Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A key collection of essays that looks at the specific issues related to the documentary form. Questions addressed include `What is documentary?' and `How fictional is nonfiction?'

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

This latest in the recent wave of books on the documentary aspires to present work on the cutting edge of contemporary film theory as it relates to nonfiction cinema. And with one or two exceptions, it succeeds. This collection of insightful essays by nine important scholars in the field offers a variety of perspectives on the subject (ethical, ideological, formal), and balances its theoretical abstractions with several close readings of specific films. Still, its emphasis on theory will make the book less appropriate for undergraduates. Editor Renov has provided a logical structure for the essays, arranging them so that they play off each other in provocative ways. Like Bill Nichols's Representing Reality (CH, Jul'92)--Nichols is also represented here--this volume will become central to current thinking about documentary. The bibliography, although not annotated, is excellent. Graduate; faculty; professional.