The Grierson Effect

A fine undertaking...Plenty of intriguing material is excavated in this varied collection of essays' - Sight & Sound "The Grierson Effect: Tracing Documentary's International Movement' contains a fine set of well-researched essays which - when assembled together - provide for a groundbreaking work which should indeed stimulate further research into film - especially in the international or transnational vein. A stimulating work, it is highly recommended for both students and scholars of film, as well as thought who engaged in social science research as well.' - Erwin F. Erhardt, III, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, 2015

This landmark collection of essays considers the global legacy of John Grierson, the father of British documentary. Exploring the influence of his ideas on documentary and educational film in a wide range of national contexts, this book foregrounds core issues and new perspectives in international documentary cinema cultures and histories.

This landmark collection of essays considers the global legacy of John Grierson, the father of British documentary. Featuring the work of leading scholars from around the world, The Grierson Effect explores the impact of Grierson's ideas about documentary and educational film in a wide range of cultural and national contexts – from Russia and Scandinavia, to Latin America, South Africa and New Zealand.

In reconsidering Grierson's international infl uence, this major new study emphasises the material conditions of the production and circulation of documentary cinema, foregrounds core issues in documentary studies, and opens up expanded perspectives on transnational cinema cultures and histories.