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In what way was "Roots" a docudrama? I only remember the drama part. Deb 15:58 Apr 21, 2003 (UTC)
I don't think the definition in this article of Docudrama is fully accurate. Maybe the definition is changing. A docudrama used to mean (and I thought still meant) "A television or movie dramatization of events based on fact" [1]
Notice how the term is used in this book review: [2]
So it used to mean any tv show or movie that dramatizes actual events; but now it also means, a documentary that also has actors playing parts. Maybe the new meaning is taking over? Kingturtle 22:37 Apr 21, 2003 (UTC)
I disagree with this definition, and particularly with some of the examples.
A docudrama is a drama that recreates actual events in a theatricalized (live stage, film, video, audio) form. Most content in docudramas is not footage of actual events, although some actual footage may be used at times.
"America's Most Wanted" and "Hollywood True Stories" are not docudramas--they are (possibly bad) documentaries--they show (or purport to show) actual events. Even if they show actors reproducing events, they are not dramatic plays.
Evem something like "From the Journal's of Jean Seberg", a documentary that uses an actress to portray the (dead) Seberg, is simply a documentary that uses dramatic techniques.
"Roots" is also not a docudrama--it is a historical drama based on a novel.
"Peal Harbor" or "From Here to Eternity" are not docudramas because, although they concern true events, their main content is completely fictional.
"The Laramie Project," both the play and the film, is a docudrama. It is a recreation of actual conversations and events. There are also some written journals and transcripts that are performed, but still convey the facts as recorded.
Was this a Docudrama? If so, I think it was noteworthy.
Docudrama and docu-fiction both seem to be dramatizations of real events. The articles ought to be merged. Docudrama is the more popular term, so it should stay. Ace of Sevens 12:36, 7 June 2006 (UTC)
Borat is not a docudrama. It's more of a mockumentary. And why isn't "Good Night, and Good Luck." on here?
I don't understand why The Day Britain Stopped is listed as a "film docudrama of note" [5]. It is not a docudrama but a false documentary. There's a big difference! Also, Touching the Void and The Road to Guantanamo are listed as docudramas, when they are in fact documentaries (albeit including extensive footage of staged re-enactments). Moreover, the whole list of "TV series that utilize a docudrama style" is a bit odd. Shows like America's Most Wanted and Rescue 911 obviously owe a lot to the docudrama genre but it is going too far to have a list of them in this article. A filmed reenactment of one or two scenes is quite different from a docudrama. -- Mathew5000 23:28, 13 March 2007 (UTC)
Italic text"When we wish there's a hope that it may come true along with the hope is the luck to be chosen among thousand wishers with this once in a lifetime luck is the faith that whether our wish will come true or not we will still survive from the test of life...
Is this considered a docudrama, or is it not considered a docudrama because of its references (scientificly supported) to predictions in the furture?
It's a doco. If it was a docudrama it's be like a normal movie.
I'm sorry, but America's Most Wanted, and certainly COPS, are not docudramas. A docudrama focuses on one real-life situation (either historical, or of current interest) and tells it in story-like fashion. The purpose is inform, as well as entertain.
I also think the TV series section is probably inappropriate as well. Docudramas for TV are generally made as single movies, and I don't know that there are many series where one is presented every week. JustinTime55 ( talk) 13:34, 11 May 2010 (UTC)
The same standards the Wikipedia applies to real-world subjects should be applied here, too. Films which dramatize alleged paranormal events can't qualify as docudrama, because the events are not uncontrovertably accepted as true. So I removed A Haunting. JustinTime55 ( talk) 13:59, 11 May 2010 (UTC)
A Haunting is a perfect example of a docudrama. There is absolutely no rule that "paranormal doesn't qualify" or that a docudrama has to be based on uncontrovertable facts. That's like saying, "the facts in this book are disputed, so technically it's not a book." The term "docudrama" refers to a stylistic format, and the truth value is completely irrelevant. Minaker ( talk) 05:51, 11 November 2010 (UTC)
