Book
André Bazin on documentary: cinema's urge to explore
University of California Press
2026
Appears in Recent Books by UI Authors
Abstract
"Documentary is at the core of André Bazin's immensely influential views of cinema. This collection, curated by renowned film scholar Dudley Andrew, brings to English-language readers sixty-two articles in which Bazin interrogated films about geography, history, animals, painting, and, especially, distant lands and peoples. Both an advocate and critic of popular science and exotic travelogues, Bazin applauded the creativity of impure forms like docu-fiction and the genre he baptized as the "essay film." Engaging minor short subjects, as well as classic works by Robert Flaherty, Jean Rouch, Alain Resnais, and Chris Marker, Bazin's incisive prose is at once intricately beautiful and playfully entertaining--and his brilliant reflections on both the morality and the aesthetics of documentary remain compelling and urgent today, when spectacles sold as reality flood our screens"-- Provided by publisher.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- André Bazin on documentary: cinema's urge to explore
- Creators
- André Bazin (Author)Dudley AndrewDeborah N. Glassman (Translator)Natasa Ďurovičová (Translator)
- Resource Type
- Book
- Table of contents
- Introduction: Exploring Bazin on documentary -- Part One. Films of Exploration. 1. The evolution of the exploration film ; 2. Kon-Tiki: The grandeur and servitude of filmed reportage ; 3. Scott of the Antarctic: Ice without Eskimos ; 4. Le monde de silence [dir. Jacques Cousteau] ; 5. A terrific program: Annapurna, Water birds, Le Grand Méliès ; 6. Spiritual adventures: Naufragé volontaire and La forêt sacrée ; 7. La forêt sacrée [The sacred forest] ; 8. Iawa: Man, the unknown ; 9. Now showing: Lost continent ; 10. Lost continent ; 11. A mock documentary: Lost continent ; 12. Naked Amazon, "dressed up" just a bit ; 13. Empire in the sune ; 14. The last paradise ; 15. Will Italian cinema abandon ... neorealism for neo-exoticism? ; 16. The flute and the arrow at Cannes ; 17. Hunters, learn to hunt! ; 18. Paysans noirs [Black farmers] ; 19. A teacher in Africa: La plus belle des vies ; 20. Les maîtres fous [dir. Jean Rouch] -- Part Two. Documentary Subjects. A. Environment and the Humans within it: 21. Landscape in cinema ; 22. The Tour de France of cinema ; 23. Farrebique, the paradox of realism ; 24. Long live Farrebique! ; 25. Louisiana story ; 26. A great film: Flaherty's Louisiana story ; 27. Crin blanc [White mane] -- B. Animals in the Lead: 28. The science film: accidental beauty ; 29. Animal films reveal the world of cinema ; 30. The great adventure ; 31. The perils of Perri ; 32. In the sands of Central Asia, an admirable documentary ; 33. Pity for the animals ; 34. Toro: a revolution in realism ; 35. Afternoon of the bulls: ninety minutes of truth ; 36. Death every afternoon: La course de taureaux -- C. The Extraordinary within the Ordinary: 37. Here's proof that the short is a spectacle ; 38. Sports reporting in televised news ; 39. Winter Olympics: skiing and cinema ; 40. Soviet documentaries: In the circus arena and whaling in the antarctic ; 41. Lourdes et ses miracles ; 42. Tele-lensed film: Little fugitive -- D. Bringing History Back to Life: 43. La Bataille du rail [The Battle of the Rails] ; 44. La Bataille du rail and Ivan the Terrible ; 45. On Why we fight: history, documents, and newsreels ; 46. A true film Leclerc ; 47. In search of lost time: Paris 1900 ; 48. Clemenceau by Clemenceau ; 49. André Gide, alive and well! ; 50. Hôtel des Invalides [dir. George Franju] -- E. The New French Documentary: 51. Statues always die twice [dir. Alain Resnais and Chris Marker] ; 52. Nuit et brouillard [Night and fog, dir. Alain Resnais] ; 53. En liberté sur les routes d'URSS and Chris Marker's Dimanche à Pekin ; 54. Lettre de Sibérie [dir. Chris Marker] ; 55. Lettre de Sibérie in a new style: the "documented essay" -- F. Documentary at the Edge: Art and Death: 56. God, the painter, and the film on art ; 57. Picasso, Clouzot, and Metamorphosis ; 58. Le mystère Picasso ; 59 Death on the screen -- G. Envoi: 60. Every film is a social documentary -- Addendum: Two Essential Essay Translated by Hugh Gray. 61. Cinema and exploration ; 62. Painting and cinema -- Appendix: Chronological list of articles -- Index of film titles -- General Index.
- ISBN
- 9780520399426; 0520399420; 9780520399433; 0520399439
- Publisher
- University of California Press; Oakland, California
- Format
- xiv, 394 pages ; 22 cm; index
- Number of pages
- xiv, 394 pages
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 2026
- Academic Unit
- International Writing Program
- Record Identifier
- 9985183396202771
Metrics
1 Record Views