A New History of British Documentary

A New History of British Documentary is the first comprehensive overview of documentary production in Britain from early film to the present day. It covers both the film and television industries and demonstrates how documentary practice has adapted to ch

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A New History of British Documentary

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A New History of British Documentary James Chapman University of Leicester, UK

© James Chapman 2015

Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2015 978-0-230-39286-1

All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2015 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN 978-0-230-39287-8 (eBook) ISBN 978-1-349-35209-8 DOI 10.1057/9780230392878

This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Chapman, James, 1968– A new history of British documentary / James Chapman. pages cm Includes bibliographical references. 1. Documentary films—Great Britain—History and criticism. 2. Documentary television programs—Great Britain—History and criticism. I. Title. PN1995.9.D6C4345 2015 2014037997 070.1 8—dc23

In memory of Stuart Hall

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Contents

Preface

ix

Acknowledgements

xii

List of Abbreviations

xiv

Introduction: Critical and Historical Perspectives on British Documentary

1

1 Documentary Before Grierson Early British non-fiction film Mitchell and Kenyon: ‘See yourself as others see you’ Battle of the Somme (1916) and the origins of British documentary British Instructional Films and the documentary reconstruction Epics of exploration

18 19 24

2 Documentary in the 1930s The contexts of documentary Documentary and mass communications Documentary and the projection of Britain Drifters (1929) and the Empire Marketing Board Robert Flaherty and Man of Aran (1934) The GPO Film Unit: The ‘Voice of the Nat