Documentary Films: Blending Entertainment with Serious Issues

Introduction

In recent years there appears to have been an increase in the popularity of documentaries made as feature films, with the intention of both entertaining and educating simultaneously. The most famous examples have been created by people who have become household names, such as Morgan Spurlock (Supersize Me, Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?) and Michael Moore (Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11, Sicko). Many of these films have intentionally set out to bring important issues to the attention of the general public by approaching them in a manner different from that of the more traditional documentary. This new sub-genre of feature-film documentaries only appears to further reinforce the notion that the documentary genre is an "unstable category" (Corner 682). This essay discusses how documentaries are able to serve the dual purpose of both entertaining and presenting serious issues, identifies a number of tools that allow entertainment to be incorporated into the documentary itself, and uses examples from the genre to illustrate these points.

Documentarians as Entertainers

One of the prevailing features of a number of successful documentaries that have made it to the big screen is that of very likeable protagonists. A prime example is the film King Corn, which features Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis in a quest to grow and sell an acre of corn. The film focuses on the problems inherent in the American industrial food system and aims to raise awareness about the food we eat and the processes of farming in developed nations. Here, the entertainment lies not so much in the actual topic of the film as in the manner in which it is presented by Cheney and Ellis. The two often crack jokes as part of their on-camera discussion—for example, in one scene where they find hemp growing in their field as a weed. The two maintain what one review refers to as a "light-hearted," "friendly and interested attitude" (Onion 123). It is essentially the personality of the two presenters, and the implication that they are the proverbial "everyman," that holds the interest of the audience throughout.

While some films add humor intentionally through the presenters of the documentary, the humor may also be more subtle. Many times, a documentary may entertain through the individual selected as its focus. For example, in Who the Hell Is Jackson Pollock?, directed by Harry Moses, the main source of entertainment was the central figure of the film, Teri Horton. The film was not intentionally entertaining in terms of its content, but it happened that Ms. Horton herself—an ex-trucker and something of a spitfire personality—was often hilarious to watch. In fact, the value of the piece as a documentary of interest to the general public lay mostly in the extraordinary lengths she pursued to prove the art critics wrong.

A further example of this may be seen not only in the actual focus of such documentaries, but also in the interviews included. In King Corn, some of the funniest moments of the film—as well as those that best illustrate its points—arise in the interviews with talking heads. This may rely on clever production work to portray the most entertaining parts of the interviews without compromising the quantity or integrity of the information presented.

There is no doubt that the choice of topic for a documentary may also contribute heavily to its ability to provide both entertainment and education. John Corner discusses the nature of documentaries as being grounded in suspicion (682)—for example, pursuing a topic in which there is already some notion that negative findings will emerge from the investigation. It is therefore likely that interest in a particular topic would be greatly increased if the general public already shares some of this suspicion. Documentaries such as The Torture Question, a PBS Frontline film, which investigate highly controversial subject areas, are likely to be inherently more popular than documentaries exploring routine topics. In the case of The Torture Question, the entertainment value is heavily increased by the selection of interviews included and by providing jargon-free commentary on the issues. This is also similar to the film Control Room, directed by Jehane Noujaim, which examined international perceptions of the American war on Iraq, thereby increasing its appeal outside of America.

Documentary topics may also be selected less for their engagement with weighty issues and more for the intrinsic entertainment value of the story itself. For example, Who the Hell Is Jackson Pollock? deals with a story chosen for its entertainment value rather than as a hard-hitting issue. An even more prominent example is Unmade Beds, directed by Nicholas Barker, which appears to have been made purely as a source of entertainment. The film focuses on the personal lives of four Americans, and while there are some underlying morals that may be gleaned from the story, the prime function of the film appears to be to entertain the audience. In fact, this documentary is more in keeping with the "reality TV" style of entertainment created by shows such as Big Brother. The production work—selecting which elements of each individual's life to showcase—is the crucial element that ensures the comedic quality of the film. It creates an effect that renders the individuals almost as sitcom characters, and it is quite easy to forget that the film is in fact a documentary.

In essence, the style of documentaries discussed in this first part of the essay can effectively combine entertainment with important underlying themes. Some focus on a hard-hitting issue and present it in a manner that is slightly more light-hearted, and at times even funny. This ensures that the underlying message reaches a much wider audience than may appreciate the more formal style of news documentaries, and is thus successful in raising awareness of important issues. In contrast, some documentaries appear to be made with a greater focus on entertainment and simply "telling a story." Even so, important elements of the factual basis of the story may be effectively highlighted to provide education simultaneously.