October 1st 2007 06:55 am
Documentary tart
I have a confession to make. I am a documentary tart. While some might be addicted to reality TV my addiction is documentaries. It does not matter much to me whether it is about endangered species in Borneo, Russian oligarchs in exile or Hollywood wives, I can watch it all.
What is the reason behind it I do not know, I think it can be traced back to my younger and impressionable days when I watched a lot of Survival (no, its not the American reality version but a British wildlife television program).
Documentaries as a form have gained more exposure over the recent years mainly thanks to Michael Moore. In my opinion, even though Moore’s stuff is part propaganda and then part documentary I find his perspective interesting and informative. And it cant be denied that thanks to Moore documentaries have become mainstream again.
But my favorite kind of documentary comes from England. And their author is Michael Palin. He might be more familiar to you as a part of the Monty Python gang or perhaps as a stuttering loon on “Fish called Wanda”, but Michael Palin made some of the best travel documentaries I have ever seen. Its part documentary, part travelogue, call it as you wish he weaves an excellent tale, informative, funny and educational; if I may suffer from verbal diarrhea for a bit - Palin is tantalizingly interesting.
Around the World in 80 days, From Pole to Pole, Full Circle with Michael Palin, Michael Palin’s Hemingway adventures, Michael Palin’s Himalaya and most recent one Michael Palin’s New Europe I would urge you to watch just one… trust me you will be hooked.
But another recent favorite of mine is Mr. Stephen Fry. I will elaborate on my unseemly crush on Mr. Fry in another post but I was mesmerized by his documentary “Secret Life of a Manic Depressive” where he deals candidly with his manic depressive disorder. He talks to researchers and scientists, family, friends and other manic-depressives - this documentary offers a unique perspective right into the essence of this disease. After a bit of digging I have found “Who do you think you are” in which Mr. Fry explores his family tree (while it might sound a bit boring, trust me it is not) and later this year “HIV and Me” will be released. I know for sure Mr. Fry will not disappoint.
So yes you should definitely give documentaries a chance, it is much more interesting then the latest season of Big Brother.
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