The Autobiographical Documentary in America

by Jim Lane

Book Overview

Since the late 1960s, American film and video makers of all genres have been fascinated with themes of self and identity. Though the documentary form is most often used to capture the lives of others, Jim Lane turns his lens on those media makers who document their own lives and identities. He looks at the ways in which autobiographical documentaries--including Roger and Me, Sherman's March, and Silverlake Life--raise weighty questions about American...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0299176541
• ISBN13: 9780299176549
• Release Date: April 2002
• Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.2" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Great Intro to a fascinating area of personal filmmaking

I read a lot of film books and, for me, the best ones accomplish one of two things: they either introduce me to films or genres that I know little about, or they give me new insight into films and genres that I love. Jim Lane's book manages to do both in a straight-forward, intelligent, but easily accessible style that accomodates both serious film scholars and the cocktail party film buff (like me). I knew next to nothing about the autobiographical documentary (and frankly, had little interest in exploring it) but I was drawn to the book because of my appreciation for "David Holzman's Diary". Of course, I read that section first, and enjoyed it so much that I found myself turning to the beginning of the book and reading about films that I had never seen. I ended up tracking down all the films central to the book, viewing them, and then returning to the chapters in the book to compare the authors views with my own. What better compliment to pay a film book than to say it inspired me to go out and see more films.