Barnouw Ch 4 (p. 183-197: Poet), Nichols Ch. 6 (p 104-121: Stop at "Expository Mode")

It is fascinating how external circumstances heavily dictate what art is made, how it is made, and how it is digested. Documentaries in particular seem intensely affected, seeing they are created in reality. This makes it unusually difficult to keep films personal. It seems as though the farther removed a film is from the macro–the closer it is to the personal–the more moving the film. The Act of Killing could focus on the massacres at large and the factual events. Instead, it focuses on a small number of characters and their personal relationship with those events. Consequently, the film is far more convincing and moving.

Who are some examples of documentary filmmakers that only did good work in a particular environment/time?

Who are some examples of documentary filmmakers that did good work except in a particular period?

What are some universal truths that function well in any time?

What is an example of a film that only found an audience years after being published?

What is an example of a movie that received heavy criticism only years after it was published?