tool to educate potential voters on the ... While the colorful demagogic language persisted, each segment ends with boldtype face and numbered and succinct ... This had the effect of paring down its message and updating its image at a ...
A New History of Documentary Film Jack C. Ellis and Betsy A. McLane. New York: Continuum, 2005, 3... more A New History of Documentary Film Jack C. Ellis and Betsy A. McLane. New York: Continuum, 2005, 385 pp. Jack C. Ellis and Betsy A. McLane have produced a survey of documentary film that updates an earlier volume by Ellis. A New History of Documentary Film includes new sections on the latest flowering of interest in the documentary-including the box office phenomena of films by Michael Moore, Errol Morris, and Morgan Spurlock; the activist films of the women's and social progressive movements in the US; the branded television products of "the Ken Burns phenomenon"; and the more mutant and shoddy form of reality programming for television. The book is encyclopedic in its coverage of English, Canadian, and US films; it does acknowledge the early influence of Soviet and European avant-garde filmmakers but rather quickly turns to the UK and North America. It's an excellent introduction for any student wishing to understand the major trends in documentary production in the UK and North America and the major films of various eras. Chapters trace first the beginnings of the documentary form in the UK, Canada, and the US, then its institutionalization and expansion in each of those nations. The book examines the stagnation of the form after World War Il and assesses the effect of television as a new distribution channel. Further, it briefly analyzes the films of the British Free Cinema and the impact of social-realist features on the form. The end of each chapter lists the most influential or seminal films of the era under discussion, and with so many to choose from, the authors have had to restrict themselves to fairly cursory descriptions of many of these. They make an exception, however, in the early chapters, devoting a good bit of discussion to the impact of Robert Flaherty and John Grierson on the birth, establishment, and development of the documentary form. The earnestness of the methodical lists and the need to discuss so many titles makes the strength of its encyclopedic summary also its weakness. Rather than engage in conversational narrative or extensive back stories of individual films or filmmakers, the authors are constrained by the immensity of their project; they must keep the discussion of individual films brisk, and sometimes merely list them as part of a larger body of work. But telling details are scattered throughout that lend the narrative charm, such as the quote pulled from Gary Cooper's voice-over for the 1961 documentary The Real West: "The longhorns were as treacherous as the backlash of a bullwhip. Later, the breed was white-faced and dimple-kneed, but spookier than a wing-busted bird in cat country." A discussion of the British Free Cinema films centering on the leisure time pursuits of the working class are described as having a "vaguely anarchic, nihilistic, iconoclastic air," and it is pointed out that Grierson saw these films as "implicitly revolutionary [and]... observed of them that they seemed strangely French." The authors do manage to interject some of the political realities that influenced the form: these include the Suez Canal crisis, which prompted British Free Cinema documentary in the UK; the shifting organization and funding of the National Film Board in Canada (with a fascinating chapter on Unit B during the 1950s and 1960s); and the diminishment of government funding for documentary film in the US following World War II. They also astutely note the transition from films of social critique or commentary to films centered more on individual lives and problems in the post-World World Il era-films they label "films of reassurance." Other shifts in tone and content are linked to the effect of the Vietnam conflict and of the 9-11 attacks. Further, the book traces the impact of globalization and of the widespread dispersal of film and video through the distribution and publicity possibilities that have proliferated because of the Internet. The authors clearly revere the accomplishments and establishment of documentary through the 1940s. …
1. Introduction: "Hum Aap ke Hain Koun: Cinephilia and Indian Films 2. Avenging Women in Ind... more 1. Introduction: "Hum Aap ke Hain Koun: Cinephilia and Indian Films 2. Avenging Women in Indian Cinema 3. Masculinity at the Interval in J.P. Dutta's Films 4. Screening the past in Mani Ratnam's Nayakan 5. Memory and Gangsters in Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Parinda 6. Conclusion:Digital Imaginings in Indian Popular Films 7. Bibliography
Small Screens, Big Ideas brings together specially commissioned writings from British and America... more Small Screens, Big Ideas brings together specially commissioned writings from British and American contributors to explore themes of diversity in the formative period of the 1950s. With radical changes taking place in terrestrial television, this is a timely moment to revisit the decade when television's very novelty was its most striking feature. Discussing television's role in the construction of national and gender identities and its relation to other media such as theatre, film, and radio, this fresh exploration is based on detailed case-studies of this complex era.
