I. Identify and state the significance of any ten of the following ideas, films, people or terms. Be sure to include historical data and concrete examples where relevant. You may use your class notes or your textbook; do not use the internet or work with a partner. (1 paragraph; 5 points each)
- “ecstatic” truth 8. L’Hippocampe
- political mimesis 9. Pare Lorentz
- compilation film 10. cinéma vérité
- Dziga Vertov 11. Harvest of Shame
- John Grierson 12. the Lumière brothers
- city symphony 13. Frederick Wiseman
- Nanook of the North 14. Joris Ivens
II. Answer one of the following questions in a 4-5 page, double-spaced essay. Answers should be well-written and well-organized, incorporating class material and readings, as well as your own original arguments concerning the course material. Be specific in your answers – the best essays will incorporate material from the readings as well as specific examples from the films we’ve screened in class. 50 points.
- In speaking of the complex questions that arise in relation to ethics in documentary filmmaking, Bill Nichols writes about the three-fold interaction between (1) the filmmaker, (2) the subjects or social actors, and (3) the audience. What are some of the ethical issues that are central to documentary filmmaking? How do these ethical questions play out in relation to this three-fold interaction in any three of the following films:
Housing Problems Lift Sit-in
Night and Fog High School Grizzly Man
- Based on the readings and class discussions, examine how the notions of "rhetoric” and "persuasion" are realized in any three of the following films. What visual and/or verbal strategies do the filmmakers employ to support their arguments? To what extent does documentary persuasion become propaganda in any of these films?
The River Now! London Can Take It!
Grizzly Man The Maelstrom Housing Problems
Sample Solution