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"A New History of British Documentary looks at the subject afresh and offers the first comprehensive overview of documentary from early film to the present day.James Chapman argues that the privileging of Grierson and the documentary movement of the 1930s in most standard histories has eclipsed the rich tradition of non-fiction film-making that existed in Britain during the silent period, and has led many commentators to regard the decades after the Second World War as a period of stagnation and decline.Instead, Chapman suggests that a full assessment of documentary's place in British film and television history should also consider the pre- and post-Grierson documentary and the extent to which documentary practice has adapted in response to changing institutional and ideological contexts. Offers a balanced assessment of the achievements of the documentary movement but also considers the place of alternative and oppositional documentary practices in British film and television culture. "--
List of contents
Preface Abbreviations Acknowledgements Introduction: Critical and Historical Perspectives on British Documentary 1. Documentary Before Grierson 2. Documentary in the 1930s 3. Documentary at War 4. Post-War Documentary 5. Television Documentary 6. Alternative and Oppositional Documentary Conclusion: British Documentary in Context Notes Bibliography Index
Report
"Chapman describes this volume as both 'a partially researched textbook' and 'an attempt to map the field'. ... as a convenient one-stop-shop source of reliable information and thoughtful comment on a huge subject it will prove useful for some years to come. ... it will endure further as an equally handy summary of the state of received knowledge at the time of its writing." (Patrick Russell, Reviews in History, history.ac.uk, June, 2016)
