Semidocumentary

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Form of storytelling

title: "Semidocumentary" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["non-fiction-genres", "film-genres", "documentary-film-genres", "1940s-in-film", "1950s-in-film", "1960s-in-film", "film-noir"] description: "Form of storytelling" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semidocumentary" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Form of storytelling ::

A semidocumentary is a form of book, film, or television program presenting a fictional story that incorporates many factual details or actual events, or which is presented in a manner similar to a documentary.

Characteristics

Stylistically, it has certain similarities to Italian Neorealism, such as the use of location shooting and employing non-actors in secondary roles. However, the viewer is not intended to mistake a semidocumentary for a real documentary; the fictional elements are too prominent.

Background

One of the first films of this kind was Henry Hathaway's The House on 92nd Street (1945).

In the late 1940s, semidocumentary films were often associated with film noir thrillers, sharing a commitment to on-location shooting, gritty realism, and understated performances.

Decline

In the 1960s and 1970s, the semidocumentary style declined in feature films. The standard documentary had blurred the difference between itself and fiction so much that there was viewer confusion regarding what they were seeing.

Notable semidocumentary examples

Notable directors associated with semidocumentary

References

References

  1. (2002). "Trompe (-)l'oeil: Imitation & Falsification". University of Le Havre Press.
  2. [http://www.tasteofcinema.com/2014/30-overlooked-noir-films-that-are-worth-watching/ 30 Overlooked Noir Films That Are Worth Watching — Taste of Cinema]
  3. [https://web.archive.org/web/20130522154242/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/17831/Vice-Squad/#articles-reviews?articleId=408970 Vice Squad (1953) - Turner Classic Movies]
  4. [https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/48614 DVD Talk review of Kiss Me Deadly: The Criterion Collection]
  5. [https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/film-noir-best-movies-double-indemnity-shadow-doubt-killing-a8816426.html 20 best film noirs: From Double Indemnity to Shadow of a Doubt. The Independent]
  6. [http://mikegrost.com/semidoc.htm Film Noir: The Semi-Documentaries - by Michael E. Grost]
  7. McGee, Scott. "The Phenix City Story". Turner Classic Movies.
  8. [https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/descriptions-and-essays/ Brief Descriptions and Expanded Essays of National Film Registry Titles. Library of Congress]
  9. [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17564905.2017.1289297 Butterflies, beetles, and postwar Japan: semi-documentary in the 1960s: Journal of Japanese and Korean Cinema: Vol.9, No 1]
  10. [https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-a-hard-days-night-1964 A Hard Day's Night movie review (1964). Roger Ebert]
  11. [https://www.filmsite.org/60sintro4.html Film History of the 1960s]
  12. [https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-st-valentine-s-day-massacre-1967 The St. Valentine's Day Massacre review (1967). Roger Ebert]
  13. [https://screenanarchy.com/2009/12/noir-city-8-lust-larceny.html NOIR CITY 8: LUST & LARCENY! - ScreenAnarchy]
  14. [https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/10-great-new-york-noirs 10 great New York noirs. BFI]

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non-fiction-genresfilm-genresdocumentary-film-genres1940s-in-film1950s-in-film1960s-in-filmfilm-noir