The large bibliography I mentioned is all contemporary periodicals, except for an autobiography (title unremembered) by Pat Loud and (I think) some things in Alan Rosenthal's recent anthology (which I can't lay my hands on at the moment). Jay Ruby <V5293E@TEMPLEVM> of Temple's Anthropology Dept. might know a longer bibliography of material on AN AMERICAN FAMILY. MTV's attempt a staged documentary (REAL WORLD?) carried the idea of AN AMERICAN FAMILY a step further, and was honest about having cast the piece. That both were uninteresting was due to the ambiguity of being "on stage" while trying to live one's life. And the ambiguity of dual motivations: the producer's for "reality" and the players who saw the project as an opportunity to gain some celebrity. There is nothing inherently interesting or uninteresting in people's lives. The problms arise when ordinary, untrained people try to be performers (Vide: AMERICA'S FUNNIEST PEOPLE). At the same time some of the most riveting footage, unmatched by anything a performer could do, comes from moments in people's lives. The "special value of the spontaneous gesture" was the phrase used by Grierson to describe this quality. One example from the direct cinema era that started in 1960: HARLAN COUNTY U.S.A. Even ordinary people, doing ordinary things could be endlessly fascinating on the screen if they are not "acting" and the filmmakers are willing to let actuality alone, rather than look for the "dramatic moments." Caesar Zavattini, screenwriter of most of the neorealist films following 1945 had the idea that one could make an interesting two hour film could be made from two hours in the life of a housemaid. Cal Pryluck <[log in to unmask]> Dept of Radio-Television-Film <PRYLUCK@TEMPLEVM> Temple University Philadelphia, PA 19122 voice (215) 247-9663