D. A. Pennebaker

Beattie, Keith 2011, D. A. Pennebaker University of Illinois Press, Urbana, Ill..


Title D. A. Pennebaker
Author(s) Beattie, Keith
Publication date 2011
Series Contemporary film directors
Total pages 176 p.
Publisher University of Illinois Press
Place of Publication Urbana, Ill.
Keyword(s) direct cinema
D. A. Pennebaker
documentary
Summary This volume is the first book-length study of the extensive career and prolific works of D.A. Pennebaker, one of the pioneers of direct cinema, a documentary form that emphasizes observation and a straightforward portrayal of events. With a career spanning decades, Pennebaker's many projects have included avant-garde experiments (Daybreak Express), ground-breaking television documentaries (Primary), celebrity films (Dont Look Back), concert films (Monterey Pop), and innovative fusions of documentary and fiction (Maidstone).

Exploring the concept of "performing the real," Keith Beattie's insightful analysis interprets Pennebaker's films as performances in which the act of filming is in itself a performative transgression of the norms of purely observational documentary. He examines the ways in which Pennebaker's presentation of unscripted everyday performances is informed by connections between documentary filmmaking and other experimental movements such as the New American Cinema. Through his collaborations with such various artists as Richard Leacock, Shirley Clarke, Norman Mailer, and Jean-Luc Godard, Pennebaker has continually reworked and redefined the forms of documentary filmmaking. This book also includes a recent interview with the director and a full filmography.

"A welcome addition to the Contemporary Film Directors Series."--Documentary

"Filled with useful historical and technical details, this enthusiastic study of one of documentary cinema's most important filmmakers will convert some skeptics and create many new admirers of D.A. Pennebaker's work."--Joe McElhaney, author of Albert Maysles.
ISBN 9780252036590
9780252078293
Language eng
Field of Research 190201 Cinema Studies
210399 Historical Studies not elsewhere classified
Socio Economic Objective 950205 Visual Communication
HERDC Research category A1 Books - authored - research
HERDC collection year 2011
Persistent URL http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30045090

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