Analysis Of 'Bowling For Columbine' & 'Night Mail'

Documentaries are a form of media, which shows reality and maintains a historical record. There are different forms of documentaries such as:

• Reflective
• Observational
• Expository
• Interactive
• Performative

An observational documentary goes around with someone to observe the way that they live and to see the events that happen in their life. An example of an observational documentary is 'Big Brother' as the cameras observe the way everyone's living to see what's going on and it gives the viewers an insight to what is happening.

The first documentary that I analysed was called 'Bowling For Columbine' which is a interactive American documentary film produced in 2002 by Michael Moore. This film tries to show the viewers Michael Moore's views on 'Columbine High School Massacre' on tries to show the audience watching that everything that he says is correct. As it shows his views on what might have happened it takes away that fact that this documentary doesn't really have much realism to it. The documentary talks about the 2 boys who were victims of this shooting but add a few extra things in the video, which keeps the viewers entertained.


Michael Moore shows the viewers that even though video games, TV films and the music that we listen to (for example Marilyn Manson) creates a big impact on people's life's, brainwashes them and influences people to want a weapon, America clearly gives people easy access to go and purchase these weapons in stores. That is why there are a lot of crimes taking part because anyone can go and get a weapon easily.


During this documentary, Michael Moore just charges into stores and different places where he interviews the people he wants. He shows the viewers a gun campaign and then he shows us the main part of the documentary which is a man called 'Charlton Heston' who is the President of the 'National Rifle Association.' Once we've seen the President give a speech, we then see footage of Michael Moore Charlton Heston at an interview that he organised.
As Michael Moore tries to get his opinions out there and tries to show that what he is saying is actually right, making the audience also agree with him and be on his side. The interview then becomes very awkward and uncomfortable for Charlton Heston to even say anything more that he walks out of the interview, as what Michael Moore is saying is true.


Michael Moore can be very intimidating and can be forceful towards people by persuading them and making his opinions so biased that other people start agreeing with him that he makes the 2 boys, who were victims of this shooting, try to stop selling ammunition in a store called 'K-Mart'. After a while, they stop selling the ammunition.

The next documentary that I analysed was called 'Night Mail' which is an expository documentary film produced in 1936 by Harry Watt and Basil Wright.
An expository documentary is different to an interactive documentary as you do not see the filmmaker but instead you just have a voiceover which is used as the narrative as well as seeing more realism in the film which educates the audience and gives you the history on how it was like when the post service packed the mail then transported it.

The structure of an interactive documentary and an expository documentary are different as, in an interactive documentary, the opinions that the person, in the film, narrates is very biased as they only give their view on the subject and tries to persuade the viewers that they are right but it is still interesting to watch.

However this documentary goes into more detail then in an interactive documentary as it gives you a lot more information about the subject of the documentary so you have a better understanding about it and the facts are true and it is not biased as they give different views on the subject.