In film school, I was always taught that the word "docudrama" has a very specific meaning, which bears no resemblance to the meaning given here. With all due respect to a previous (notably anonymous) editor who said the exact opposite I'm about to say, a docudrama is a documentary presented with drama, or, more specifically, a documentary that focuses on re-enactment to such a degree that it resembles a dramatic presentation as much as, or more than, it resembles a standard documentary. This is where the word comes from, it's a portmonteau of the words "documentary" and "drama" precisely because it blurs the lines between the two, whereas the vast majority of the examples listed on this page don't do anything of the kind, and are not docudramas by any stretch of the truth. And I'm not just some student whining about Wikipedia focusing on the standard use of the word, as opposed to the more formal use of the word that I'm used to in academic circles; until I came to this Wikipedia page, I've never seen the word used in such a broad manner that it includes every movie that is "based on a true story." The Discovery Channel series A Haunting, which purports to be a documentary series but almost exclusively features re-enactment footage, is a perfect example of a docudrama. Movies cited in this article, such as Bobby and Good Night, and Good Luck, are absolutely not. Minaker ( talk) 05:49, 11 November 2010 (UTC)
I was so sure -- so sure -- of my comments above that I had the audacity to contact famed and respected film historian David Bordwell and asked him for sources that could back up my claims about a narrower definition of the term "docudrama." I was surprised when he took the time to respond -- and did so with a "docudrama" definition that closely corresponds with the exact Wikipedia definition I was arguing against. My bad. Minaker ( talk) 22:04, 15 November 2010 (UTC)
I know an email would not be considered a verifiable source by Wikipedia standards, but if anyone is interested in reading Mr. Bordwell's definition, it is below. Minaker ( talk) 22:04, 15 November 2010 (UTC)
"like many terms arising from the context of film production or the filmmaking community, it has a couple of meanings.
"Most commonly, I think, it's used to describe a film that is staged and enacted but that is also based on events, usually topical ones of current interest, that actually occurred. From this angle, the Valerie Plame film FAIR GAME would be an example. I think that the term originated in TV, to describe telefilms based on such events; THE BURNING BED was an early example. It got transferred from TV to film.
"But there's an odd restriction on this sense of the term. I don't think it is typically used to describe historical recreations, say a film about the assassination of Lincoln. I'm not sure that Spielberg's AMISTAD would be called a docudrama, even though it uses historical documents. I never thought about it, but it seems that "docudrama" is usually reserved for quasi-fictional accounts of more or less contemporary events. Perhaps that's because only something fairly current could have had, originally, a documentary made about it--ie, the event was taking place in an era in which what happens could have been filmed. So a docudrama is typically topical and contemporary.
"I think there's alternative, rarer sense in which "docudrama" is used to describe a fiction film that presents wholly fictitious events but in the manner of a documentary. An example would be the telefilm SPECIAL REPORT, which presents a terrorist attack wholly through the mode of (staged) TV news bulletins. But this is a rare usage now, since a movie like CLOVERFIELD does this but would not probably be called a docudrama. I think the more common term would be "fake documentary" or "faux documentary" or "mockumentary" (another problematic term, used not only to talk about fiction films pretending to be docs--and so "mock" rather than authentic--but also fake docs that satirize their subject, like THIS IS SPINAL TAP)." -- David Bordwell
This article still seems to contain films that don't meet the definition of docudrama. The Day Britain Stopped is complete fiction (see the topic above), so doesn't qualify any more than The War of the Worlds (radio drama) would have. Neither do documentaries (Lost Tomb of Jesus) or mocumentaries (Execution of Gary Glitter]]). There may be more; I don't have time to go through them all. JustinTime55 ( talk) 21:09, 3 February 2011 (UTC)
What is the difference between Docudrama and Historical drama? Both are based on true events? קולנואני ( talk) 17:12, 25 May 2011 (UTC)
That is not a good example to be citing since Roots, the book, was shown to have been plagiarized from a novel in its early sections.
Haley then added family yarns onto a novelistic core. So it's not the straight history book it was purported to be.
In style, it is not a docudrama. There are no tape recordings of what Kunta and Kizzy said. Their dialogue isn't coming out of someone's journal, or the minutes of a meeting, or a trial transcript.
It's an imagining of what they were like and what they might have said.
That's drama, not docudrama. There is nothing wrong with that, but it's not docudrama.
Varlaam (
talk) 04:31, 30 June 2012 (UTC)
First of all this comment I am going to write is for my communications class. From the things that are written to this article it seems like they had more than one resource because it has a resource section and the reference and reliable because they are written in a proper and specific way. Also the article just have titles from movies and tv it doesn't have a description for each one. It distracted me because it doesn't have so much information for the movies, radio and television only about the history of docudrama and the characteristics but again it doesn't write many things about them too.
