The Man with a Camera, Dziga Vertov

INTRO :

The documentary is a cinematographic genre that differs from fiction. This is a didactic film, presenting authentic facts not elaborated for the occasion. The history of documentary cinema is rich and begins with the origins of cinema, at the end of the 19th century. From March 22, 1895, the Lumière brothers organized the first public demonstration of the cinematograph which, thereafter, would lead to the production of hundreds of documentary “views”. Between family films, travel films, political events, the views already cover many of the favorite subjects of the documentary. It was only in 1921 that the first documentary saw the light of day with "Nanouk", of which Robert Flaherty, often considered the father of documentaries, was the director. The filmmaker not only makes a picturesque document, but he notably appeals to romantic springs.

A documentary film is different from other types of video productions. It is a non-fictional feature film intended to document certain aspects of reality, mainly for entertainment, teaching or as a historical document. A documentary may or may not be scripted, but the subject matter is very real. By definition, a documentary film exists to document a truth. As such, unlike other genres, the documentary is limited by the limits of not only what is possible, but also what is real. It's a story like no other genre because it tells the factual and real story of the subject. In general, documentaries evolved as a distinguished genre and separated themselves from more entertainment-oriented Hollywood films thanks to a foundation of unbiased and factual journalism. However, documentaries that champion a specific cause don't always present an unbiased narrative. Because the “real” includes what it is possible to give an equivalent representation of, but a documentary is only a representation of reality, it never really captures reality. 

Dziga Vertov was one of the first to claim documentary truth with his silent film, "The Man with a Camera", shot in Odessa and other Soviet cities. Written and directed by himself, it was released in 2019, and describes the daily life of the inhabitants, from morning to evening, exploring various facets of work, leisure and the city. It is a real cinematographic poem that combines live action and staging, this film-manifesto

PB: " Is documentary always a reliable form of social comment? "

SUMMARY

1. FAKE NEWS: FALLACIOUS CONTENT

Many documents are not true or at least in their entirety. Just like in many other areas, fake news is popping up in documentaries leading to so-called “misleading” content. Indeed, each director can add completely false information without anyone knowing it since they will surely not be verified afterwards.

Take the example of the documentary "In Search of Vivian Maier", which is an American documentary directed by John Maloof and Charle Siskel, and released in 2013. This documentary is a biography of the photographer Vivian Maier by the discoverer of her work, John Maloff. John Maloof built this documentary through the testimonies of all the people who knew Vivian before she died, without knowing if their testimonies were correct or not. Indeed, some of his people may not like this woman, going so far as to invent some of their testimonies to go against the truth.

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