Semidocumentary

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.

Background

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

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 faded. The standard documentary had blurred the difference between itself and fiction so much that there was viewer confusion regarding what they were seeing.

Notable semidocumentary examples

• 13 Rue Madeleine (1946)
• Armored Car Robbery (1950)
• T-Men (1947)
• Boomerang (1947)
• Bodyguard (1948)
• Brute Force (1947)
• Call Northside 777 (1948)
• Canon City (1948)
• He Walked by Night (1948)
• Dragnet (1951)
• Highway 301 (1950)
• The Hitch-Hiker (1953)
• The House on 92nd Street (1945)
• The Killers (1946)
• Kiss of Death (1947)
• Let Me Die a Woman (1978)
• Mystery Street (1950)
• The Naked City (1948)
• Night Flight from Moscow (1973)
• On Dangerous Ground (1952)
• Night and the City (1950)
• Panic in the Streets (1950)
• The Racket (1951)
• Side Street (1950)
• The Street with No Name (1948)
• The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967)
• Walk East on Beacon (1952)
• The Asphalt Jungle (1950)

Notable directors associated with semidocumentary

• Richard Fleischer
• Louis de Rochemont
• Gordon Douglas
• Henry Hathaway

See also

• Docudrama
• Film gris
• Cinema verite