Documentary Analysis: Why We Fight

Can Mr. Smith get to Washington Anymore and Street Fight are both documentary movies about the road to obtaining a public office position. Can Mr. Smith get to Washington Anymore focuses on the path of a non-government official making his way through the campaign process to control a Missouri Senate seat. Street Fight focuses on a current City Council member running for Mayor in a small town known as Newark. Both documentaries walk audiences through the struggles and the obstacles politicians face when trying to out compete their opponent.

The documentary Who Get’s In? examines the immigration policies and priorities of the Canadian government, said to represent the economic needs and values of the Canadian people. The film documents the experiences of migrants from asian and african countries and the barriers particular groups of migrants face.

Stephanie Soechtig, is an award-winning film-maker, and director and producer of the nonfiction documentary Fed Up. She began producing documentaries for network news programs such as Primetime Live and 20/20, while also working for Good Morning America during the 2000 presidential elections and the O’Reilly Factor. In 2008, Soechtig partnered with Michael and Michelle Walrath to start Atlas Films, which provided inspiration and education to consumers on the most controversial topics. So far, Soechtig has been awarded the “Best Documentary Feature” for Tapped (2009), “People’s Choice Award” for Under the Gun (2016), and Fortune Magazine named Soechtig as being one of the “Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink” (Biography). In 2014, Soechtig’s “Grand Jury Prize” nominated film Fed Up (2014), narrated by TV Journalist Katie Couric, was created in hopes of unveiling the hidden secrets of the food industry by using statistical analysis and research expert’s testimonies to inform viewers of the direct impact that the food industry has on the health of our nation’s most vulnerable population—children. Soechtig and Couric present the argument that the roles of our government along with the interests and processing methods of food industries are ultimately responsible for the increasing rates of childhood obesity in the United States.

After viewing the documentary Paper Tigers, please answer the following questions. When possible, use scenes/examples from the documentary to support your answer.

The preference for “clarity over nuance” which means American people prefer simplicity over complexity when American people access significant declarations and military activities. American people vote their presidents so that American people like politicians announce the statement with the easily accessible idea, even though politicians lie to them, or the statement is wrong. Politicians deceive American people with the easily accessible idea that “...American people in their pursuit of happiness...” (38) according to Andrew J Bacevich’s “The Real World War IV”. Politicians simply state its purpose that the elimination of terror instead of the founding purpose that grab the accessible oil in the Middle East because American people prefer to hear the statement of simply understanding from their politicians who they vote. Also, American people prefer to see a simplicity in the military school in order to pursue their happiness. However, in “The Naked Citadel”, Susan Faludi exposed that there was no admission for women, sex-discrimination, and violence, and etc. many bad news in the military school. But the ugly and relentlessly truth deeply hurt American people’s feeling. Even if the reality is around American people, and we are familiar with it, the reality is too horrible to accept it. Same as soldiers, Tim O’Brien attempts to emphasize the war story is all about human’s love and memory, it is not about war in the “How to Tell a True War Story”. He is trying to explain that

The documentary “13th” is very telling about the problems with the prison system and society's view of African-Americans. After the end of slavery, the economy too a hit because of the lack of labor needed for the industries. To solve this problem, people turned to prison workers, because it was cheap labor that weren’t protected under the 13th Amendment. This amendment abolished slavery and indentured servitude, but left the clause of criminal punishment. Because of this loophole, and because whites were very much still in control of society soon after the 13th Amendment was passed, police forces began going after African-Americans in order to fill prisons and satisfy work forces.

