Boldly signifying the cultural issues of the 1960s and 1970s in groundbreaking pieces such as Grey Gardens; Gimme Shelter; and Showman; filmmakers and brothers David and Albert Maysles used an approach to documentary film that involved spontaneous observation of naturally occurring events. With no rehearsed footage and no preconceived plots; their revolutionary work eschewed the authoritative voice-over narrator; didactic scripts; and the traditional problem-and-solution format used by the majority of their predecessors in the genre and duly influenced subsequent directors in both fiction and nonfiction film. Their collaboration from 1962 until Davidrsquo;s death in 1987 wrought thirteen major works in which the brothers critiqued the concept of celebrity with unglamorous footage of iconic figures; explored how commercialism hinders communication; and questioned the possibility of seeing anything clearly in a world abounding with both real and constructed images. Jonathan B. Vogels outlines how the Maysles brothers blended a unique amalgam of direct cinema characteristics; a modern humanist aesthetic; and a collaborative working process that included other directors and editors. Looking at the films as both shapers and reflections of American culture; he points out that the works offer insights into a wide range of contemporary topics including materialism; celebrity; modern art; and the American family. In addition to describing the changes in technology that made direct cinema possible; Vogels provides careful; scene-by-scene analyses that allow for a consideration of the Maysles brothersrsquo; films as films; a tactic not frequently employed in nonfiction film studies.
#968794 in eBooks 2012-03-06 2012-03-06File Name: B0079YA226
Review