Myrtokro (
talk) 20:58, 11 September 2016 (UTC)
This article is rated Start-class on Wikipedia's
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In what way was "Roots" a docudrama? I only remember the drama part. Deb 15:58 Apr 21, 2003 (UTC)
I don't think the definition in this article of Docudrama is fully accurate. Maybe the definition is changing. A docudrama used to mean (and I thought still meant) "A television or movie dramatization of events based on fact" [1]
Notice how the term is used in this book review: [2]
So it used to mean any tv show or movie that dramatizes actual events; but now it also means, a documentary that also has actors playing parts. Maybe the new meaning is taking over? Kingturtle 22:37 Apr 21, 2003 (UTC)
I disagree with this definition, and particularly with some of the examples.
A docudrama is a drama that recreates actual events in a theatricalized (live stage, film, video, audio) form. Most content in docudramas is not footage of actual events, although some actual footage may be used at times.
"America's Most Wanted" and "Hollywood True Stories" are not docudramas--they are (possibly bad) documentaries--they show (or purport to show) actual events. Even if they show actors reproducing events, they are not dramatic plays.
Evem something like "From the Journal's of Jean Seberg", a documentary that uses an actress to portray the (dead) Seberg, is simply a documentary that uses dramatic techniques.
"Roots" is also not a docudrama--it is a historical drama based on a novel.
"Peal Harbor" or "From Here to Eternity" are not docudramas because, although they concern true events, their main content is completely fictional.
"The Laramie Project," both the play and the film, is a docudrama. It is a recreation of actual conversations and events. There are also some written journals and transcripts that are performed, but still convey the facts as recorded.
Was this a Docudrama? If so, I think it was noteworthy.
Docudrama and docu-fiction both seem to be dramatizations of real events. The articles ought to be merged. Docudrama is the more popular term, so it should stay. Ace of Sevens 12:36, 7 June 2006 (UTC)
Borat is not a docudrama. It's more of a mockumentary. And why isn't "Good Night, and Good Luck." on here?
I don't understand why The Day Britain Stopped is listed as a "film docudrama of note" [5]. It is not a docudrama but a false documentary. There's a big difference! Also, Touching the Void and The Road to Guantanamo are listed as docudramas, when they are in fact documentaries (albeit including extensive footage of staged re-enactments). Moreover, the whole list of "TV series that utilize a docudrama style" is a bit odd. Shows like America's Most Wanted and Rescue 911 obviously owe a lot to the docudrama genre but it is going too far to have a list of them in this article. A filmed reenactment of one or two scenes is quite different from a docudrama. -- Mathew5000 23:28, 13 March 2007 (UTC)
Italic text"When we wish there's a hope that it may come true along with the hope is the luck to be chosen among thousand wishers with this once in a lifetime luck is the faith that whether our wish will come true or not we will still survive from the test of life...
Is this considered a docudrama, or is it not considered a docudrama because of its references (scientificly supported) to predictions in the furture?
It's a doco. If it was a docudrama it's be like a normal movie.
I'm sorry, but America's Most Wanted, and certainly COPS, are not docudramas. A docudrama focuses on one real-life situation (either historical, or of current interest) and tells it in story-like fashion. The purpose is inform, as well as entertain.
