Semidocumentary Explained

A semidocumentary is a form of book, film, or television program presenting a fictional story that incorporates many factual details or actual events, or which is presented in a manner similar to a documentary.

Characteristics

Stylistically, it has certain similarities to Italian Neorealism, such as the use of location shooting and employing non-actors in secondary roles. However, the viewer is not intended to mistake a semidocumentary for a real documentary; the fictional elements are too prominent.^[1]

Background

One of the first films of this kind was Henry Hathaway's The House on 92nd Street (1945).^[2]

In the late 1940s, semidocumentary films were often associated with film noir thrillers, sharing a commitment to on-location shooting, gritty realism, and understated performances.

Decline

In the 1960s and 1970s, the semidocumentary style declined in feature films. The standard documentary had blurred the difference between itself and fiction so much that there was viewer confusion regarding what they were seeing.^[1]

Notable semidocumentary examples

• The House on 92nd Street (1945)^{[1] [3] [4]}
• The Killers (1946)^[1]
• 13 Rue Madeleine (1946)^{[1] [5]}
• T-Men (1947)
• Boomerang (1947)^[1]
• Brute Force (1947)^[1]
• Kiss of Death (1947)^[1]
• The Naked City (1948)^{[1] [6]}
• Call Northside 777 (1948)
• Canon City (1948)
• He Walked by Night (1948)
• The Street with No Name (1948)
• Bodyguard (1948)
• The Asphalt Jungle (1950)^[7]
• Armored Car Robbery (1950)
• Mystery Street (1950)
• Night and the City (1950)^[8]
• Highway 301 (1950)
• Panic in the Streets (1950)
• Side Street (1950)
• The Racket (1951)
• On Dangerous Ground (1952)
• Walk East on Beacon (1952)
• The Hitch-Hiker (1953)
• Dragnet (1954)
• The Phenix City Story (1955)^[9]
• Man on a String (1960)
• The Cool World (1963)^[10]
• The Insect Woman (1963)^[11]
• A Hard Day's Night (1964)^[12]
• The Endless Summer (1966)^[13]
• The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967)^[14]
• Night Flight from Moscow (1973)

Notable directors associated with semidocumentary

• Richard Fleischer^[1]
• Louis de Rochemont^[1]
• Gordon Douglas^[15]
• Henry Hathaway^[16]

See also

• Docudrama
• Film gris
• Cinema verite

Notes and References

1. Book: Philippe . Romanski . Aïssatou . Sy-Wonyu . Trompe (-)l'oeil: Imitation & Falsification . 343 . University of Le Havre Press . 2002 . 2877753344 . Publications de l'Université de Rouen . 324.
2. http://www.tasteofcinema.com/2014/30-overlooked-noir-films-that-are-worth-watching/ 30 Overlooked Noir Films That Are Worth Watching — Taste of Cinema
3. https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/17831/vice-squad#articles-reviews?articleId=408970 Vice Squad (1953) - Turner Classic Movies
4. https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/48614 DVD Talk review of Kiss Me Deadly: The Criterion Collection
5. https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/17831/vice-squad#articles-reviews?articleId=408970 Vice Squad (1953) - Turner Classic Movies
6. https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/17831/vice-squad#articles-reviews?articleId=408970 Vice Squad (1953) - Turner Classic Movies
7. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/film-noir-best-movies-double-indemnity-shadow-doubt-killing-a8816426.html 20 best film noirs: From Double Indemnity to Shadow of a Doubt|The Independent
8. http://mikegrost.com/semidoc.htm Film Noir: The Semi-Documentaries - by Michael E. Grost
9. Web site: The Phenix City Story . McGee . Scott . WatchTCM . Turner Classic Movies . 2021-02-22 . Part semi-documentary, part social problem film, part film noir, Phil Karlson's The Phenix City Story (1955) is a one-of-a-kind window into a sordid and fascinating period in American crime history. .
10. https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/descriptions-and-essays/ Brief Descriptions and Expanded Essays of National Film Registry Titles|Library of Congress
11. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17564905.2017.1289297 Butterflies, beetles, and postwar Japan: semi-documentary in the 1960s: Journal of Japanese and Korean Cinema: Vol.9, No 1
12. https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-a-hard-days-night-1964 A Hard Day's Night movie review (1964)|Roger Ebert
13. https://www.filmsite.org/60sintro4.html Film History of the 1960s
14. https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-st-valentine-s-day-massacre-1967 The St. Valentine's Day Massacre review (1967)|Roger Ebert
15. https://screenanarchy.com/2009/12/noir-city-8-lust-larceny.html NOIR CITY 8: LUST & LARCENY! - ScreenAnarchy
16. https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/10-great-new-york-noirs 10 great New York noirs|BFI