Sources
Help build the largest human-edited directory on the web.
Submit a site - Become an editor
Wikipedia. Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Are you an expert in this subject? Join the discussion and share your knowledge at Wikipedia.org.
Semidocumentary
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Semidocumentary is a form of book, film, or television program presenting a fictional story that incorporates many factual details or actual events, or which is presented in a manner similar to a documentary.
One of the first films of this kind was The House on 92nd Street (1945): Time used the term "semidocumentary" to describe this film in 1952 [1]. The producer of the film had previously worked on newsreels which inspired the film making style.
In the late-1940s, semidocumentary films were often associated with film noir thrillers, sharing a commitment to on-location shooting, gritty realism, and understated performances. Several of Richard Fleischer's films had semidocumentary qualities; see external links below.
Some examples of movies that at least have some elements of a semidocumentary in their style:
- Armored Car Robbery (1950)
- Boomerang! (1947)
- Call Northside 777 (1948)
- Dragnet (1951)
- He Walked by Night (1948)
- Highway 301 (1950)
- The Hitch-Hiker (1953)
- The House on 92nd Street (1945)
- Kiss of Death (1947)
- Mystery Street (1950)
- The Naked City (1948)
- On Dangerous Ground (1952)
- Panic in the Streets (1950)
- The Racket (1951)
- Side Street (1950)
- The Street with No Name (1948)
- The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967)
- T-Men (1947)
- Zelig (1983)