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This post is the start of a new occasional feature: my favorite documentaries. I’m a huge documentary fan, and will share some of my favorites with you, perhaps once every week or two. If you have a documentary suggestion, please post it in the comments!
First up, Sherman’s March by Ross McElwee (1986). This film carries the rather long secondary title: “A Meditation on the Possibility Of Romantic Love in the South During An Era of Nuclear Weapons Proliferation,” and that begins to give you an idea of its scope. The basic gist is that Ross McElwee set out to make a film about the lingering effects of General Sherman’s March to the Sea during the Civil War (read about it at Wikipedia). However, as soon as McElwee began shooting, his girlfriend dumped him, and his preoccupation with women took over the film.
(Much more after the jump.)
As McElwee gamely attempts to make his documentary about Sherman’s March, he travels through the American South, following Sherman’s historical path and shooting occasional bits of historical narrative. But along the way, McElwee meets a string of Southern women, and the film covers this series of developing relationships as McElwee seems to bring his camera to every personal event in his life. The women McElwee meets, and the way he relates to them, are the main content of this film. Sherman’s March itself (the historical event, and its aftermath) is used as an allegory about another lonely, bearded, misunderstood man traveling through the South (although McElwee doesn’t exactly practice “total warfare”).
Here’s the first three minutes of the film (please stick around until after the ‘historical narration’ concludes):
Soon, McElwee meets Pat. Here’s a snippet about her:
After Pat we meet Claudia (and her daughter Ashley, then Claudia’s father):
Sherman’s March is funny, touching, and above all, personal. This is really McElwee’s life, and he is truly struggling to figure out what’s going on and what choices to make. His constant documentation of his life adds to the struggle, as he tries to create and maintain personal relationships despite the camera constantly on his shoulder.
McElwee has made a series of equally excellent documentaries in recent years, continuing in the spirit of Sherman’s March — I’ll likely cover several of them in this series. To see Sherman’s March, you can rent it from Netflix, rent it from Blockbuster, or buy it from Amazon. Or you could just come over to my place in Portland and we’ll have a viewing party.
It’s been years since I last saw Shermans March but it really made me want to be a film maker. (A short-lived tenure) While it looks as though it cost ten dollars to make, it really is a fantastic film. It’s kind of similar to what would be a blog today.
Higgins is dead on. It’s perhaps the most ‘personal’ film I’ve ever seen and it certainly holds a spot on my top ten list all-time.
posted by Jeff Barson on 7-28-2007 at 10:58 am
I just recently watched The War Tapes. What a jaw-dropper. Shot by a few National Guardsmen on tour in Iraq around the time of the Fallujah takedown, this is what the embeds can’t even come close to showing because these guys are in the thick of it.
The Road to Guantanamo is another great doc about the war from the perspective of wrongly imprisoned Brits.
Of course my favorites are The Thin Blue Line and Hearts of Darkness. 10 mph was neat for about 15 minutes, then zzzzzz.
posted by Johnny Cat on 7-28-2007 at 11:34 am
One of my Favorite documentaries is “Super Size Me”. Could you please do your next segement on that?
posted by Rachel on 7-28-2007 at 12:56 pm
I loved “Atomic Cafe”. Very cool film. one of the first feature length docs to play in movie theaters…
posted by Daryle on 7-28-2007 at 4:25 pm
How about “What The Bleep Do We Know”?
posted by Ed Madill on 7-28-2007 at 4:49 pm
My all-time favorite documentary, (and quite possibly my all-time favorite MOVIE in general), is “American Movie”.
It’s about a guy in Wisconsin named Mark Borchard (and his friend Mike Schank)who has basically devoted his life to becoming a famous horror movie director. I can’t even begin to explain the joys that this movie contains. It’s almost too perfect to be a unscripted documentary, but it definitely proves that “truth is stranger than fiction.” Between the hilarity, sadness, and drama, (and quotability!) it really has everything you could ever ask for in a movie.
While I consider myself a bit of a documentary film fan, I admit I’ve never even heard of Sherman’s March. But by the sound of it, you if you liked that movie you check out a little gem of a film called “The Hole Story” that made its way around some festivals last year.
While isn’t necessarily a documentary, nor is it a mockumentary, it contains elements of both. The main “character” (the real-life flimmaker) is trying to film a pilot episode of an on-location nature show in northern Minnesota, when the phenomenon he’s trying to film (a gaping hole in the middle of a frozen lake) suddenly disappears. The movie is basically him having a nervous breakdown while trying to somehow save what’s left of his ruined television pilot, while dealing with his girlfriend back home and trying to figure out exactly why the hole disappeared.
Anyway, it sounds very similar to Sherman’s march, and I have to wonder if the filmmaker was inspired by the idea. Check it out if you can find it.
(I must also recommend the 1968 film “Salesman”. That is, of course, if you feel your life lacks a certain amount of emptiness and despair.)
posted by Steve on 7-28-2007 at 5:17 pm
I once used Youtube for “Fair Use” snippets of films that I was reviewing at another site. Youtube closed my acct for copyright violations anyway.
posted by robert martin on 7-28-2007 at 6:51 pm
Excellent choice, sir. This is one of the documentaries on my Netflix list that I have yet to see.
I recommend “My Brother’s Keeper”, “Project Grizzly”, “Hands on a Hardbody”, “Stripper”, and “Radio Bikini.”
Despite the names of the last three, only “Stripper” deals with scantily clad women.
