331. 5 Broken Cameras

331. (18 Dec) 5 Broken Cameras (2012, Emad Burnat & Guy Davidi) 35



A sometimes gripping look at the Israeli military's actions in the occupied Palestinian territories as shot by farmer Emad Burnat, 5 Broken Cameras still doesn't feel especially personal despite its efforts. In place of genuine moments that display character or give a sense of community are sappy voiceovers like this one about Burnat's son: "I watch him through my camera trying to rediscover the world through his eyes." It's amazing how mundane much of the film is despite spanning 5 years. Only punctuated with intense scenes of military intervention, it's not a far cry from watching amateur home movies with a bad script to tie it all together.

301. The Invisible War

301. (06 Dec) The Invisible War (2012, Kirby Dick) 64

The Invisible War is a truly impactful documentary about the culture of rape and sexual harrassment in the military and its devastating effect on victims. Kirby Dick has a spotty history as a documentarian, and he makes a couple goofy choices with graphics and lingers a little too long with highly emotional interviewees, but he's assembled a group of military veterans who've been sexually assaulted with stories that are articulately and powerfully told. It's a message movie that feels as if it might actually have traction.

293. Daybreak in Udi

293. (01 Dec) Daybreak in Udi (1949, Terry Bishop) 53



Without intending to, the dark shadow of colonialism rests heavily on this faux-documentary about the building of a maternity clinic in Nigeria. An Englishman overseeing affairs for the villages calls the shots, and it's only the persistence of a local woman that leads to the project's completion. It's an uplifting story overall, but I doubt the authenticity of these scenes in one of a handful of Oscar winners for Documentary Feature that's actually a scripted drama.

292. In the Year of the Pig

292. (30 Nov) In the Year of the Pig (1969, Emile de Antonio) 36



This vague retracing of the Vietnam War's origins takes such a broad and biased approach, it's instantly off-putting. The talky documentary, starting with an astonishingly pretentious opening sequence, has big ambitions at exposing the western evils perpetrated on the Vietnamese. In retrospect, In the Year of the Pig seems too blinded by its own frustrations with U.S. foreign policy to really articulate itself appropriately. The muddled arguments here preach only to the converted, which means it essentially says very little.

243. The Great American Cowboy

243. (08 Oct) The Great American Cowboy (1973, Kieth Merrill) 31



Sensationalism mars this documentary on rodeo cowboys. The cattlemen themselves are substantially more interesting than continuous montages and slow-motion shots of bulls nearly goring people. Kieth Merrill seems downright disinterested in getting to know these wranglers, which makes this disingenuously titled, repetitive and tedious.

241. The Broadcast Tapes of Dr. Peter

241. (07 Oct) The Broadcast Tapes of Dr. Peter (1993, David Paperny) 57



Collected from video diaries by Dr. Peter Jepson-Young, this is an intimate and moving account of what living with AIDS means. It's a meditative and melancholy film, as Peter loses his eyesight and becomes visibly ravaged by illness while retaining an almost impossibly optimistic outlook. This is a bit watered down, edited from 111 tapes recorded for network television in Canada. You don't get to know this sweet, introspective man as well as you might if this was actually filmed for a feature-length documentary.

240. Homage to Chagall

240. (07 Oct) Homage to Chagall (1977, Harry Rasky) 19



This is for professional scholars of Chagall and not, in any regard, for a layperson. I willfully admit my ignorance of his work and can say definitively now I'm not impressed. In any case, Homage to Chagall is close to impenetrable since it takes such a nonlinear approach to his evolution and inspiration as an artist. Pretentiously spouting Bible verses between montages of his art, even James Mason's spirited, melodramatic narration can't breathe life into this.

238. Union Maids

238. (06 Oct) Union Maids (1977, Jim Klein, Miles Mogulescu & Julia Reichert) 51



Three women from very different backgrounds talk about their experiences in factories and their roles in the workers' movement in the 1930s. Each has an interesting narrative, but this is a run-of-the-mill talking head documentary. It's aesthetically unremarkable, reliant on archival footage and photos, but moves briskly and has enough character to make a slight impact in 50 minutes.

225. How to Survive a Plague

225. (28 Sep) How to Survive a Plague (2012, David France) 71



Potent filmmaking about the power of political rage, How to Survive a Plague is among the definitive documentaries about the HIV/AIDS crisis. Like other strong works We Were Here and Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt, this narrows its focuses, showing the arc of ACT-UP as the death toll increases and anger builds. Their proactive approach to advancing medicine and increasing access to drugs is moving on its face, but tight editing and devastating sound bites makes this terse, engaging and impactful.

167. World Without Sun

167. (21 Aug) World Without Sun (1964, Jacques-Yves Cousteau) 44



Jacques-Yves Cousteau's look at a group of men participating in an underwater living experiment is most remarkable for its photography. The novelty of seeing so many rare sea creatures in action must have made quite an impression in 1964. Nowadays, darkly lit shots of crabs wandering the ocean floor don't hold much charm. A bombastic score and on the nose editing give this feel too manufactured to be a daily account of these men's lives or, when it strays into showing wildlife, a nature documentary.

082. The Conquest of Everest

082. (08 Mar) The Conquest of Everest (1953, George Lowe) 58



The clearest accomplishment here is giving a sense of the true height of Everest. At every turn, we're reminded that the peak dwarfs the highest mountain in Europe and that the venture to the top is seemingly endless. Photographing this was no doubt a nightmare, so the fact that it's a perk that it looks as good as it does. There are numerous pans upward to give an idea of how much further there is left to go.

