The Great Documentaries Instructor: Michael Fox Tuesdays, 2:30-4:00pm, January 19-March 9, 2021
[email protected] With nonfiction films entrenched as a genre of mainstream movie entertainment, we revisit the pivotal films that established the technique, tone and tenor of the modern documentary. From Frederick Wiseman’s Titicut Follies (1967) to Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man (2005), this screening, lecture and discussion class appraises key works of lasting power and influence. The discussion will encompass perennial issues such as the responsibility of the filmmaker to the subject, truth and storytelling, the thin line between observation and activism and our evolving relationship to images. The Great Documentaries is a historical survey that follows and builds on Documentary Touchstones I and II, which I taught at OLLI a few years ago. I’ve appended a list of those films—if you have never seen them and wish to journey further back in the history of documentaries—and more information at the end of the syllabus. Most of the titles are available to watch for free on YouTube, although the quality of the prints varies. Jan. 19 Titicut Follies (1967, Frederick Wiseman, 84 min) Kanopy Wiseman’s debut film is a stark and graphic portrayal of the conditions that existed at the State Prison for the Criminally Insane at Bridgewater, Mass, documenting the various ways the inmates are treated by the guards, social workers and psychiatrists. “A great work, a near-masterpiece not just of the documentary form but of moviemaking in any category. It's a film that transcends the time and place of its manufacture, and it should be seen not just by documentarians and film students but by anyone interested in the movies as a medium capable of powerfully presenting the human condition.” - Ray Greene, Village View A Boston native and graduate of Williams College and Yale Law School, Frederick Wiseman is in the pantheon of U.S.