For mockumentaries, I recommend “Man Bites Dog”, “Dill Scallion” and “Fear of a Black Hat.”
I believe that all of he aforementioned films are available on Netflix.
posted by El Tigre on 7-29-2007 at 3:20 am
For the adventurous, find the films of Les Blank, especially “The Blues According to Lightning Hopkins” and “Sprout Wings and Fly” — both short documentaries about rural musicians, both small and brilliant. Blank garnered great notoriety for his making-of documentary “Burden of Dreams,” which follows Werner Herzog during the production of his epic, “Fitzcarraldo.”
While I’m pretty sure you can’t find his films on Netflix, the local university library should be able to track them down, or you can visit www dot lesblank dot com to purchase DVDs and tapes.
If any of you have the urge to make documentaries, I highly recommend www dot barefootworkshops dot org.
I’m not trying to be clever with the grammar, but I couldn’t post links in the body of my message, and they’re essential!
Great article! Good luck!
posted by Anthony Jr. on 7-29-2007 at 7:13 pm
DA Pennebaker’s documentary “Don’t Look Back” is hands down my favorite. Pennebaker documents Bob Dylan’s 1967 tour and his shift from acoustic to electric. The crowds jeer him and many fans, and writers, turn against him, but he churns a few songs for one of the greateest albums of all time “bringing it all back home”. Dylan is at the pinnacle of cool at this point. Pennebaker also pretty much invents a new genre of observational non-fiction film.
I am a soon-to-be documentary film maker (I start next month) and I have watched lot of documentaries the past year. Here are some more great ones…
Brothers Keeper
Invisible Children
Salesman
Grizzly Man (I need to watch more Werner Herzog films b/c Im sure I am missing some great ones by him)
Born Into Brothels
Sherman’s March (2nd favorite probably)
When We Were Kings
Control Room
Titticut Follies
———–
Can’t wait to read the rest of these posts. Rock & Roll Tide.
posted by Cory Pennington on 7-29-2007 at 8:21 pm
There’s a (not documentary but) fact based recreation by PBS American Playhouse about Clarence Darrow called “Darrow” that I’m fond of; but that’s because of the Chicago speech scene. while the camera is zooming in on Darrow(Kevin Spacey) on the back of a train car there is a guy on the train car to the left, waiving a hat, holding a sign that says “Vote Socialist” and it’s me. (my appearance lasts almost 8 seconds)
posted by Tdave on 7-29-2007 at 9:58 pm
“Cesky Sen” (”Czech Dream”) is a fascinating Czech documentary about consumerism. The two filmmakers set up a fake megamart and promotional campaign in Prague. Things get ugly when shoppers find out they’ve been duped.
posted by Elizabeth on 7-30-2007 at 8:31 am
I’m a big documentary fan- it seems like that’s all I’ve been renting for the past couple years, and luckily Netflix is chock full of them. I love the 7 Up series, which checks in (every 7 years, hence the name) with some British kids born in 1957. The Future of Food and Wal-Mart, the High Cost of Low Prices are up in my top 10. I loved Bowling for Columbine and Super Size Me too. Anyone seen Sicko yet?
posted by Lebetho on 7-30-2007 at 9:03 am
Have NONE of you seen “Trekkies”?!?!?!
That movie shows that truly, the weird are among us.
posted by Anthony on 7-30-2007 at 11:33 am
American Movie. it’s the best.
posted by tuckdancer on 7-30-2007 at 2:30 pm
Great Documentaries:
The Nomi Song - about avant garde singer/performer Klaus Nomi
Man with the Movie Camera - 1929 silent
For a mockumentary try Forgotten Silver by Peter Jackson.
Oh, and while Rabbit Proof Fence isn’t a technically a documentary, it is based on actual events and is thoroughly worth watching.
posted by TaTa on 7-30-2007 at 2:43 pm
I forgot to mention “The Devil and Daniel Johnston” earler..
great great great
posted by Cory on 7-30-2007 at 3:02 pm
While i’m an avid documentary fan, I’ve never heard of Sherman’s March. I will rent as soon as I can. However, the following are some of my favorites.
Brothers Keeper(1992)
The Bridge(2006)
Capturing the Friedmans(2003)
The Last Waltz(1978)
Darwin’s Nightmare(2004)
I’ll think of more.
Great post idea.
Keep up the good work.
posted by Phunk on 7-31-2007 at 1:12 pm
I loved _Sherman’s March_ - I recall it being very funny.
Two that have been on PBS were
_Following Sean_, just on last night, about a documentary maker returning to California to find out what became of the boy he made a short documentary about in the 60s in the Haight. This one was fascinating for the points it made about the different flavors of radical thought in the US, and especially their interactions in the 60s, while telling some intriguing personal stories.
_The Cats of Mirikitani_ was on earlier this year, also on PBS. This touching story of a street artist in NY taken in by the filmmaker following 9/11 also manages to make some telling points about war and the role of the US in world politics, while at the same time telling the riveting tale of the central character. He had reason enough to be angry about what happened to him during WWII. This is scheduled to be out on DVD later this year, and I hope PBS will show it again before then.
Finally, I can’t leave out _Planet Earth_, especially the David-Attenborough-narrated DVDs. I never use the word stunning, but this documentary series truly is just that, and is well worth the time to watch it all again - even if you have already seen it on TV.
posted by core on 8-1-2007 at 8:00 pm
“Standing in the Shadows of Motown” is one of the most beautiful music docs I have seen. Strongly recommended.
posted by steven on 8-3-2007 at 5:22 pm