Jack C. Ellis and Betsy A. McLane have produced a survey of documentary film that updates an earl... more Jack C. Ellis and Betsy A. McLane have produced a survey of documentary film that updates an earlier volume by Ellis. A New History of Documentary Film includes new sections on the latest flowering of interest in the documentary— including the box office phenomena of films by Michael Moore, Errol Morris, and Morgan Spurlock; the activist films of the women’s and social progressive movements in the US; the branded television products of “the Ken Burns phenomenon”; and the more mutant and shoddy form of reality programming for television. The book is encyclopedic in its coverage of English, Canadian, and US films; it does acknowledge the early influence of Soviet and European avant-garde filmmakers but rather quickly turns to the UK and North America. It’s an excellent introduction for any student wishing to understand the major trends in documentary production in the UK and North America and the major films of various eras. Chapters trace first the beginnings of the documentary form in the UK, Canada, and the US, then its institutionalization and expansion in each of those nations. The book examines the stagnation of the form after World War II and assesses the effect of television as a new distribution channel. Further, it briefly analyzes the films of the British Free Cinema and the impact of social-realist features on the form. The end of each chapter lists the most influential or seminal films of the era under discussion, and with so many to choose from, the authors have had to restrict themselves to fairly cursory descriptions of many of these. They make an exception, however, in the early chapters, devoting a good bit of discussion to the impact of Robert Flaherty and John Grierson on the birth, establishment, and development of the documentary form. The earnestness of the methodical lists and the need to discuss so many titles makes the strength of its encyclopedic summary also its weakness. Rather than engage in conversational narrative or extensive back stories of individual films or filmmakers, the authors are constrained by the immensity of their project; they must keep the discussion of individual films brisk, and sometimes merely list them as part of a larger body of work. But telling details are scattered throughout that lend the narrative charm, such as the quote pulled from Gary Cooper’s voice-over for the 1961 documentary The Real West: “The longhorns were as treacherous as the backlash of a bullwhip. Later, the breed was white-faced and dimple-kneed, but spookier than a wing-busted bird in cat country.” A discussion of the British Free Cinema films centering on the leisure time pursuits of the working class are described as having a “vaguely anarchic, nihilistic, iconoclastic air,” and it is pointed out that Grierson saw these films as “implicitly revolutionary [and] . . . observed of them that they seemed strangely French.” The authors do manage to interject some of the political realities that influenced the form: these include the Suez Canal crisis, which prompted British Free Cinema documentary in the UK; the shifting organization and funding of the National Film Board in Canada (with a fascinating chapter on Unit B during the 1950s and 1960s); and the diminishment of government funding for documentary film in the US following World War II. They also astutely note the transition from films of social critique or commentary to films centered more on individual lives and problems in the post–World World II era—films they label “films of reassurance.” Other shifts in tone and content are linked to the effect of the Vietnam conflict and
CINEMA OF INTERRUPTIONS: ACTION GENRES IN CONTEMPORARY INDIAN CINEMA Lalitha Gopalan. London: BFI... more CINEMA OF INTERRUPTIONS: ACTION GENRES IN CONTEMPORARY INDIAN CINEMA Lalitha Gopalan. London: BFI Publishing, 2002, 240 pp. Lalitha Gopalan's Cinema of Interruptions proposes a view of popular Indian cinema that challenges the perception that as a narrative form, Indian films have not fully achieved the seamlessness of Hollywood films. The author argues that Indian cinema, with its "interruptions" of song and dance numbers, its interval or intermission, and its censored scenes, has an aesthetic coherence that marks it as uniquely Indian. Ratherthan considering these pauses or "interruptions" as side trips away from the narrative cause-effect chain, Gopalan argues that filmmakers make these interruptions integral parts of the narrative. For example, she suggests that the interval has been used in a variety of ways, such as to launch a new sensibility or to suture two genres together. Under her analysis, the interval (or intermission) emerges as a structuring d...
Dr. Cunningham reported that the College of Graduate Studies has over thirty applicants to the Ma... more Dr. Cunningham reported that the College of Graduate Studies has over thirty applicants to the Math and Science Education Ph.D. program. There are twenty to thirty applicants for each of the Computational Science and Molecular Biosciences Ph.D. programs. Each of the three programs has ten graduate assistantships to offer. III. Approval of minutes from last meeting-January 25, 2010 A motion was made to accept the minutes of the January 25, 2010 meeting. The motion was seconded and passed. IV. SubCommittee Reports A. Graduate Faculty and Curriculum Review Dr. Kevin James, Chair • Consent calendar attached • A motion was made to accept the consent calendar. The motion was seconded and carried.
... It wasn't until 1953 that the television and film industry trade journal Variety noted t... more ... It wasn't until 1953 that the television and film industry trade journal Variety noted that Kukla, Fran, and Ollie were finally off the sustaining list: "It's been something of an industry ... William "Hopalong Cassidy" Boyd was the first B-movie cowboy to put the Western on television. ...
... texts and one which was a far more organized tool to educate potential voters on the ... Whil... more ... texts and one which was a far more organized tool to educate potential voters on the ... While the colorful demagogic language persisted, each segment ends with boldtype face and numbered and succinct ... This had the effect of paring down its message and updating its image at a ...
Uploads
Papers by Clare Bratten