The obvious issue here is that we don't interact with the men making the trek. They're often dots on the horizon. We're aware that their goal is near impossible, but without any interaction it's not easy sharing in their triumph.

081. Desert Victory

081. (06 Mar) Desert Victory (1943, ?) 33



Having watched so many WWII combat documentaries in a row, it's now easy to spot a genuine dud. This misfire is difficult to follow, lacks context of what the war in nothern Africa means, and fails to engage on most basic levels. The filmmaking is disjointed. There was clearly an abundance of footage, but not much of it seems usable. The decision to shoot in black and white is an obvious mistake, but by not giving a sense of who the men fighting the war are or what their daily lives are like it's almost impossible to care whenever the battle heats up.

079. The Fighting Lady

079. (05 Mar) The Fighting Lady (1944, Edward Steichen) 69



Encapsulating how war is mundane, stressful waiting punctuated by breathless action, The Fighting Lady gives an incredibly clear sense of life on board an aircraft carrier. The photography is rather ingenious; every time pilots start shooting, the camera flicks on. That Technicolor photography is breathtaking. Perhaps the most involving bit here is when a bomb ignites after a pilot lands, spraying the deck with molten metal. It's hard not to be in awe of the mix of excitement in terror in such moments.

074. The Last Bomb

074. (01 Mar) The Last Bomb (1945, Frank Lloyd) 60



An engaging look at the final assault on Japan, The Last Bomb's real intrigue is its Technicolor footage of firefights and bomb drops. This is rather remarkable material as you see the bombs drop and impact the ground in real time. Lloyd contextualizes rather well, giving a sense of what daily life is like for the men who fly these planes and how risky that can be. There's also always an explanation of what target is being hit with the exception of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The atomic bomb drops are almost afterthoughts, taking up the last minute of the film before the end title.

073. The Secret Land

073. (29 Feb) The Secret Land (1948, ?) 54



Ever so slightly better than Antarctic Crossing from a decade later, this Documentary Feature nominee more competently demonstrates the hardship of Antarctic exploration. There's more intrigue seeing ships plow through thick ice and the preparation process, like raising and training dogs to pull sleds. Most of this is instantly forgettable, but it's unique subject matter brought to life in narration by Hollywood stars who were also military veterans like Van Heflin.

072. Journey Into Medicine

072. (28 Feb) Journey Into Medicine (1947, Willard Van Dyke) 63



Having seen The Fight for Life from 1940 recently, I have a clear sense of just how misguided a documentary about the well-intended nature of medicine can be. Van Dyke actually makes a film that's rousing and hard-edged. Following a doctor through school and into his early career, this doesn't shy away from the occasional failures in attempting to save patients. It seems a young girl will beat diphtheria, but she shockingly dies and we watch as the doctor has to inform the parents. It's something of a gut punch and is a strong lead into the last part of the film where the doctor tries to prevent further outbreaks through research and prevention. This is certainly one of the more involving '40s Documentary Feature nominees.

071. The Lovers' Wind

071. (27 Feb) The Lovers' Wind (1978, Albert Lamorisse) 59



The aerial photography here can be rather staggering. Lamorisse finds patterns and rhythms in the Iranian landscape that make this mesmerizing. It's a stunning view of the country from above. Unfortunately, he makes the odd choice to have the film narrated by the wind and I don't mean that figuratively. Someone literally speaks as the voice of the wind, explaining what the wind thinks of the scenery. Huh.

064. The Challenge... A Tribute to Modern Art

064. (24 Feb) The Challenge... A Tribute to Modern Art (1974, Herbert Kline) 62



A concise and intelligent overview of modern art up to the early 1970s, The Challenge is the sort of film tailored for Art History 101 courses. It's especially fun seeing Peggy Guggenheim talk about how she handpicked works that exemplify each modern art movement, but scoffs when asked why she hasn't selected any pop art because she determines it's not "real art." The only determinable misstep here is a very brief snippet including Yoko Ono's fake MOMA exhibit. She's an odd inclusion among Pollock and Duchamp.

063. Antarctic Crossing

063. (22 Feb) Antarctic Crossing (1958, George Lowe) 52



It's an impressive feat filming two Antarctic expeditions. The journey itself is interesting enough to sustain the runtime, but touches of humor certainly help. However, what prevents Antarctic Crossing from rising above the mundane is its inability to forge any kind of human connection or provide much scale for the accomplishment of traveling the Antarctic continent. This ultimately seems like a very chilly travelogue when it could've been so much more.

062. Baptism of Fire

062. (22 Feb) Baptism of Fire (1943, ?) 52



I love that the Oscars make me rate training films in the Documentary Feature category. Baptism of Fire is at least intriguingly atypical. It's clearly geared at hard-fighting macho men. Unlike war films of the era, there's harsh language and extreme violence. When a German soldier gets a gun butt smashed in his face and a bayonet through his chest, there's blood everywhere. It's almost shocking to see violence and death portrayed so realistically in a film from 1943, but it's all to prepare soldiers for the harsh reality on the battlefield. In that capacity, this is something of a success. But those are a tiny handful of images in a training film that otherwise would have soldiers nodding off in the screening room.