First I'd like to state the obvious: Christopher Guest is the king of this genre. Other dynamics in mockumentaries are hard working people - Kenny and The Big Tease - and love outside of Hollywood - Confetti, The Office US & UK. Two missing from the list are Sweet and Lowdown and District 9. I find the films I like the most in this genre stay rigidly within the documentary format. Cheating of any kind quickly peels back the format and reveals the cheap gimmick underneath.

It's interesting to see how Story Types blend at the edges. Wikipedia links this to the "Found Footage" genre, which is apparently where horror examples reside: The Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield, and Cannibal Holocaust (the film so realistic it made the news). Being over-educated, I immediately think of literary examples, particularly in the Magical Realism style of Borges, such as his "Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius" which is a piece of fiction that hinges on a piece of pseudo-documentary fiction. Your word for the day is 'Nihilartikel'. Bringing us back to film, we come across The Night Listener, a film I know only from one chance viewing late one night while thinking of something else. The film is based on a true fiction, or more prosaically an elaborate and dramatic lie actually told to the author of the original novel the film is based on. Honesty is the key: When the author heard it, it was ostensibly true (and actually quite insane); when we hear it from the author, the same story is revealed as a lie as part of a true story. A true story that was doubtless modified for the novel, and then further modified for the film. The idea of honesty returns to us in the marketing of The Blair Witch Project, which fabricated an urban legend for its own purposes, putting it in a class with The Amityville Horror, A Haunting in Connecticut, and, possibly, Fargo. The lies those films tell are dishonest enough, but how do they compare to the gross historical inaccuracies, the blatant disregard of physical laws, and the general farrago of non-plot-related untruths most supposedly-realistic films contain? I remain silent. Cracked has an article titled "The Five Most Ridiculous Lies Ever Published As Nonfiction" which is both interesting and relevant. Hey, I'm as surprised as you are.

Saint's suggestion of "District 9" is a really interesting addition to the list. Throw in "Blair Witch Project" per Chris' suggestion and it gets my mental gears going. The "mock" in Mockumentary carries that first level of meaning: "to attack or treat with ridicule, contempt, or derision." So there is a satirical implication. "District 9" and "Blair Witch Project" don't seem to fit that intent. Rather they use their pseudo-realism to suggest realism. Rather than a movie, like Christopher Guest, which plays out a joke in which the viewer is invited to join along, there is a seriousness of tone with D9 and BWP. Perhaps there's another phrase we can come up with for non-satirical pseudo-documentaries.

Does it all depend what definition of the word mock you choose? For the comedies, the verb. To ridicule by mimicry of action or speech. For the dramas, the noun. An imitation; counterfeit; fake.

BTW Chris, today's Movie Story Type is, indeed, Found Footage, so we can discuss the subject further.

Let's not forget that next Friday, 11/11/11, is Nigel Tufnel day! http://blogs.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/2011/05/spinal_tap_nigel_11.php

And to add to that, it's the only movie on IMDb that has rating scale that goes to 11. It's rated 8.0/11.

Teddy, that is awesome! We'll definitely have to do something to honor Spinal Tap that day. Love the movie!

Yeah, maybe a special Great Character post with good old Nigel. Being a musician and collector of guitars myself, this film has a special place in my heart. Love it! The first guitar he shows in the clip below is truly "top of the heap" as he says. It's worth around $250K. Drool.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll7rWiY5obI

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