Stranger Than Fiction

In 1877, Eadweard Maybridge took a series of photographs at a Sacramento racecourse and demonstrated that a horse does lift all four legs off the ground in a gallop. In 1895, the Lumiere brothers stunned audiences with films of workers leaving their factory and trains arriving at a Parisian station. These were the first true films and also the first documentaries- films purporting to present facts outside the film. Although narrative-fictional films quickly overtook the documentary as a popular form, documentaries have continued to enthrall audiences around the world. The last two decades have seen a resurgence of interest in documentary and viewers are rediscovering the excitement and pleasures of the non-fiction film.

The extraordinary success of Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 demonstrates the power of the documentary film to move, inform and influence cinema audiences. Only this week, in order to contextualize my thoughts and feelings about August 6th I watched the 1974 television series The World at War. It has been an extremely rewarding experience. Although there are couple of episodes still to watch, (plus a few DVD extras) I have been watching this extraordinary documentary for an average of five hours a day for five consecutive days.

Nature documentaries are consistent favorites. BBC TV series such as Life on Earth and the Blue Planet are ever popular (Deep Blue, a condensed version of the Blue Planet series swhich opens at Salon Cinema Sept 4). French film makers have excelled in this form from the beginning. In the 1920s, naturalist surrealist Jean Painleve made disturbing films of sea creatures and they are well worth a look today. Jacque Cousteau and Louis Malle's Silent World won the Cannes film festival in 1956. Incidently, Farenheit 9-11 is the first documentary to win it since then. Nuridsany's films, Microcosmos (1996), starring insects, and Migration (2001), birds, were both hits. Genesis, about the origins of our planet, is keenly awaited (2004).

In political documentary, the work of Marcel Ophuls stands out. The Sorrow and the Pity (1969) about France's Occupation years, not only helped to redefine post-war France's sense of itself, but also reshaped the art of the documentary. In a series of interviews with eye-witnesses he often let them incriminate themselves to devasting effect. A lot of Japanese documentary is uninspired and follows conventions that western viewers find difficult to put up with. Yet, Japanese film-makers have produced impressive work. For example, the Narita films of Ogawa depict the struggles against the construction of Narita airport in the 1960s and '70s with emotion and vigor. Tsuchimoto's Minamata Disease: A Trilogy (1971-5) are also well worth viewing.

The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On (Yuki yukite, Shingun) is perhaps my favorite Japanese film. Made in 1987, with great diffiuclty, by Hara Kazuo, helped by Imamura Shohei, it is a transgressive film depicting the battle of a haunted and very disturbed Okuzaki Kenzo against the complacent consensus of post-war Japan. A one-man army, Okuzaki travels Japan in a little white van railing against the Showa emperor and challenging former soldiers to tell the truth about their war experience.

The Emperor's Army Mrches On

The stories of murder and cannibalism are shocking. Okuzaki is burning with indigantion and violence and the man's raw energy comes accross in in the jump cuts and bad lighting of Hara's film. Okuzaki was released a couple of years ago after serving a 12 year sentence for attempted murder. Don't miss a chance to see this film.

Michael Moore may currently be the world's most high profile documentary film maker, but he isn't the only one making independent political documentaries, nor the only one who is reaching beyond arthouse audiences. The lower costs afforded by high quality digital video and editing software, mean that these days it is much easier to get your message on sceen than in the past. Morgan Spurlock's Super Size Me recounts the effects wrought on his body over a month during which he only consumed food from McDonald's. Made for $65,000 the film grossed close to $10 million.

Robert Greenwald's Uncovered: The War on Iraq, due to open in theaters this week ahead of the Republican National Convention, was made over 3 months during which time he interviewed a slew of high-ranking government officials. This film follows his Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism in which he claims that the FOX news network is nothing more than a propaganda machine for the American right wing. Both films were funded by MoveOn.org, a liberal online organisation, "working to bring ordinary people back into politics". MoveOn avoided the distribution problems experienced by Moore, by initially bypassing the cinemas altogether. Thousands of home viewing parties were organised across the US, and over 100,000 copies of cheap to produce DVDs have been sold of Uncovered, and they are hoping to achieve similar sales with Outfoxed. Greenwald's next film Unconstitutional, about civil liberties violations in the US since Sept. 11 is due to be peoples' living rooms in September.

Obviously, the variety of documentary can be as wide as life itself.

On music, Gimme Shelter (1971) Woodstock (1970), Buena Vista Social Club (1999). The acclaimed documentary Brass On Fire which tells the story of "the fastest romany gypsie brass band in the world" who have showcased their sound from their tiny village in a remote part of Romania throughout the world is showing at Cinetwin from September 4th (see them play live at Club Quattro Aug 24).

On sport, Kon Ichikawa's Tokyo Olympiad, Hoop Dreams (1994) and Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine (2002). Biographies, Crumb (1994) American Splendor (2003). There are excellent films about making films; Hearts of Darkness (1991) and Joy of Madness (2003), the un-making of films in Terry Gilliam's Lost in La Mancha (2001), or Hollywood - The Kid Stays in the Picture (2003).

Other recent hits include The Five Obstructions (2003), the experimental collage- "Bodysong" (2003), "Decasia" (2002) and The Story of the Weeping Camel Mongolian nomads' try to reunite a mother camel with her calf. Ister (2004) - a meditation on German philosopher Martin Heidegger on a journey up the Danube. The makers of nostalgic skate documentary, Dogtown and Z-boys, have returned this summer with an homage to big wave surfers Step Into Liquid. The list can go on and on. Perhaps we need fiction less when reality can be imagined so well.

Meanwhile, Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 plays at Cine Twin 2 from August 21st (click here for screen times). Now, I have to get back to that DVD player.

Win free tickets to see Fahrenheit 9/11. Click here for more details.