However, to condemn those in positions of power for their actions is to misinterpret the volatile climate of the Cold War Era in which they operated. The polarized political thought and the turbulent domestic events that shadowed everyday life had a profound impact on American thought and culture and the lives of public figures who dominate the story. To truly understand the impact of these characters and the climate of the American Cold War theatre, the complexity of the dynamics within society must be understood from the point of view and the

In 2011, American filmmaker, Marisa Miller Wolfson, made a 76-minute documentary titled, ‘Vegucated.’ Wolfson, a practicing vegan, cites her research on foods and especially animal-based foods as her rationale for opting to go vegan. Notably, upon going vegan, she became healthier, lost weight, and even felt happier because she was no longer contributing to the inhuman treatment of animals. In her quest to become a vegan, Wolfson made the film after moving to New York City. Her concurrent idea in the film is the effects of animal diets versus the effects of vegan diets. Evidently, through its participants, the film illustrates that avoidance of animal products results to weight loss and

Long ago, the ancestors of humans lived in unpredictable times in which meals were not guaranteed. Now in the 21st century, data suggests, as mentioned in Fed Up, that there will be more deaths caused directly or indirectly by obesity than by starvation. The documentary Fed Up focuses on the terrifying issue that plagues the United States and the world: obesity. It delves into the components that contribute to this menacing epidemic that only continues to get worse. The documentary builds on the stories of four young American children from all over the country that are severely obese. One of the kids, at 14 years of age, weighs over 400 pounds. Fed Up tries to answer one simple question with a complex and scary answer. How did the world get here? There are several different issues the documentary tried to address to answer this question. In the documentary, several misconceptions about food were dissected. In addition to debunking myths about food, the documentary discussed how it is possible to eat healthy for less money than eating unhealthy. Those were a few of the aspects that can have an impact on individuals, but the documentary did not stop there. It also attacked the huge food industry for their misleading advertisements and selling techniques, as well as condemning their focus of selling to younger people. Furthermore, the documentary explained how the food industry is so rich and powerful in the country’s capital that it has thwarted the many attempts in trying

Every year, millions of students across America attend a college or university hoping to further their education and prepare for the futures. The purpose of higher education is to create prepared minds and to help the students reach their full potential. However, the documentary Declining by Degrees, produced by the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) in 2005, questions and challenges the post-secondary education system. The documentary exposes the problems of modern day post-secondary institutes that are hindering the process of education for students. Despite the secrecy of it all, higher education is jeopardizing student’s learning because of issues within the education system surrounding research driven professors and grade inflation.

Sontag’s failed establishment of ethos stems from her lacking knowledge regarding the subject matter, as seen through her vague assertions and incomplete examples. Primarily, Sontag raises the question “how many citizens are aware of the ongoing American bombing of Iraq…” yet fails to give any sort of description or explanation of events (Sontag). While she establishes the idea that she clearly has more knowledge regarding the situation than the average citizen by questioning an occurrence most do not know about, Sontag fails to follow-up on her question, giving her dubious credibility.

There are many different views about refugees in Australian society, where illegal boat people and over flowing detention centres are a controversial problem today. Go Back To Where You Came From is a documentary directed by Ivan O’Mahoney about a social experiment that challenges the dominant views of six Australians about refugees and asylum seekers. These six Australians are taken on a 25 day journey where they are placed into the troubled “worlds” of refugees. For a few of the Australians it is their first time overseas but, for all of them it is the most challenging and confronting experience of their lives. This essay will discuss

Is a documentary always more realistic than fiction film? If so, why? If not, why not? What makes a film more or less realistic?

The Waiting Room is a 2012 documentary film and social media project directed by Peter Nicks that follows the life and times of patients, doctors, and staff at Highland Hospital , a safety-net hospital in Oakland, California. The project includes a blog which features stories and conversations from the waiting room as well as behind-the-scenes information about the project. Frequent video updates from the project are posted on the blog. These videos examine what life is like in an American public hospital caring for a community of largely uninsured patients. Many hospitals and health systems provide charity care for uninsured individuals when they require acute care, but the most forward thinking ones are also concerned with caring for this

This project aims to further develop the experimental side of documentary practice, with special focus on ethnography. It will take the form of an experimental documentary juxtaposing enactments of the past with depictions of the present, through a case study focusing on North-Eastern Romanian villages, engaging villagers into re-enactments of traditional life from the past as method of documenting their self reflection on the transition to the present.