>I'm putting together my freshman comp class for the fall, and I'm
>toying with the idea of doing it on documentaries.  So, two questions:
>
>1.  What are a few good and short docs that I could use as introductions
>to my students?  These have to be available in some form or another.
>
>2. What are good intro readings for people just getting started on
>reading documentary films?  Again, short (xeroxable) is preferable.
 
For question # 1 - my _favorite_ propagandistic docs are the "Why We Fight"
films by Capra.  They're available on 16mm and video.
 
For question # 2 - well, it's not short, but I'd have to recommend the old
standby, Erik Barnouw's "Documentary: A History of the Non-Fiction Film"
(Revised edition, Oxford, 1983; ISBN 0-19-503301-9).  Not only does it
provide an intro-level examination of _docs_ to the beginning student,
but it's also very accessible to those who've never seriously approached
film study in an academic environment.
 
In Woody Allen Speramus,
 
Barbara Green ([log in to unmask])