I also think the TV series section is probably inappropriate as well. Docudramas for TV are generally made as single movies, and I don't know that there are many series where one is presented every week. JustinTime55 ( talk) 13:34, 11 May 2010 (UTC)
The same standards the Wikipedia applies to real-world subjects should be applied here, too. Films which dramatize alleged paranormal events can't qualify as docudrama, because the events are not uncontrovertably accepted as true. So I removed A Haunting. JustinTime55 ( talk) 13:59, 11 May 2010 (UTC)
A Haunting is a perfect example of a docudrama. There is absolutely no rule that "paranormal doesn't qualify" or that a docudrama has to be based on uncontrovertable facts. That's like saying, "the facts in this book are disputed, so technically it's not a book." The term "docudrama" refers to a stylistic format, and the truth value is completely irrelevant. Minaker ( talk) 05:51, 11 November 2010 (UTC)
In film school, I was always taught that the word "docudrama" has a very specific meaning, which bears no resemblance to the meaning given here. With all due respect to a previous (notably anonymous) editor who said the exact opposite I'm about to say, a docudrama is a documentary presented with drama, or, more specifically, a documentary that focuses on re-enactment to such a degree that it resembles a dramatic presentation as much as, or more than, it resembles a standard documentary. This is where the word comes from, it's a portmonteau of the words "documentary" and "drama" precisely because it blurs the lines between the two, whereas the vast majority of the examples listed on this page don't do anything of the kind, and are not docudramas by any stretch of the truth. And I'm not just some student whining about Wikipedia focusing on the standard use of the word, as opposed to the more formal use of the word that I'm used to in academic circles; until I came to this Wikipedia page, I've never seen the word used in such a broad manner that it includes every movie that is "based on a true story." The Discovery Channel series A Haunting, which purports to be a documentary series but almost exclusively features re-enactment footage, is a perfect example of a docudrama. Movies cited in this article, such as Bobby and Good Night, and Good Luck, are absolutely not. Minaker ( talk) 05:49, 11 November 2010 (UTC)
I was so sure -- so sure -- of my comments above that I had the audacity to contact famed and respected film historian David Bordwell and asked him for sources that could back up my claims about a narrower definition of the term "docudrama." I was surprised when he took the time to respond -- and did so with a "docudrama" definition that closely corresponds with the exact Wikipedia definition I was arguing against. My bad. Minaker ( talk) 22:04, 15 November 2010 (UTC)
I know an email would not be considered a verifiable source by Wikipedia standards, but if anyone is interested in reading Mr. Bordwell's definition, it is below. Minaker ( talk) 22:04, 15 November 2010 (UTC)
"like many terms arising from the context of film production or the filmmaking community, it has a couple of meanings.
"Most commonly, I think, it's used to describe a film that is staged and enacted but that is also based on events, usually topical ones of current interest, that actually occurred. From this angle, the Valerie Plame film FAIR GAME would be an example. I think that the term originated in TV, to describe telefilms based on such events; THE BURNING BED was an early example. It got transferred from TV to film.
"But there's an odd restriction on this sense of the term. I don't think it is typically used to describe historical recreations, say a film about the assassination of Lincoln. I'm not sure that Spielberg's AMISTAD would be called a docudrama, even though it uses historical documents. I never thought about it, but it seems that "docudrama" is usually reserved for quasi-fictional accounts of more or less contemporary events. Perhaps that's because only something fairly current could have had, originally, a documentary made about it--ie, the event was taking place in an era in which what happens could have been filmed. So a docudrama is typically topical and contemporary.
"I think there's alternative, rarer sense in which "docudrama" is used to describe a fiction film that presents wholly fictitious events but in the manner of a documentary. An example would be the telefilm SPECIAL REPORT, which presents a terrorist attack wholly through the mode of (staged) TV news bulletins. But this is a rare usage now, since a movie like CLOVERFIELD does this but would not probably be called a docudrama. I think the more common term would be "fake documentary" or "faux documentary" or "mockumentary" (another problematic term, used not only to talk about fiction films pretending to be docs--and so "mock" rather than authentic--but also fake docs that satirize their subject, like THIS IS SPINAL TAP)." -- David Bordwell
This article still seems to contain films that don't meet the definition of docudrama. The Day Britain Stopped is complete fiction (see the topic above), so doesn't qualify any more than The War of the Worlds (radio drama) would have. Neither do documentaries (Lost Tomb of Jesus) or mocumentaries (Execution of Gary Glitter]]). There may be more; I don't have time to go through them all. JustinTime55 ( talk) 21:09, 3 February 2011 (UTC)
What is the difference between Docudrama and Historical drama? Both are based on true events? קולנואני ( talk) 17:12, 25 May 2011 (UTC)
That is not a good example to be citing since Roots, the book, was shown to have been plagiarized from a novel in its early sections.
Haley then added family yarns onto a novelistic core. So it's not the straight history book it was purported to be.
In style, it is not a docudrama. There are no tape recordings of what Kunta and Kizzy said. Their dialogue isn't coming out of someone's journal, or the minutes of a meeting, or a trial transcript.
It's an imagining of what they were like and what they might have said.
That's drama, not docudrama. There is nothing wrong with that, but it's not docudrama.
Varlaam (
talk) 04:31, 30 June 2012 (UTC)
First of all this comment I am going to write is for my communications class. From the things that are written to this article it seems like they had more than one resource because it has a resource section and the reference and reliable because they are written in a proper and specific way. Also the article just have titles from movies and tv it doesn't have a description for each one. It distracted me because it doesn't have so much information for the movies, radio and television only about the history of docudrama and the characteristics but again it doesn't write many things about them too.
Myrtokro (
talk) 20:58, 11 September 2016 (UTC)