NYT: Surge in political documentaries is "coup d'etat on the status quo"

[DeepModem Mom]

David Carr
Cascading Inconvenient Truths
Published: June 19, 2006

THERE have been all sorts of pronouncements in the past week about the ambitions and absurdities of the Iraq war, but nothing in newspapers, on cable or even out there in the blogosphere matched the impact of a deft little turn in the middle of "The War Tapes," a documentary about — and filmed by — a New Hampshire National Guard Unit stationed in Iraq that opened in theaters two weeks ago....

***

"The War Tapes" is one of a rash of current documentaries feeding appetites for information and coverage beyond traditional channels of information. "An Inconvenient Truth," a filmed version of former Vice President Al Gore's slide show on global warming, has turned the most boring of issues — and public personalities — into an entertainment. "Who Killed the Electric Car?", a whodunit about the death of electric vehicles in California, landed with enough impact that the Smithsonian removed its only electric vehicle from display last week. "The Road to Guantánamo," a hybrid of documentary and feature techniques, seemed to neatly prefigure the recent events at the prison.

THE current surge in politically inflected documentaries seems like a mashed-up, digital version of the 1960's, when books like "Silent Spring," "Unsafe at Any Speed" and "The Other America" came out of nowhere to define public debate. Those interested in advancing specific points of view these days are picking up the 800-pound pencil of filmmaking, in part because digital technology has made it easier to deliver complicated political messages in a visual narrative.

But the cluster of serious, point-of-view documentaries may also represent something else, a coup d'etat on the status quo. Just as those big books of the 60's took on the elites of the day (chemical companies, Detroit engineers) these films betray a disaffection with their postindustrial counterparts (Hollywood, the traditional news media) for filling theaters with brain-dead blockbusters and neglecting important stories....

***

Michael Moore, whose "Fahrenheit 911," and "Bowling for Columbine" set the template for the new political documentary, believes there are two reasons we are seeing these films...."Mainstream media, especially The New York Times, has failed to cast a skeptical eye on those in power," he said. "The other reason is that Hollywood has not done the job of producing interesting films of substance. If journalism isn't doing the job and fiction isn't doing the job, nonfiction has stepped in with compelling characters, good stories and important films."...

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/19/business/media/19carr.html

[Cassandra]

1. The remake of All the King's Men is coming in September.

Good timing to talk about populism in the wake of the 1927 New Orleans flood.

[ixion]

2. couldn't resist that kidney punch to Gore

'Boring' public personality. Puh-leeze. I can name several dozen talking heads with an inflated sense of self-importance that would rank far above Gore in the boring column.

[acmejack]

4. But they annoint Tucker Carlson interesting

a punk without even a degree is supposed to lecture me on how to think about world affairs, right...

[annabanana]

3. The Times should be the last to be surprised by this...

They have been playing 'dodge-ball' with real news for so long now....

The contortions they will squish themselves to, trying to avoid getting hit with a stray news bomb would be funny if the consequences weren't so dire.

[aquart]

5. "rash" "version" "boring" "mashed-up" "betray" "seemed to" "cluster"

My, what a casually damning, deliberately trivializing choice of descriptive language. I also like "came out of nowhere." Rage? We don't see no steenkeen rage.

And the brass balls of the NYT, to use "coup d'etat" for this instead of for Florida 2000.

[glitch]

6. Aren't they cute? They're committing suicide and writing their own epitaph

People will go where there is life, and avert their eyes from the New York Times, maybe a little embarassed for them. Maybe not.

[DeepModem Mom]

7. Maybe I, the OP, am the only one who thought this piece valuable --

The Times makes points here about the failures of both the MSM and mindless movies, and even quotes Michael Moore about themselves, specifically and by name. I hadn't really thought about this trend harking back to the books of the Sixties -- or even of the number of these documentaries, and the effect they may have.

The NYT has committed some unpardonable sins, but they still produce some valuable journalism -- and some editorials -- that make it to the DU homepage. I don't think every article from their pages can or should be dismissed.

[rman]

10. It's an interesting piece,

summarizing some things that most of us already know, i think - but interesting nonetheless. The NYT's choice of words is also interesting, as "aquart" points out.
The piece is as much a comment on the NYT as it is a comment on the rest of the MSM. I think it shows the so-called status quo is mostly an illusion, and that this new breed of documentaries only appears to "come out of nowhere" to those who believe that illusion is real.

[DeepModem Mom]

11. Good points all. I constantly have to remind myself, however...

that we here are so much more tuned in to what is really happening than your average Joe or Jane. This article might make some reading it consider for the first time that our media has failed us. (I use my DU journal as a source of info for non-DUers, giving the link to family and friends.)

And the point about the use of words is a particularly good one. The MSM seems never to depart from its self-created stereotypes and illusions, even after they've been thoroughly debunked by many informed, thoughtful observers.

[annabanana]

8. kicking for one more rec'd........ . . . .n/t

[librechik]

9. Douchebag Carr seems insulted by the presumptiveness

of these documentaries. How dare they try to have an influence on public opinion, the bailiwick the NYT and so on OWNS!!!!

Watch out, Carr, you're sawing off the branch you are sitting on.

[Marr]

12. It *is* interesting. These documentaries really have been able to

define the lines of debate lately. I'm so used to the lines being drawn by the Heritage Foundation that it's disorienting.

[happydreams]

13. A must see is "The Power of Nightmares"

about how Islamic fundamentalism and Christian fundamentalism use similar fear tactics to stay in power, plus alot more on Leo Strauss and PNAC. Also "The Century of the Self" . These are both by Adam Curtis. About as hard hitting as it gets.

I want to get these on PBS. Any suggestions?