Category: Documentary

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Summer of Soul (2021)

During the summer of 1969, the Harlem Cultural Festival, a series of six concerts held in the then Mount Morris Park, became known as the Black Woodstock as a counterpart to that other musical festival taking place the same year. Featuring a wide range of artists such as Gladys Knight and the Pips, Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone, the Fifth Dimension, and Nina Simone, filmed footage of the concerts were not seen by the general public since that year. The treatment of the footage is very similar to other concert films I have watched recently, namely Soul Power and Wattstax, with the power of the performances being interrupted by talking head interviews. The interviews here do include reflections from people who were actually at the event which gives context to what it means in modern times to the communities represented but I would love to see more of the performers. The glimpse at fashions and styles of the time are great; I want to recreate the Brady Bunch-esque stage background somewhere in my house.   Music

Oscar Win: Best Documentary Feature

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Jackie Robinson (2016)

This Ken Burns documentary two-part miniseries chronicles the life of the barrier-breaking baseball player from his early life through his baseball career and his continued activism and political involvement. It’s a typically strong Burns documentary that provides many details the casual baseball fan may be unaware of that doesn’t rest on simply discussing Jackie’s sports career. Including narration by Keith David and voice work by Jamie Foxx, it includes insight from many of Robinson’s family members and other people who knew him.  Sports

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My Love, Don’t Cross That River (2014)

This documentary follows the approximately last year of a South Korean couple’s 75+ year marriage. Jo Byeong-man and Kang Kye-yeo are beautifully sweet together and their relationship was obviously one filled with love, laughter, and perfect companionship even as they experienced some real tragedies. It’s somewhat of a blessing to be able to witness two people lucky enough to find a lifelong love. My only complaint of the film would be the inclusion of their adult children. Their bickering and emotions disrupt the gentle playfulness the couple had when it was just the two of them.   Romance

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The Missing Picture (2013)

In 1970s Cambodia, eleven year old Rithy Panh and his family were among the millions rounded up by the Khmer Rouge and sent to reeducation work camps. As an adult director, Panh uses a mixture of clay figures, animation, and archival footage to work through the atrocities he experienced, including the deaths of his entire family. The result is a somewhat dull, but unconventional documentary on an important part of world history, told from a first hand perspective. The figures are the most powerful part, but they are presented in static dioramas with very slow, drawn-out narration.

Oscar Nomination: Best Foreign Language Film of the Year

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Kings of the Turf (1941)/Saved from the Flames: 54 Rare and Restored Films (1896-1944)

The life of a cart horse from birth to adulthood is detailed with questionable humor in Kings of the Turf. I’m sure there is someone out there that finds such things amusing, but for me, it’s quite a bore and very forgettable. It’s too fictionalized of an account to feel informative and not appealing enough to bother otherwise.   Sports

As the title suggests, Saved from the Flames is a collection of rare films that were made during the days of nitrate films. Comments on the films are available after the cut.

Oscar Nomination: Best Short Subject, One-reel (Kings of the Turf)

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The Settlers (2016)

Though obviously important to world politics, especially as an odd battleground in American politics, I just don’t have enough in me to delve deep enough into the great history of Israel and Palestine to form an honest, educated opinion on the modern situation there. This documentary is a starting point into one point of contention between the two parties: Jewish settlers into the West Bank. It offers a frightening, unguarded view into the zealous nature of some of these individuals, flouting international law by continually pushing into the area with the support of right wing leaders locally and abroad. Many have no interest in peace with their neighbors while firmly believing their cause is justified. While the film only presents a one-sided view, it does offer enough of the history as a starting point to help along a neophyte like myself.

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Censored Voices (2015)

Days after the end of the 1967 Six Day War, a pair of kibbutzniks travelled to other kibbutzim and recorded testimonials from soldiers who were returning from battle. These conversations were heavily censored by the Israeli army until this film was produced. The audio from the interviews is paired with archival footage and current mostly nonverbal reactions from the men who provided the interviews. Almost universally the men agree with the common narrative that it was a just war, but that is juxtaposed with the feelings they have regarding the actual fighting of the war and especially the aftermath. I try to keep a mostly neutral view with regards to conflicts in the Middle East as I have never been there and have little knowledge of the history, but I can understand why the Army tried to suppress this material as it offers an unflattering version of events and questions some of the legends that spurned from that war.  War

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All By Myself: The Eartha Kitt Story (1982)

Eartha Kitt was a force to be reckoned with and this documentary allows her to shine. The film is comprised almost entirely of footage of Kitt just being herself or responding to interview questions. While I sometimes groaned at the obtuseness of the interviewer’s questions, she freely and unabashedly offers up her views on the events in her life including her abandonment by her mother due to colorism and her professional ostracism after sharing her views on the Vietnam War and her feelings on living alone and loving herself. Interestingly while there is some singing performances sprinkled into the film, there isn’t much actual discussion on her career, with few mentions of her television and film career beyond a mention of Catwoman to a teeny Allison Smith. I would have enjoyed seeing an addendum of sorts to include her later life after this film was made as I’m sure she had plenty more to say.

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In Our Water (1982)

At this point I’ve seen a number of narrative films based on corporations contaminating water supplies that the details from this film are not all that surprising. A family in South Brunswick, New Jersey discovers that the water coming from their well, and that of their neighbors, has been contaminated by a local landfill. This documents the father becomes an activist and fights to get local, state, and federal governments to acknowledge the problem. It’s all very depressing as it’s a real life story that occurred before those other films and just establishes that these problems keep happening and environmental protections are so easy to reverse or ignore.

Oscar Nomination: Best Documentary, Features

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Small Wonders (1995)

Based on the same story as Music of the Heart, this film follows the work of Roberta Guaspari, a music teacher who teaches violin to elementary school students in Harlem. As a documentary, it doesn’t really work for me. It has the aesthetic of a personal interest story from the evening news and has only about as much story to share as one of those pieces. There’s not much flow to the narrative nor even a clear sense of the timeline it encompasses. It is cool to the kids hard at work and for some of them, the culmination of that work giving them the chance to play with world-class violinists.  Music

Oscar Nomination: Best Documentary, Features

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