Just Facts and Drama

Exactly what is a documentary film?

Filmmaker Pare Lorentz defines a documentary film as "a factual film which is dramatic."

When most people think of documentaries, they probably think of the following: The kind of films made by Ken Burns (you know, the guy behind The Civil War (1990) and Baseball (1994); the kind you'd watch on PBS or Biography.) Or maybe Leni Riefenstahl (of Nazi propaganda films like Triumph of the Will). And most likely, they'd add Michael Moore to the list (his documentaries are basically political commentary -- Roger and Me (1989), Bowling for Columbine (2002), and a whole lot more!). Or perhaps Morgan Spurlock (of Supersize Me (2004) fame).

If you take Lorentz's definition -- that all a documentary needs is facts and drama -- then some of these don't quite match up. Maybe they have lots of drama, but aren't so factual. Or some might argue that the facts line up neatly, but... well... they find the film not dramatic enough for their tastes.

Yet, perhaps it's not really a bad thing to have different approaches to documentaries. A fan of Michael Moore may not necessarily get into a Ken Burns documentary, but there are plenty of Ken Burns fans out there, awaiting his next epic. Some people can't stomach Michael Moore's tactics, but may really like... well, you get the picture.

But wait! These are not the only documentary filmmakers out there!

There are a lot of other documentaries... On a whole slough of topics, in a variety of different styles. With plenty of facts and drama.

Just not necessarily always together in the same film.