I just read an interesting article about the coinage of "documentary." The word was first used to describe films in 1926 by writer John Grierson in is review of the movie "Moana" by Robert Flaherty. Grierson derived the word from the French word, "documentaire," and he defined it as a "creative treatment of actuality." However, social views were often present, and it just isn't true that a political viewpoint or agenda was foreign to early documentaries as is sometimes argued today. However the author of the article (Michael Wilmington) does contend that the word has evolved over the years, as have documentaries. For example, Grierson might not have even recognized "Capturing the Friedmans" or "Super Size Me" (neither of which I have seen), according to Wilmington.

What do you think about documentaries? Should they have a political bent? How, really, can they avoid it?

Quote "...What do you think about documentaries? Should they have a political bent? How, really, can they avoid it?..."

Whereas it might seem desirable for documentaries and other commentary to be unbiased I believe that this is, in truth, impossible.

When I am not stating my personal opinion (as is the case with my views about modern art) I try hard to be unbiased and factual but I still get accused of having bias. The BBC receives much mail from those accusing it of bias and, according to Nicholas Witchell in a speech I heard recently, contentious reports receive complaints of left-wing bias from approximately 50% of writers. The remaining 50% complain of right-wing bias.

To try to appear unbiased to everyone is as impossible an exercise as trying to have no accent. I am accentless only to those who hail from my part of the southeast of England; to others I sound posh or rather common - depending on their own accents.

An Englishman's way of speaking absolutely classifies him
The moment he talks he makes some other Englishman despise him

---- My Fair Lady

Reviving an old thread...

There is a new online computer game put out by a company in Glasgow, Scotland, called, "JFK Reloaded." It was released to coincide with the 41st anniversary of the assassination of Kennedy. Basically, your mission is to kill JFK by accurately recreating the shots fired that day by Oswald. You lose points, for example, for hitting Jackie by mistake.

Obviously, there has been an outcry. The company's response? This is a documentary promoted "respectfully" with the noble aim of interesting young people in history and proving that Oswald was the lone killer.

A documentary?