Brad on Dovotional Cinema

Nathaniel Dorsky writes about film with a lyrical, poetic style akin to Werner Herzog. On page 22, Dorsky describes the film Voyage to Italy, as “so direct and effective that one cannot say exactly why it functions with so much power;” a similar statement can be said about Dorsky’s writing style. His feelings for films extend far past mere appreciation. To Dorsky, film is one of the greatest expressions of life. However, his writings about cinema and the film experience are more existential than technical. Though he discusses aspects of mis-en-scene, his descriptions do not extend past speculative theories. His philosophical approach to film does not offer much to the practical documentary filmmaker except the notions that “great films make people feel good,” and “filmmakers should try to be innovative.” In point of fact, all of his examples were taken from narrative films.

Still, I found his section on “Time” and the “nowness” of a film to be of some usefulness. He explains how originality can add to a film’s realness and make it seem in the moment. Indeed, the repetition of common documentary clichés and techniques, much like the tedious exchange of prearranged, idle dialogue phrases and ideas, can weigh down a situation and make it seem phony and uninteresting. My group and I have discussed the look and tone of our documentary and have agreed that we want to keep it light and approachable. So many films about religion take a serious, formal tone in reverence to the topic. We would like to keep ours relaxed and lighthearted while still being respectful to the subject matter. Hopefully we can accomplish this through our interviews, either with our discussion with our subjects or our camera placement.

In the end, I find Dorsky's views on film to be romantic, but perhaps too philosophical. I tend to be critical, and if Dorsky is simply going to speak of film with grand, idealized sentiments rather than give tangible examples for filmmakers to aspire to, I can't take him very seriously. I will say that he has a superb writing style that keeps the reader thouroughly engrosed, if annoyed by his lack of conciseness.