Designed specifically for undergraduates on film theory courses, this history of the documentary film has been revised and updated to take into account the major films and film trends of the 1980s and 1990s. Emphasis is placed on documentary film-making in the former Soviet Union.



This is the second major revision of a book universally acclaimed as the definitive history of the documentary film. The final section has been completely rewritten and expanded to take into account the major films and trends of the past nine years. Particular attention has been paid to the growth of documentary film-making in the Soviet Union since Glasnost and the corresponding expansion in the United States, including Ken Burns's The Civil War, which broke all audience records for Public Television in 1990.