BROWSE

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PROGRAMS / READING GROUPS / Documentary+

Join us as we view and discuss a selection of documentary films from around the world, focusing on a wide range of subjects, from the earliest days to the late 20th century.

“Documentary” films have always held out the promise of “truth,” unlike “theatrical” films with their scripts, actors playing roles, costumes, sets, musical scores, and (even from the earliest days), special effects. Some theatrical film movements sought to mimic the authenticity of the documentary by adopting its unadorned style: Italian neorealism, Russian kino-pravda, French cinéma vérité, “fly on the wall” (direct or observational) cinema, all suggest a certain fidelity to “truth.” Jean-Luc Godard famously wrote, “Photography is truth. The cinema is truth 24 times per second.”

But the documentary has always had its own forms of illusion. Which wall is the fly on, and what kind of fly is it? Which scenes stay in, what lands on the cutting room floor? How does the director choose a subject in the first place?

In the “Documentary+” film club, we will explore film documentary from the earliest days to 1980, with the intention of following up with a “part 2” the following year to bring our viewing to the present.

All meetings of this film group will be held virtually on Zoom.

OVERVIEW

The films selected for this program were drawn from multiple sources, including the BFI/Sight & Sound “best” lists, ratings from IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes, and Academy Awards and other recognitions. There is a vast field of options to choose from. The selection also reflects the organizer’s personal judgments.

Thanks to institutional and commercial curatorial efforts and the expansion of digital technologies, many films that were once hard to find have now become available. At the same time, inexplicably, some films and directors that deserve to be included are not readily accessible. Notably, Dziga Vertov’s Man with a Movie Camera, Robert Flaherty’s Nanook of the North, and Frederick Wiseman’s Titicut Follies and Hospital were left out for this reason.

The program follows a broadly chronological path—from the Lumière brothers and early ethnographic films to Italian neorealism, the French New Wave, and beyond. We’ll look at both “pure” documentaries as well as fiction films and hybrids that borrow documentary techniques. We’ll also include sports and music documentaries, and we’ll conclude with an apparent paradox: documentary as personal expression. Throughout, we’ll consider how documentaries represent reality and what their claim to “truth” entails.

MEETING AND READING SCHEDULE

The film club has two identical sections that meet from 5:30-7pm. on the first Tuesday and Wednesday of each month from September through May. Please note the September meetings will take place on the second Tuesday and Wednesday.

Film club members will register for either the Tuesday or Wednesday section. All meetings take place virtually (via Zoom). Members will receive their Zoom meeting invitation by e-mail on the afternoon of each meeting.

We will usually discuss two or more films each meeting. Film club members watch the selected films independently in advance of each month’s meeting, and the meeting is devoted to discussing the films. All the films are accessible via the Criterion Channel. Please see the section on “Access to Films” for more information.

Please note that there is a viewing assignment for the first meeting. The film selections may be subject to change over the course of the year.

Titles are shown as given on the Criterion Channel. Films originally in languages other than English have English subtitles.

Tues & Weds, September 8 & 9 [note the date exceptions] Thierry Frémaux, Lumière, le cinéma! (2025), 106 minutes
Merian Cooper & Ernest Schoedseck, Grass: A Nation’s Battle for Life (1925), 71 minutes
Robert Flaherty, Man of Aran (1934), 77 minutes.

Tues & Weds, October 6 & 7
Roberto Rosselini, Rome Open City (1945), 100 minutes
Vittorio de Sica, Bicycle Thieves (1948), 89 minutes

Tues & Weds, November 3 & 4
Agnès Varda, La Pointe Courte (1956), 80 minutes
Agnès Varda, L’opéra Mouffe (1958), 16 minutes
Agnès Varda, Du coté de la côte (1958), 26 minutes
Agnès Varda, Daguerréotypes (1978), 80 minutes

Tues & Weds, December 1 & 2
Edgar Morin & Jean Rouch, Chronicle of a Summer (1960), 91 minutes
Gillo Pontecorvo, The Battle of Algiers (1966), 122 minutes

Tues & Weds, January 5 & 6
Kon Ichikawa, Tokyo Olympiad (1965), 171 minutes

Tues & Weds, February 2 & 3
Murray Lerner, Festival (1967), 97 minutes, with Festival: Unreleased Performances [6], 24 minutes
D. A. Pennebaker, Dont Look Back (1967), 96 minutes

Tues & Weds, March 2 & 3
David & Albert Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin, Salesman (1969), 91 minutes
David & Albert Maysles, Eileen Hovde and Muffie Myer, Grey Gardens (1975), 95 minutes

Tues & Weds, April 6 & 7
Barbara Loden, Wanda (1970), 103 minutes
Barbara Kopple, Harlan County USA (1976), 105 minutes

Tues & Weds, May 4 & 5
Chantal Akerman, La Chambre (1972), 12 minutes
Chantal Akerman, Hotel Monterey (1972), 63 minutes
Chantal Akerman, News from Home (1976), 89 minutes

Weds, June 2
Celebration meeting in person at the Athenæum! Both groups will meet together!

ACCESS TO FILMS

Every film on this schedule is accessible on the Criterion Channel platform.

This subscription service, associated with the Criterion Collection, provides access to a very large number of foreign and domestic films of excellence, as well as to rotating film offerings. You may watch any film as often as you like; it is not “pay-per-view.” There are many extra features (interviews, essays, versions with commentary) that are not available elsewhere.

If you prefer to watch using DVDs, there are several options. Films on DVD may be available from the Athenaeum or from the RISD Library or both. Your local public library may have DVDs in their circulating collections. These are good options, but with demand from many film club members at the same time, you may not be able to borrow the DVD when you prefer. Another option is to purchase DVDs. Criterion editions almost always have extra or bonus features.

GROUP FACILITATOR

Athenæum member Steve Coon leads the group as facilitator. Steve earned a Ph.D. from Brown University in Comparative Literature in 1976. Every year since 2012, he has led reading and film discussion groups at the Athenæum. He has led the film club since 2021, with topics of “Paris in French Film,” “London in British Film,” “French Film Beyond Paris,” “Love in French Film,” and most recently “Brave New Worlds” and “Complex World.” Steve emphasizes that the film club is not a “class,” but rather an opportunity for cinephiles of all backgrounds to experience and discuss great achievements in the world of cinema.

Registration will open to members in two windows: Wednesday, July 15 at 8am and Saturday, July 18 at noon. Half the available spots will be released during the first window and the remaining half during the second. The registration link will be sent out via email and will appear below once registration is open. Participation is reserved for Athenæum members, so please consider becoming a member if you’d like to join a group! Members may participate in one group each year. If you have any questions, email readinggroups@provath.org.

The Athenæum is deeply grateful to our wonderful volunteer leaders. Please note library reading groups are not classes or courses, but rather a way for individuals to discuss readings together, guided by both expert and amateur enthusiasts. Participants should expect discussion-based, not lecture-style meetings.