>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])