La Representacion De La Realidad: Cuestiones Y Conceptos Sobre El Documental

by Bill Nichols

Este libro nos ofrece estimulantes y convincentes bases para abordar las cuestiones teoricas que plantea un genero cinematografico como es el documental. Recogiendo el hilo donde lo dejara con su ya clasico Ideology and the Image 1981, Bill Nichols amplia sus argumentos sacando el maximo partido de los mas recientes avances teoricos y yendo mas alla que cualquier otro texto previo en la investigacion de un tema que ya se creia abandonado: no solo se enfrenta a problemas antiguos la etica y la objetividad, por ejemplo con las perspectivas que ofrecen las nuevas ideas sobre el poder, el conocimiento, el cuerpo y la subjetividad, sino que ademas, con todo ello, acaba elaborando una revision de las mas importantes teorias cinematograficas de las dos ultimas decadas que sin duda provocara un cambio de rumbo historico en el terreno de este tipo de estudios. Se trata, en fin, de una obra minuciosa y exhaustiva, un verdadero hito del pensamiento cinematografico contemporaneo, cuya sofisticada fusion entre los asuntos puramente taxonomicos y aquellos mas inclinados hacia la etica permitiran a profesionales y estudiosos penetrar hasta el fondo en los incontables misterios que rodean a la realizacion y consumo de este tipo de filmes.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Art, Academic

392 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Bill Nichols (born 1942) is an American film critic and theoretician best known for his pioneering work as founder of the contemporary study of documentary film. His 1991 book, Representing Reality: Issues and Concepts in Documentary, applied modern film theory to the study of documentary film for the first time. It has been followed by scores of books by others and by additional books and essays by Nichols. The first volume of his two-volume anthology Movies and Methods (1976, 1985) helped to establish film studies as an academic discipline.

Bill Nichols is Professor Emeritus in the Cinema Department at San Francisco State University and Chair of the Documentary Film Institute advisory board.

Reviews

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

One day I might take some time to put together something of a real review in reference to this book, but until then I'll just say that it contains two of the most aesthetically beautiful, intellectually stunning passages I've read in the last year, and it's a critical studies text. Think about that for a minute. The chapter on axiographics is indispensable and Nichols's ideas of magnitude in relation to reflexive (and perhaps more interestingly) non-reflexive documentary are extremely complex while thoroughly contextualized within a group of film of which most readers will surely recognize at least one. It will most certainly take more than one read, and at times Nichols' ultra-lucid style can become monotonous, but every now and then you hit a linguistic vein of gold, as valuable as it is beautiful.

[skylar lokota · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 stars

Easy to understand: 3/5
- I have never studied film before so a lot of new concepts have been introduced
- so it's a little hard for me to read, since I have to lookup what he's talking about a lot
Introduces new concepts well: 4/5
- the central concepts are introduced very well (concepts in documentary, that is, not film terms
as a whole
Used effectively by the professor: 5/5
- my professor utilizes this book heavily in the lesson
- also explained parts that confused me
Necessary to the course: 2/5
- while necessary for the week, I do not think it impacted the overall course too much
Overall Score: 3.5/5

[Alberto Martínez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Está chido cómo los textos comienzan tratando de puntualizar situaciones muy específicas del documental y el aparato cinematográfico, sin embargo, conforme van avanzando los capítulos el autor (lo reconoce) se va metiendo cada vez más en un embrollo que excede cualquier marco discursivo.
Al final parece que queda clara la diferencia entre documental y cine ficcional. ¿O no?
Más o menos. Creo.

[Josefa Infante]

más denso de lo que pensé

[Niall Roland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Illuminating but, dense AF at times.

[callme papi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like the Bible but for documentaries

[Dan Humphrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Required reading for anyone who wants to think seriously about documentary film. One of the minority of academic books that's actually beautifully written.

[Patriciacabrinha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A "must have" for all working in journalism and documentary production.