Direct Cinema

The American Direct Cinema movement marks a turning point in the history of documentary cinema. Until the early 1960s, there had been little progress in the technology used to make documentaries since the silent movie era. Of course there was some sound in the films made in the 1930s, 40s and 50s but documentary makers could rarely work with original sound because of the considerable weight and volume of recording equipment. Commentary and music were predominant and sounds and voices were often synchronized in retrospect. The Direct Cinema movement revolutionized documentary film from both an aesthetic and technical point of view. Using light, portable cameras and synchronous sound, filmmakers were able to get much closer to the happenings. On the occasion of a dffb course, Arsenal is showing a selection of rarely-screened films by Direct Cinema pioneers Dan Drasin, Robert Drew, Richard Leacock / Joyce Chopra, Albert & David Maysles and D. A. Pennebaker.